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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, July 23, 2015 | 12 Nothing as conducive to conversation as the open road That's W Life e departed mid-morning, under a sky-blue sky, cups of steaming coffee in the cup-holders, the latest by The Lone Bellow on the stereo, and plenty of that rare and precious commodity of time on our hands. Time to drive, daydream, and watch the landscape pass as we sped out of Ontario and across assorted state lines: New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania. Because, as Yogi Berra once so sagaciously said: "You can observe a lot, just by watching." Time to reconnect with the revved-up guy riding shotgun -- our middle offspring, our Andy Juniper Guest Contributor second son, Scott. Oh, and time to talk. Because nothing in this world bridges generational gaps, and is as conducive to conversation, as the open road. Scott and I were embarking on a baseball Good Pay Paid Mileage Flexible Hours We Train Get Paid for Rewarding Work with Seniors Visit www.links2care.ca Email jobs@links2care.ca Fax 905-844-5656 Our Home Support Workers take pride in helping seniors with household tasks such as cleaning and laundry so they can remain at home independently for as long as possible. road trip, our second in three years, plotted with zeal back in February when we were still in the clutches of Jack Frost and barely able to even dream about the Boys of Summer, then but a distant antidote to the Dregs of Winter. First stop: Pittsburgh, home of the Pirates, an exciting National League contender that plays in PNC Park, an intimate, aesthetic park located downtown on the shore of the Allegheny River, overlooking the city's sweet skyline. Experts rank the park as one of the best in all of baseball; there ain't a bad seat in the house and the atmosphere is always charged. Pittsburgh fans are passionate about their Pirates. Speaking of passion, in PNC Park we found love. One row down from us. In the form of two adorable pairs of lovebirds that kept us entertained for all nine innings, as if the come-from-behind win by the home team wasn't worth the price of admission. First off, the high school-aged kids who were as madly into the game as they were into each other. Between pitches they'd goof around, dance in their seats, laugh (at everything) and make googly eyes at each other. Then there was the husband and wife -- married 44 years, the wife told me -- who fawned over each other and, I do believe, actually out- irted the youngsters beside them. The next morning we were off to Chicago -- eight more hours on the road; eight more hours of chatter --for the Crosstown Classic, a three-game series at venerable Wrigley Field, pitting Chicago's south-side White Sox against the north-side Cubs, a rivalry dating back to 1906 when the clubs collided in the World Series. Anytime you can spend time in Chicago is a boon. Anytime you can spend time in the bleachers at venerable Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs since 1914, is a blast. Although the Sox took two out of three games, no one let it spoil what was a party atmosphere, infused with all things Chicago: beer, bratwurst and blarney. Alas, it was time to return home. We left Chicago in the early morning just as the sun was starting to rise, coffee beside us, an eighthour drive ahead of us. Time on our hands. Time to drive, daydream, and talk and talk as we crossed assorted state lines: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan. By the time we reached the Canadian border, we'd solved all the world's problems, and had a ton of laughs. Nothing is as conducive to conversation as the open road. Except, possibly, the game of baseball. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com and found on Twitter @ thesportjesters. up TO 60% OFF GARDEN SUPPLIES since 1962 VAN BEEK'S RENOVATION CLEARANCE SALE Sat., August 8th · 9am - 5pm Huge inventory of NEW 2014 gas fires with venting and fire backs $1,000 Absolute lowest prices on outdoor fire pits and hand made wrought iron furniture All floor models of gas & dimplex electric fireplaces. 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