On Starved Rock, Plans and Polaroids.

Eat! Not that! Your fangs aren't made for corn chips!

You bitch, stop dominating the cat, he does not work that way.

Hey! What are you doing! get down!

The Doritos are picked up to prevent that gagging sound after an adventurous mutt has gourmet tendencies. The cat, once it breaks its canine chains, rebells, only to be lowered from the kitchen counter. The long awaited dog walk looms with too little gas in the tank to make it worthwhile.

Now, while simultaneously planning for the day trip, the rush to Costco to fill the tires before six! The four day Lincoln/Washington Holiday is almost over with Valentines Day nestled in for good looks, but no seclusion or much selection for that matter. It looks like OpenTable.com will be my salvation, perhaps Dengeos. Will she remember that kids are not supposed to go to Valentines Day dinners?

Our plans to take off for a day, maybe a night, as well, could not be more tentative, even if reserved. This will be the second time that we have planned to see the eagles soar at Starved Rock State Park this winter. The first attempt was clogged with emotional congestion, sleep deprivation, and a decision to abandon plans. We are starved just to get out of the house in the antique minivan.

The kids are getting older. We aren't getting younger. I continue to persist on those yet to be taken voyages as the kids reach rebellion. I reach for the pomegranate juice, goji juice, and occasional dram of 'the water of life.' A few of the many efforts to find the fountain of youth complete with Lipitor. Well, at least my blood sugar is a pleasant 108! The heart rate also seems well. This is in spite of limited of exercise and a contemptuous diet. The occasional deviation to China Buffet, The Fish Keg, Gullivers, Hophaus, or Sabrin A Sub will not impress a cardiologist. The svelte physique, once worn, is in need of a comeback.

The walk up and down the heights, corners and crevices of Starved Rock may help a bit. The brisk breeze will hit our faces, our hands will be mitted, and we will scour the treetops in search of Haliaeetus leucocphalus.

My significant other has wanted to see the Starved Rock eagles grace the branches and cliffs of Utica, Illinois for a while. Unfortunately, work limits play. Our weekends may once, again, return and we may be a family. As a result, the eagles have never landed onto our schedule until now.

I have this sense of guilt every time I take the kids to some wonderland while the other half is tending to the ill. When we express what we have done, there is a subtle sense of envy eminating. This can put a chill on the moment. It had kept the kids in check for a while.

I'm unsure whether there will be a good photo op. However, I am bringing the Nikon Coolpix S70, anyway. This is the third or forth generation of digital cameras in a long line of broken crystals and malfunctioning lenses. Hopefully, we will land a few photos of the brown and white feathered raptors that will calmly caress our vision on Monday.

So does anyone else have any interesting plans over the weekend, other than those high points that Valentines Day may or may not create? Does Rogers Park have a family or two, who spent the weekend in tow? Are the empty nesters just going to nest in front of Apolo Ohno and wonder, "what happened to my kid?"