Tranquility Pike

Continuing our Christmas Taco Tradition

Last weekend, we gathered around the historical tree for our annual Christmas taco party at Jan's. Plus, we celebrated a big surprise involving Erin and Alvin. Congrats parents-to-be!

Chuck and I wore matching red shirts under our ugly Christmas sweater vests. Jeanne snapped the pic above so that we could show our ensembles.

We had a blast playing Mike's game. Inya the cat insisted in being at the center of it all, so we just used her as a card-holder.

And here is Inya still in her favorite spot.

Hooray for the cranberry jalapeno stuff on crackers! And Emmett Otter! Plus the Night Before Christmas book!

 

Jason's Halloween Costume - Homage to those Brave Chilean Miners.

Proud to be a Tree! Indiana State University's 2010 Homecoming Parade

 

 

Lebowski Fest Chicago 2010

Diversey Rock & Bowl was the site of Chicago's Lebowski Fest last night.

I knew it would be an awesome experience and my expectations were surpassed. Here I am in my Viking Maude outfit (sewed on my machine that very morning!). I'm hanging with my eldest son Rory, who knows every line of dialog from the movie.

Being a thirsty crowd, we consumed some White Russians during the evening.

We cheered on the bowlers who threw lots of gutter balls, but improved as the evening wore on.

The Achievers!

Enjoying Newport Aquarium with My Boys

Planes and Primates

How we spent our day today at our little neighborhood airport and Brookfield Zoo.

Visiting Headstone Friends

So the guy who created the facebook page for Terre Haute's Headstone Friends said he would kiss the front step if he reached 1,000 fans this week ... and he did! In fact, I think he has something like 1,400 people following the page right now. My brothers, nephew and I happened to be in town for a graduation (congrats Rob!) and so we made sure we were there to see all the action. 

I frequented Headstone from 1971 on and have taken my kids there for music and posters over the years. They love it, too ... 

The guy on the far left is our facebook buddy. At right is Robert, Rob and Mike.

Rory - Currently awaiting spring so he can pick & sing on the edge of a cliff

A fun little video posted several years ago by my musical son and his friend.

Chuck Gets in Touch with his Feminine Side for Halloween

What you are about to see is a lot scarier than Paranormal Activity. Chuck's company, which shall remain nameless, hosted a Halloween costume party today. Thankfully, they don't normally welcome clients into this particular office because anyone in the vicinity today would have turned and scrambled out the door as fast as possible. Chuck got a wig and raided a few of my things (don't ask)for his outfit. I think he looks like Tootsie's grandma.

Chuck's friend, above, really is from France.

 
 
This pic leaves me speechless.

Chillin' in the cubicle.
 
  

Update: Valentine's Flowers are Blooming!

 

Valentine Flowers on My Doorstep: Yipeeeeeeee!

Thank you, Jason and Rory, for your very thoughtful Valentine's Day gift. We heard the doorbell ring, peeked outside and saw a guy running down the driveway to his car. "I'll bet there's a paper bag on fire on the porch!" I told Chuck. We swung the door open to find a big, sturdy ProFlowers box. Inside the elaborate wrappings were a beautiful bouquet of flowers and heart-shaped box of chocolates, with a very sweet note. What a neat Valentine's Day surprise!

Oh My, Chuck's Wearing the Birthday Gnome Hat!

It's hard to tell what Chuck's thinking in this pic, but I'm sure he was enjoying the festive mood in and around his cubicle last week. Notice the black crepe paper, silver and black balloons and pointy hat given to him in honor of his 55th birthday. Yes, it's fun getting old!

 I see a slight resemblance ... 

Sarah's Baby Shower Delivers Lots of Goodies for the New Little Guy

Hallie was a big help to Sarah as she opened her mound of baby gifts. Her car seat and stroller have really cute, little blue hippos in the pattern. 

Chillaxing in Cincinnati

Notice there was NO SNOW in Cincinnati during last week's visit ... and none of that dreaded "wintry mix" which has made me so weary. Jay's new residence is on the National Register of Historic Places, with a wonderful nighttime view of the Holy Cross Immaculata Church all lit up on Mt. Adams. 

Rory and I were looking gleeful inside the Ludlow Skyline Chili parlor because we knew two five-ways would soon be plopped down in front of us. The server told us that Sarah Jessica Parker left the building just a few minutes before we arrived. 

Snow Ice Cream

Anybody remember making snow ice cream as a kid? Pretty tasty stuff, although I guess with the pollution and particulates in the air today it may not be a good idea to whip up a batch. The view outside my office window, below, reminded me of how exciting it was back in Terre Haute (during the '50s and '60s -- Lord, am I that old?) to see the snow pile up. It meant snow ice cream time! 

Pay no attention to that dog in the window. He's perched in his favorite place, watching for a bird or bunny to venture into the yard. To make snow ice cream, someone was sent outside with a big mixing bowl and spoon. The idea was to pack as much snow as possible into the bowl without dredging up any dirt. Not a problem as long as you found a good, deep drift in the yard. Next, the bowl was brought inside where we quickly added some milk, a few tablespoons or more of sugar and a couple capfuls of vanilla. After stirring all ingredients into the snow,the mixture actually resembled ice cream. We added a little more sugar or milk as needed and then dug in, everyone with a spoon, straight from the bowl. Pretty tasty stuff back in the day.

Rock On: Halloween Hunks are Back in Black

Who could have predicted that Chuck's carefully assembled Halloween costume would be duplicated by Doug, his co-worker? Not fair! But they both look good and ready for Saturday's AC/DC concert. Yeah baby, we have tickets.

The Wedding: A Quick Tour

Emily and Tommy Got Married!

Let's take a  brief visual tour.

Emily and the Right Reverend Rich found a few quiet moments in the grand ballroom to contemplate the ceremony. 

We've been waiting for this day for something like a year and now it's over in a flash. Emily and Tommy had a perfect afternoon for their outdoor wedding. The evening prior, at the rehearsal, the sun started to set and a big, brilliantly colored rainbow appeared. A good omen!

Time for Jeff to hand over the bride and take his seat next to Julie. 

Jessica and her escort, Carlos.

People are getting ready to par-tay. Oh boy, did we see some funny sights later in the evening. Video will be added to this blog as evidence as soon as possible. (Editing takes time, you know.)

Here is the cake, chocolate and vanilla by the way, with the Lenox bride and groom topper.

 

Wii had Lots of Fun this Weekend

Thank You, Jay, for Making Your Mam Laugh at Another Clever Cat Photo

Why are all these people washing their cats with soap and water? Seriously, is that something you are supposed to do? When I was a kid with cats, they took care of their own personal hygiene and did a darn good job of it. 

Kentucky Caves Lure Festive Crowd to Karst-O-Rama

I hope kyspeleofest does not mind that I posted this Flickr pic of Rory enjoying last weekend's Karst-O-Rama cave festival. What a cool bunch of people, especially those mudhippies. 

Nick's Graduation Party

The guest of honor is seated in the white wicker rocker, opening his cards and gifts. For some unknown reason, Ted looks confused.

Why is Our Dog Toying with Us?

Sweet little Trey, our fuzzy and opinionated Ratshire Terrier. The people at the shelter said he had a mind of his own, so we fully accepted that he may have some quirks. Here is the latest: Now that summer is here, Trey loves patrolling the yard about every half hour. No problem with that, as we need the exercise of getting up and down out of our chairs to let him in and out.

However, Trey has started teasing us by barking at the door to be let in and then dashing off the second we open the door. He does this over and over, every time we try to let him in. He looks me straight in the eye as I open the door and then dashes off when it's wide open, running into the yard or the edge of the patio, where he pauses to see if I'm still watching. No matter how many times I call his name, beg or entice him with the treat sack, he won't come back to the door until I close it and walk away. Then he'll run right up to the glass, bark, and do the same darn thing all over again. Does he want us to come outside to play every time? Is he tormenting us for some unknown indiscretion? Or is he just plain goofy? We may have to call the Dog Whisperer to find the truth.

Emily's Bridal Shower

It was a girl party for sure last Saturday when we gathered to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Emily and Tommy. 

Location was the White Eagle country club, just inside the terrace overlooking the golf course. 

Alison helped Emily open and keep track of the large mound of gifts. 

The bridal party anticipates the big day.

Wonderful, Spectacular Sarasota!

Wow, so many pictures to remind me of our fun times in Sarasota last week. Here are a few for now.

Visiting with Mom, taking her to the movies, out to eat and to the condo.

Lounging on on Siesta Key right before Rob caught the flu.

This was the beachfront right outside our door.

Phantasmagoria

That's Mike in the murky mist of Phantasmagoria: Specters of Absence, running until August 10 at Sarasota's Ringling Museum of Art. You can also see me in all my pitiful gloriousness, snapping this photo from the confines of my wheelchair.

Actually, navigating this large museum was a breeze in that wheelchair. Certainly better than hobbling around, lugging my broken foot in the heavy boot. The friendly guards talked me into using the wheelchair and they were so right.

The Phantasmagoria exhibit incorporates all sorts of interactive, murky, spooky effects that encourage visitors to become part of the "art." In this picture, you can see Mike seated on a metal cube in front of the big mirror. The cube shoots out a spray of fog periodically, straight up around the seated person. In the room before this one, strategically placed lights allowed visitors to create long, strange shadows on the wall for a frightening effect.

Sarah and Hallie

Hallie and her Aunt Sarah, above. I am going to dig out a photo of Sarah at age four. It's amazing how much they look alike. Sarah just got off work as a cake decorator and has a little icing smudged here and there.

Having Fun in Terre Haute

Here we are, getting ready to order at Terre Haute's new Hilton Garden Inn, with a great menu and extensive dessert list. Hooray for ahi tuna and the bananas foster! Sounds like an odd combo, but it hit the spot for me and I worked it off later helping Sue and Fee Faw finish off the move. 

Oswego East Graduation Day

 

The wind was so strong, it kept blowing the caps right off the heads of the graduates seated on the Oswego East football field. Even as we were being blown around, it was a fine ceremony with great music and funny, insightful speeches. 

Congratulating the graduate.

This is a good time to re-post Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement address, so inspirational that I have for years kept it tacked to the wall next to my desk. Stay hungry. Stay foolish. You have to trust that in the end, your life will connect the dots in ways that you cannot begin to imagine.

Red River Gorge Music by Rory and Adam

Here's a clip of Rory and Adam picking and strumming on what looks like a cliff above Kentucky's Red River Gorge.