Take me out to the ball game

In left field at Sox Park. I'm guessing Stanley Tools is a major sponsor. Stanley is also my dog's middle name-- Morgan Stanley. Well, one of her many, many names that is.

NOTE: Many Sox fans and Bridgeport residents will tell you that, regardless of what the official name of the baseball park is, it is now and always will be called "Sox Park".

Heading downtown

Yes, that's me on the train platform across from Sox Park. Terri took this as we were waiting to catch the Red Line train to the Loop where we were going to see Christina Perri, Kelly Clarkson, and The Fray on Friday night.

Oh yeah!

Everyone go that way

Metal sails?

This is the bandshell above the stage at the Jay Pritzker pavilion at Chicago's Millennium Park.

Christmas shopping

As you can tell from the furrowed brow, this is serious business. "This", of course, is Christmas shopping.

From Thanksgiving night until Christmas Eve, I will not see her entire face because she will be "on a mission from Santa" and hidden (at least partially) behind a computer screen, or on the way to CVS, or Walgreens, or Kohl's, or...

This lady is a professional. She makes Santa look like a slacker.

More balls!

Apparition

Obviously, this is the face of Jesus (or Mary?) (or John Lennon?) (or Ed from the car wash?) and it appeared in the bottom of our ranch dressing cup at Buffalo Wild Wings because God is unhappy with the changes that were made to the Catholic Mass and implemented today.

I fully expect news vans to be all over the outside of my house and plan to put this up for auction on eBay. Hello, easy retirement!

Balls!

House lights

As if proof was needed that I am a nerd, this is a photo of part of the diagram I keep with our outside Christmas lights to remind me how to connect them. I took the pic with my phone so I would have it to refer to while up on the roof.

Terri and I put up the lights on Friday.

Thanksgiving

A daddy and his first baby girl.

Sgt. Patrick John McGrath IV, USMC with his newborn daughter, Grace Elizabeth, on her birthday, 11/17/11.

Grace is Liam's sister, and her mom is Julie.

All are extremely thankful for each other.

Last Sunday's menu

Central School entrance (Riverside, IL)

Early Thanksgiving dinner

Terri on steps

Shadow people

Maple

Lambert's Restaurant

Not a Pink Floyd album cover

Line up and smile, we're having our picture taken

Southern Utah

Trees growing out of rock

What else could one possibly need?

Aces

See you again in 100 years!

Northern Arizona

Grand Canyon

Standing on the north rim, looking at a thunderstorm moving in.

See ya!

Please be orderly as you leave us, autumn.

Fading colors

The rich summer colors of the hydrangea just outside the front door fade slowly as the days get shorter and colder.

Blue sky, red and yellow plane

Intersection

A foggy early morning in central Illinois during harvest time where 100 E and 900 N meet just northeast of Monticello.

There was also a beautiful intersection of morning stillness and cool, sweet-smelling, damp air.

Jetta versus Bambo, 2008

He almost made it across the Indiana Toll Road without me getting him. But, as I braked and turned toward the grassy median that he jumped from, the front right of the car caught his back end. It must have spun him as one of his hooves dented the back door before he flew across the right lane and the shoulder and into the ditch where he died instantly.

Looking up

Chicago tradition

Rose

Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one man asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"

"Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques- visualization, association- it made a huge difference for me."

"That's great! What was the clinic name?"

Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember.

Then a smile came across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?"

"You mean a rose?"

"Yes, that's it!" He turned to his wife... "Rose, what was the name of that clinic?"  

Blinds

Pine

Saralyn as Audrey

Yes, that's my baby dressed as her alter-ego for Halloween.

Concentration

Notice the eyes-- and the tongue!

235 Vine Street, Arthur, Illinois

A few questions...

1. How many pumpkins are there?
2. Who gutted them all?
3. How do the trick-or-treaters get to the door?
4. How's that going to smell in a couple weeks?
5. Do you think they baked all the seeds?
6. Mom's or dad's idea? (Hah!)

(I counted 237. But wait-- there's more! A rack with another 37 is out of frame to the right!)

Changing leaves

I learned today from my teacher-wife why leaves change color. The dominant green color comes from chlorophyll. This green stuff, along with sunlight and carbon dioxide create oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. The chemicals that make other leaf colors we see in fall are always present in the leaves, they're just overpowered by the vast amounts of chlorophyll during spring and summer. (There are other factors that affect color, like the amount of sugars, but we're trying to keep it simple here.)

Once the amount of daily sunlight decreases, plants cut back on chlorophyll production, which permits those underlying colors to come out. Now you know!

Wait until next year!

After several weeks of local press coverage about the Chicago Cubs trying to get the Boston Red Sox GM to come onboard their (sinking) ship, the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT was made today. Theo Epstein has been anointed the savior du jour for the hapless north side baseball franchise that has not won a pennant in 103 years.

Rumor has it that this is their new slogan.

Grandson

Sunday we went to Alex's soccer game. He is a joy to watch. He is a natural and makes it seem effortless. His skills are good and he is a generous team player. He plays with a fluid style and a calm demeanor. It's refreshing to see. I also enjoyed watching his team's keeper, Ashton. She is fierce and fearless. I called her Pippi Toughstocking.

Alex was getting ready to defend against a corner kick here. I really liked the expression as he seemed to "size up" number 15 from the other team. Pippi seems ready too.

This post marks the completion of my commitment to post every day for a year. I will probably continue because it has been fun.

Journey

There arre many sayings about enjoying the journey-- not just the destination. I often take "road" shots to remind me of that.

This road is in the Cades Cove section of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Tennessee pasture fence

I don't know why, but I have a fascination with all different types of fences. Never was this more evident than our family vacation to Tennessee several years ago when my children pointed out to me how many pictures I took of fences.

I like the way this uses the two sticks to separate the diagonal cross-braces from the horizontal wires.

Someone I know

ISU v UE

Just ten days ago it was a beautiful sunny day. In fact, it was so sunny I had to move to the shade next to the bleachers to avoid getting sunburned.

Now it is 41 degrees, raining, we have high wind advisories, and it's dark by 6:30 in the evening.

Fall and spring are the best, albeit shortest, seasons of the year.

And, just one more thing... Why is the "Illinois State" lettered block so off-center? Did the person doing it really think that it made more sense to put the break between two different length words on the center line? Yes, it bothered me the entire game and still bothers me when I look at it.

For sale

Part of my life is for sale. The "resort" that I went to as a kid and then took my kids and now my grandson goes to is for sale.

Time marches on.

After the game

Off balance and slightly out of focus. And so is the picture.

Milk

Ice cold. Still love it.

Used to be a gas station