I dreamed last night that I was, for the first time, in China, in one of their major cities. While often my dreams concentrate on architecture, I don’t remember really looking at any buildings. I remember that there was a lot of pedestrian traffic, and a very large number of bicycles, on the streets and that everyone looked young, healthy, prosperous and happy. I remember thinking how much ahead of us China was on day to day life, and how exciting their cities were. This particular city, for example, had one element that I had never seen elsewhere, and never imagined possible.

There was a large central city park. It was probably two blocks or so long on one side. On the parallel sides, I am not sure. Maybe the same, maybe deeper. The park was flat and green, and looked just right for the center of big city. But there was a trick (if that is what is was). In the late afternoon, the park, like the roof of an enclosed arena, receded. Just split open in the middle and slid sideways under the adjoining city blocks. Then, like on a stage in a well funded theater, once the floor was removed, something rises from underneath. In this case, what arose was a mountain, a pretty large mountain, changing the entire feel of the city from a city in the plains to a city surrounded by high peaks. Yes, everything’s up to date in China’s cities; they’ve gone about as far as they can go.

Of course, maybe I was dreaming about China because I was sad that I could not attend (from the comfort of my own house) last night’s state dinner for President Xi. Or not. I was very interested in the reaction of CNN and MS NOW to the Trump ban on their coverage. All of a sudden, all of the news of the world pretty much vanished from their programming. After saying “we hate to be the story ourselves”, they spent the entire day and evening making the story of themselves. I guess it’s human nature, but I found it pretty tiring. And it is still going on this morning.

I saw yesterday that Bob Pettit died at age 93. Most of you don’t know who Bob Pettit was, I know. He was the star player on the NBA St. Louis Hawks (now the Atlanta Hawks) from 1955 to 1965. He was the National Basketball Association’s first Most Valuable Player. As I have said before, in 1953, my 10 year old heart was broken when the baseball St. Louis Browns announced that they were moving to Baltimore. I never became a rabid Cardinals fan, and my sports allegiance transferred to the Hawks, who moved to St. Louis from Milwaukee in, I think, 1955, and stayed until 1968. The Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968 (they are still there), a year after St. Louis got its first National Hockey League team, the Blues. I lived in St. Louis, more or less, for the first two years after my 1967 law school graduation (and then moved to DC), and during those two years, my sports allegiance belonged to the Blues.

At any rate, Bob Pettit had an illustrious career, although I never heard anything about him after his retirement. Apparently he had a successful career in his home state of Louisiana as a banker and financial advisor. There were other Hawks of his time whose memory is etched into fans of the team – Ed Macauley, Slater (Dugie) Martin, and Cliff Hagan, to name the three most memorable. The entire 1957-8 team (that’s the one I looked up) is gone now….the only exception being Cliff Hagan, who will turn 95 in December. Hagan apparently now lives in Owensboro, KY, his home town. Information about his post-basketball career (except for a few years of coaching right after he retired as a player) is hard (i.e., impossible?) to find.

The holiday of Sukkot starts tonight. We were invited to two Sukkah parties Sunday afternoon, but the weather is ominous. My phone says 65% rain likely on Sunday, so we will see. Always a risk. I remember when we used to put up a Sukkah annually. Usually the weather cooperated, but sometimes…… As I understand it, in Jerusalem of old, when pilgrims commingled at the temple for the Sukkot festivities, rain was never a problem.

Today, I have one major task. Edie’s car, a 2018 Prius C, is dead as a doornail. Looks like it may be the battery. A new Prius C battery looks to be north of $1500. Guess I’ll start a Go Fund Me. Modern life.