The Haunted House on Rising Road

No idea why this house is abandoned but still standing, but on Rising Road (even the road sounds spooky), this green and white trimmed house with no windows or doors stands ready to scare anyone passing by. You can see right through it to the field in the back. And sure enough, someone hung a noose from a tree out front. My whole family loves driving by this house, wondering about its story. Creepy!

Tanger Mall Tuscola, IL Today

Mayhem Festival 7/25/09 Indianapolis, IN

With Austin and Mark. Outdoor amphitheater with 28,000 of your favorite screaming metal heads, 10 hours, with Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Black Dahlia Murder, Bullet For My Valentine and eight other bands. Indianapolis, IN will never be the same again. I'll post pics if I survive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJHJkJHa-T4

Bing.com

I read an article in WSJ that people like Bing, even better than Google on average, but are not often switching altogether because Google is "good enough". Building a better mousetrap does not always get more mice. That said, in one month, bing.com from Microsoft has increased their search share from single digits to over 20%. I like bing; alternative refinements to search in left hand column automatically, and mouse over any video or image (in video and image searches) and it previews what else is on that webpage without having to click it/go to it. Sweet.

Have you binged today?

B and H Camera, NYC

Requires hand-to-hand delivery of package, not just my signature (which exonerates them from all liability in leaving the package at my doorstep). Had I known this when I ordered, I would not have ordered from them. I am a working member of the socialist Obamanation, and I cannot be present to get a package from UPS, nor can I drive 20 miles round trip and catch them during the 4.5 hours daily that UPS has window hours. I let B and H Camera know that this is my last order with them forever.

Hope to Kayak Soon; Back to Whipping Post First

St. Charles, Illinois Images from Waterside

I'll be calling my friend Bruce to see if he'd like to either kayak this stretch againj, ormeet in ELgin and try paddling the area north of Elgin dam. Many nice photos, all along te waterside, in Saint Charles here.

Geneva IL Bridge Viewed From Island Park

The view of the Geneva Illinois bridge, decorated with flowers, taken on Saturday, July 11 in the morning.

Portillo's Geneva, Illinois

A very pleasant day as parents drove to Geneva. Rain let off to 85F humid temperatures by 2pm. Lunch of the fish burritos at Chicks N Salsa (see prior post) and dinner at Portillo's. A little shopping at Home Goods, and a short walk by the Geneva Dam. This morning a walk to Starbucks up the street, breakfast at Egg Harbor, then a day of some mandatory paperwork and I Love You Beth Cooper (which is already not as super as the book, the internet explains). Tomorrow, the return of Mark C., who I miss very much.

Orion 20 x 80mm Astronomical Binoculars

I love these binoculars. I use them to see Heron eating small fish in the pond behind my house, and I used them two nights ago to view the full moon. The Bogen Manfrotto tripod makes them manageable. I enjoy good optics, and the Orions will soon not be as lonely-- Nikon spotting scope and Zeiss Binos will be joining the famly from B and H Photo, in New York--the only store I have ever seen in my entire life that is closed on Saturdays.

Batavia, IL Bridge

Went to our neighbor to the south, Batavia, today to view the Fox River Bridge. The river here was shalloow, but naviable by kayak, ande had lovely pedestrian bridges south of the dam. The Main Street bridge is decked out for summer with purple hanging flower baskets. This permament cat'o nine tails sculpture creates interest tothose walking on the sgone tiled Batavia Bridge.

I Love You My Wife

Okay, I promised my wife I'd take her to see I Love You Beth Cooper this weekend at Warrenville huge cinema. I must admit, it looks fun. Would love to get Alexia into the theater with Dave, but apparently that's not easy.

Bruce, got your wonderful "hello" subject email. Wonderful June you had. You need a break. We'll talk about when you and Zena are free.

Addendum: the movie was so universally panned, that I decided to read the praised novel, doing so now on Kindle.

Addendum #2: The novel sucks, too.

I Boggle

Here's my Boggle game on my kitchen counter. I have been practicing. I hear that Dave's daughter is a natural at this game. I'm ready! My brother claims he can do Scramble, which is ITunes online Boggle, and score in the top three. That is a major boast,only to be believed if he can kick my can live and in person sometime. For now, I Boggle alone.

I Miss My Guitar Playing Son.

This is where the magic happens, his guitar lessons. I sit in that cubby, the black chairs, while he is down the hall making beautiful noise. He's been gone for two weeks, and I miss his playing and taking him to his lesson. He'll be back Sunday. And he texted me that he is getting his hair cut short.

Our Kitchen Is Your Kitchen

Hope to have a good meal at this table. Or at least sticky sweet margaritas.

Biking in Geneva, Illinois

A fine Sunday bike ride with Cathy, including a yummy breakfast burrito at Mel's Diner, pedaling past the gorgeous houses from Seventh to Third Streets, stumbling upon the Sunday Farmer's Market (look at those peaches!) before getting on the bike path back to our condo. Photos of the Geneva bridge in the distance fromthe ped bridge over the Fox River, plus the Geneva bridge with summerng flowers, and the Geneva Dam through the trees. I have loads of energy despite staying up late last night reading Nancy Wall's memoir Pulled By The Heart, published in June 2009 (the hot read since she lives in our condo bldg). Sunny 81F and glad I'm not in Beirut (as in the book). Lovely day in Geneva.

Parking Spaces R Us

This weekend, we bought an indoor parking space. Don't even ask the price--let's just say, there goes my Harley-Davidson Fatboy. Parking is a commodity, bought and sold like shares of General Electric on the stock exchange. A spot--similar to the one in the above picture--can make or break the future sale of a condo. Needless to say, it helps to have an indoor spot for more than one car in a growing Chicago suburb in today's mobile society, and I feel fortunate in my building's cramped garage to have secured a second, more spacious spot. In fact, I may rent out one of my spaces--the signs are on the bulletin board now. In the end, I have a location now that I can park my Chevy Avalanche, and that gives me warm fuzzy feelings. Not as warm and fuzzy as a Harley, but...

Games with Friends

What a casual and nice last evening. After pure gluttony with Sanfratello's pizza and Greek salad, spent the evening at our place with friends Jay, Dave, Alexia and us--learned Tripoly and Mancala. Neat fun, as games allow us to relax, see how we all interact under pressure of intense friendly competition, and get to know one another on a different level. Scrabble and Boggle and who knows what else lies ahead for us this summer. All with a backdrop of Kane County Cougars fireworks.

Rainy and relaxing Saturday today, found a different Home Goods and Marshall's at Lombard's Yorktown Mall. THe indoor mall, ladies and gentleman, is dead. Grab your last Orange Julius before it's all over.

A Binful of Babies!

I love A.S.S in Geneva. Flasks, beakers, spyglasses, neon lights, corks, tarantulas, live and dead frogs, rubber gaskets, chattering teeth and bug jewelry. These are just some of the images stuck in my mind from A.S.S.

Oh, and a binful of dead babies.

Vegetables and Drinks with Friends

A sweet and casual Thursday night to kick off a long Independence Day weekend Always enjoy the company of hosts Dave and Alexia, who took the time to buy fresh vegetables at the Geneva Green Market and make a setting to die for. I only wish I had my camera! Cocktails on the balcony, tales of Flying Tomato Brothers, bike accidents, parking spaces, Jellybean and A.S.S and broken water heaters from Kathy and Jay, too., Thanks for the fun.