Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"

Heard on Chicago Center frequency:

Pilot:
"Chicago, Piper 12345 en route to St. Louis. Request flight following."

Center:
"Piper 12345, where in the world are you?"

Pilot:
"I'm down below the water [meaning south of Lake Michigan], heading for St. Louis."

Center (deadpan) :
"Piper 123, it must be pretty wet down below the water. Want to try again?"

Pilot:
"I'm ten miles south of Michigan City."

Center:
"That's more like it."

John Urschalit
via e-mail