11:35 in Sullivan, Illinois

Details

Mock-up

It has been nearly a year since we remodeled the first floor and we have yet to put a hole in any one of the walls to hang even one picture.

Saturday we talked (at length) about the sizes of the prints, mats, and frames. We came to what seemed like a good solution. We thought we should make a full-size mock-up since we would be spending so much on this project. So, since Terri is an elementary school teacher, this meant we would be working with construction paper. This is how an 11" X 14" print with a 4 1/2" wide mat on all four sides and a 2 1/2" frame will look.

Sunday we went frame shopping.

Yikes!

Authentico

The colorful tables and chairs at Los Compadres in Chicago Heights were imported from Mexico. My children treated me to a belated birthday dinner there last night. Good food, good times. Yum.

Top of the tree

The creepy-looking angel from the top of the Christmas tree.

Kinda looks like Adele, doesn't it?

Kick it up, it's the weekend!

The band was rockin', the couples were tearin' up the dance floor, and the beer was cold.

A fun night at the Whiskey Bent Saloon on Nashville's Broadway.

Thankful and happy to be on a wine rack with a vase full of sticks

Shrove Tuesday

Pancakes. From scratch.

Reminds me of the time my son John was eating a cake that Teresa said was, "made from scratch."

John asked, "Mama, what are scratches?"

Mardi Gras

Our Mardi Gras ecoutrements.

Terri has parent/teacher conferences today. For some reason, she thinks wearing her beads would not be a good thing.

Hmmm.

New friend

I met her at a Mardi Gras party Saturday. She was kinda cute, but didn't say much and kept grabbing my butt.

And, yes, that is a Hurricane in my hand. And, no, I don't need another. A friend described Hurricanes as, "a spiked fruity drink like you would get at any college frat party." Actually, she over-sold it with that description. Terri was more accurate when she said it was like "cough syrup".

Pre-Mardi Gras

This is the lobby of Joliet's Rialto Square Theatre all decked out for a Mardi Gras celebration.

Terri and I attended the pre-show drinks and appetizer party, then listened and danced to the rowdy sounds of Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies on Saturday night.

Yes, I think we will have fun in "Nawlins".

R-G-Bean

RGB is the acronym for Red-Green-Blue, the primary colors used to make all colors on old-fashioned TV sets and computer monitors. Here they are reflected on Chicago's Cloudgate sculpture in Millennium Park, a stainless steel beauty affectionately known as "The Bean".

Look closely at your old TV and you'll see all those tiny Red, Green, and Blue dots. But don't stare at them too long or you'll become sterile from the radiation!

Hah! Remember when our parents told us that to get us to back away from the TV? Did they really believe that, or was it another one of those adult hoaxes-- like, "You must wait an hour after eating before going swimming or else you'll get cramps."

Inside the Bean

The concave interior of the stainless steel structure does strange things with the colors and images it reflects.

As promised

This is a close-up of the bowl I had my salad in the other night. I wanted to show the beautiful detail in the glaze work around the edge.

The bowl may or may not be considered a birthday present. (I do consider it one.) We saw it in the Irish shop in the local mall when we exchanged the cap Terri gave me for Christmas for a smaller size. I liked the bowl and bought it. I suggested that it could be a birthday present. Terri thought it would simply be a purchase.

As she gave me a case of warm beer I don't care for as a birthday present, I will remember this as my gift instead.

Grilled chicken salad

Valentine's dinner at home-- grilled chicken salad. It may not look like much, but it was. The bowl is about 14 inches across.

I'll have to post a close up picture of the detail in the glaze at the edge of the bowl. It's a very intricate Celtic pattern.

Valentine's Day love

Have a lovely Valentine's Day everyone, from me and my bride.

Community

Chicago's Millennium Park is a wonderful example of the success of a city's efforts to provide opportunities for the community to come together in the spirit of fun.

Each winter, there is an ice rink in the park. A warming house, skate rental, hot chocolate, and a restaurant are all there too. It makes for a nice neighborhood get-together in a city of about 2.9 million people.

My youngest, Saralyn, loved the time we went there and likes to go every year. I always think of her when I see this.

Luminous Field

By now you probably know I love "Cloudgate" (the big chrome bean) in Chicago's Millennium Park. This February, a pair of local artists installed projectors that illuminate the ground with various patterns and colors. They call their project Luminous Field.

This picture shows the reflection of the light patterns and the high-rises along Michigan Avenue on the bean. It even appears on some of the people as they pass through the lights. The futuristic music added a nice touch.

Though it was quite cold, Terri and I had a hard time leaving last night.

Want to know more about it? Click here. (Sorry, link is expired.)

Roof glacier

Those who live in areas where it snows a lot know that the snow doesn't just slide off the roof suddenly in big slabs. (Well, not usually.) It tends to creep slowly and curl around the edge as if it is hanging on for dear life.

This is an example of how it tends to compress one "wave" onto the next.

Of course it eventually falls and the dog barks because she thinks the house is under attack.

Mom & son

I really like this photo. The lighting is wonderful and the moment was a great one. Luke is eating dinner before heading out and Terri is just chatting with him about his day. If only she didn't have a mouthful of bean dip...