Jake

Have You Ever Had One Of Those Days?

The View From My Kitchen Window

The morning February sun comes up on Geneva, IL, looking toward State Street, with the peak of the Kane County Courthouse just visible through the trees.

Solo--A Kayaker Lost At Sea: Very Moving Video

Leaving his wife and young son behind, a man bent on adventure sets off in his kayak to traverse an ocean--alone.  Experienced sea kayaker Andrew McAuley's doomed trip from Tasmania to New Zealand 2007.



Heartbreaking.

The View From My Kitchen Window Onto Old Geneva, IL

Winter View Down To The Geneva Dam

The Hurt Locker

Every year there's one or two Ocsar Best Picture nominated films that get such high praise, and yet I missed them at the box office. Sure, I saw precious (hated it--but Mo'Nique was fabulous as the wretched mother, and she will get the Supporting Actress Oscar, no doubt), and The Blind Side (Sandra Bullock returns!). The movie that I missed and now much see--this year, that film is The Hurt Locker, nominated for--among other things--Best Director and Best Film. Now on DVD, I plan to make this a family movie night selection. Popcorn, candles, large screen TV and Bose.

Watercolor Artist

Watercolor, Bunny Girl, by Linda Hutchinson
http://www.hutchinsonart.blogspot.com/

This is the type of art that inspires Cathy with her new hobby.

Riverside Reception Area With Friends

Super night with cocktails at David and Alexia's, wonderful butternut squash ravioli overlooking the Fox River, saw presentation about many small animals saved, always Jay's super humor, and finished with a nightcap listening to Sarah Vaughn and Boz Scaggs at Kim and Tom's place. Fun!

Fox Valley Wildlife Center Fundraiser Saturday

Whether you are interested in a luxury vacation in the Virgin Islands or a behind-the-scenes tour of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, check out the silent auction at the Fox Valley Wildlife Center fundraiser Saturday.

The center cares for injured and orphaned birds and mammals and depends entirely on membership fees, donations, grants and its yearly fundraiser.

The dinner and auction begins at 6 p.m. at Riverside Reception and Banquets, 35 N. River Lane in Geneva.

The center's staff says the auction is even more important this year because for the first time, the center is responsible for paying its own utilities, estimated at about $500 a month. Taking over utilities is part of a new agreement with the Kane County Forest Preserve District, which will continue to contribute the use of the house and land in the Elburn Woods Forest Preserve.

This year's live auction includes a chance to bid on a one-week vacation for up to 10 people at Satinwood in Coral Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, valued at $3,500 to $4,410. Accommodations include two full kitchens, a pool and a sun deck. The beach, shopping and dining are just minutes away. Visit www.satinwood-usvi.com for more information.

Another major attraction of the live auction is a four-course dinner with wine pairings for six people, prepared in your home by Chef Richard Fields of Citizen Kane in Geneva. The minimum bid is $400.

Other items include a behind-the-scenes tour of Lincoln Park Zoo for six people; artwork of the Wildlife Center's habitants; bird carvings; stained glass; pet photo shoots; art classes; quilts; carved pens and more.

The event features a dinner (entree choices are Chicken Rockefeller (Chicken breast with spinach and bacon and a Hollandaise Sauce) or a vegetarian option of Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Cream Sauce)
-- silent auctions
-- live auctions
-- raffle
-- presentation by a FVWC wildlife specialist
-- video presentation of animals that passed through our doors this year and the Volunteers that helped them
-- awarding of prizes for the 2010 photo contest
This is our fourth year at this location and we're pleased to return here again to join in the fun!

Invite your wildlife-loving friends and neighbors--yes, you can reserve an entire table for your group of eight or ten people.

I'll be there, as friends Dave and Alexia have reserved a table. And heck, it's right across the street and on the Fox River, so who could resist!

P.S. In keeping with the spirit of the evening to save small animals, I ordered the vegetarian meal rather than chowing down on a chicken.

Happy Friday!!!!! from Ferris Bueller

Go Game Hits The Block

Sure, I'm still into Go. I just don't need this premium board (I have others, more reasonable in size) as much as I need to pay for the Canon camera lens. So, on the chopping block it goes. On eBay 2/4 PM, with plenty of Go-mongers and masters licking their chops to get this one. An heirloom.

Mars Needs Guitars

The axes are getting the axe. Listed on eBay now, they will soon, like a wooly worm to a butterfly, morph into....a Canon EOS 7D.

Millionaire Matchmaker

Okay, I'll admit it--last night I blew three hours watching Patty Stanger on Bravo's Millonaire Matchmaker with my wife.

So shoot me.

The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge Over Connecticut River

The Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans the Connecticut River between Cornish, New Hampshire and Windsor, Vermont. It was the longest covered bridge still standing in the United States until the Smolen–Gulf Bridge opened in Ohio in 2008.  The 2008 bridge is ugly.


The bridge is approximately 449 feet (137 m) long and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide. It has a Town lattice type truss. The bridge was originally built in 1866, and rebuilt in 1988. It was designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 1970.

The bridge is owned and maintained by the State of New Hampshire, and though often associated with Windsor, is in fact part of the town of Cornish, since the defined boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont is at the western high-water mark of the river. When one drives onto the bridge from the Windsor side of the river they are immediately in New Hampshire. The name is a point of contention among locals since many Cornish inhabitants refer to the bridge as the 'Cornish Covered Bridge' (minus 'Windsor') since, they argue, the bridge belongs to Cornish and not Windsor.

The death of Mr. Salinger reminded me of the one time I saw the Cornish, NH covered bridge in person, during my college years.  Went on a driving trip with my parents up the Vermont-New Hampshire state line.  Saw the Quechee Gorge and, as I recall, the Augustus St. Gauden's home and studio on the same trip.  Memories that still come to the fore when I think of Cornish, NH.

My Salinger Collection of Hardbacks

I was into Jerome David before it was cool to be into Jerome David. Well, not exactly, I suppose, because all those phonies were reading his books and all before I was born. But you'd think I be into that David Copperfield crap, but I really couldn't give a damn. I even printed out his unpublished and almost unreadable Glass letter home from summer camp, "Hapworth 16, 1924," It was never published in a book--only installements in the Saturday Evening Post--but I printed it and bound it.  And never read it.

Ever Have One Of Those Days?

Pretty Yellow Condominiums Across From Dodson Place, Geneva

Pretty!

Mitchell Greenland Paddle Heading Out to CT

Hi Scott, and thanks for buying my GP.  It'll ship today to Nancy's place in Wallingford.  It'll be nice to know you're blading the Yankee water in it this summer.  My Epic is not a wing, S,.so you can see it starting on eBay Sunday night after about 8pm EST.

Between what I have sold and what I have listed on eBay now and tonight (at low, low prices to score a sale), I have enough for the camera I want (but not the lens--sort of like my new local library: enough taxpayer gouge for the building, but not the books or staff).  My dear wife waved the white surrender flag and said I could order it, and my brother coached me on what to buy. As I did buy the lens, too, I will be adding hockey jerseys and knick knacks to the barrel on eBay.  If anyone wants a giant sized, gorgeous Go Game in a carrier box, "go" for it on my eBay auctions starting Thursday.

BrasilBrazil Returns from Sea Kayaking In Brazil

Hi guys,


Back from Brazil yesterday. Was gone for a week and we

circumnavigated a couple of islands and got some surfing in for fun.

tore up my foot pretty good with a nasty cut under the big toe and

scrapes all over the top of my right foot with the usual cuts and

bruises all over from a rather violent surf session.

Big water, saw sea turtles and sharks, went snorkeling for a couple of

hours and saw tons of angelfish and smaller fish as well as millions

of sea urchins.

All in all a great time!

Now I will have to work straight through to next thursday (7 days) to

pay for my sins. :)



Paul

Thanks for the update and fantastic photo of you negotiating the ocean swirly, BB.