A Day at the Beach - Part 1

We're not taking a "real" vacation this summer, but we are managing to get away here and there for some day trips to nearby places that have a vacation vibe.  Today's trip was to Illinois Beach State Park.  Shhhh!  Don't tell anyone!  This place is a well-kept secret.  It's not easy finding a stretch of Lake Michigan with a beach that isn't crowded this time of year.  Illinois Beach State Park has camping, hiking, picnic areas and yes, lakefront with beaches.

Each of the kids brought a friend along, and Drew and Wangman had a blast playing in the water, skipping rocks, and building sand forts.

The water temp was a chilly 65, and no one but Erin was brave enough to actually swim for an extended period of time.  No matter, it was still a relaxing, enjoyable day at the beach.  Just like a real vacation...only shorter.

Butterfly Magic

It was perfect weather for the zoo today:  sunny and warm but a little too chilly to consider the swimming pool.  Drew's been wanting to stop in at the butterfly exhibit for weeks now, and today he finally had the chance.

We intentionally wore bright colors, since butterflies are more likely to land on bright clothing or floral print than they are on earth tones. Our strategy worked!  Drew was thrilled to have a butterfly land on his hat.

When I sat still for a few minutes, these two butterflies landed on my back.

 I don't believe butterflies bring good luck, but I have to admit they have a special way of lightening a mood and adding a magical whimsy to the day.

It's in the Cards

One of the simple pleasures of a slower schedule in the summer is the ability to have friends over on a Sunday evening, with no concern about homework/school/work the following day.  Kelsey and Erin both had friends over this evening, and they hung out in the living room playing BS, a card game that allows you to work on your poker face.

Block Party 2010

I've mentioned before how much I love outdoor gatherings in the summertime. Our annual block party rates right up there as one of my favorite outdoor summer events. Even tho we live on a block that's shortened by a cul de sac at one end, there are people at the other end of the block we hardly ever see.  The block party tends to bring everyone outside for the day, and it's great to re-establish those connections.  It's also a great way to meet the new folks.  We've had four new families join our block since last fall, and they all came out for the party.
Each block party tends to reflect the personalities of those who live on the street, and ours is no different.  For years, our block party has included some sort of craft project in the day's activities.  It's obvious from the projects we've had over the years that we have artists and carpenters on our block.  One year the dads made the frame of a play house, and the kids spent the day covering it in paper mache.  The house provided hours and hours of entertainment that entire summer.  This year's project was a much smaller undertaking: building and painting small houses.  Some kids chose to make bird houses, others chose to design theirs for small dolls and stuffed animals.

Bubbles are another block tradition.

The traditional evening potluck is always a hit. Everything was so tasty, from the tamales and the potato salad to the grilled eggplant bruschetta.  All of it was homemade and just amazing.

The pinata isn't really a tradition; rather, it makes an on-again, off-again appearance. This year, it was SO on!

New this year: teenage rock band.  Kelsey's friends joined our block party and added live music and a great vibe to the dinner atmosphere.

When the band finished playing, they joined us inside for awhile to relax and cool off.  After refreshments, a game of spoons broke out in the living room.

Cousins

My sister, Ann, and my neice, Ellen, have been in town this week.  It's been such fun having them around - they don't visit often enough.  It's given the cousins a chance to bond before Cousins Camp later this summer.

       

Thanks for hanging out with us this week!  Please, please come back soon!

The Beginning of the End

I mentioned last week and earlier this week about the devastating storms that have roared thru our area.  Our giant, old elm tree by the garage has taken a serious hit.  Today the forestry crew came by to clean up the broken limbs.  We also received the very sad news that our tree has been stricken with Dutch elm disease.  In the words of the workers, "Enjoy your tree while you can."

Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Part 2

A bunch of us had plans to tailgate at Sox Park tonight, and then watch the White Sox take on the Braves.  Our best-laid plans, however, were thwarted by yet another nasty storm that swallowed up Chicagoland.  Just about the time we threw down the brats on the grill, the clouds rolled in and in no time flat we were in monsoon-like conditions.  We ended up jamming everyone in the minivan and eating in there.

Fortunately, our seats were under the overhang behind home plate, making the two-hour rain delay a little easier to endure.  The Sox beat the braves 4-2 for their eighth win in a row.  The rain delay coupled with post-game fireworks meant we left the stadium a little before midnight.

Thanks, Vic, for putting together such a fun evening!  I'm sad for you that your Braves lost, but it's great to see the Sox on a roll.

I'll Drink to That

When temps hit the 90s in the summer time, there's nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold glass of real, homemade lemonade.  We like our lemonade quite strong and with lots of sugar.  It's best when the rinds are left in for a day and it chills for a good, long while, but if you just can't wait, serving it over an ice-filled glass with a few slices of fresh lemon thrown in will do in a pinch.

While all the kids love fresh lemonade, it's Drew who goes crazy for it.  When Irving put together its cookbook, Drew submitted our family's recipe for lemonade like this:

My Favorite Lemonade

6 lemons
3-1/2 quarts water
3-4 cups sugar

Squeeze lemons with a citrus press so there's not much pulp in the lemonade.  I hate pulp.  Place juice in a gallon pitcher.  Add sugar and water and stir until it's mixed.  This is the recipe for homemade lemonade that my grandma gave to my mom, and I like to make it with my mom.  It's so yummy!

VBS Week

It's Vacation Bible School this week, with a safari theme.  My friend Ray Bob and I are in charge of games.  This week, kids from kindergarten thru fifth grade will be participating in games with names like feeding frenzy, parahana chomp, egg rescue, python slither, and Amazon River toss.  It's going to be a fun, exhausting week.  Bring it on!

 

Happy Father's Day

Baird is a great dad, and it's an honor to celebrate him, especially on Father's Day.  The kids each took turns giving him hugs and presents.  While Baird enjoyed their gifts, what he enjoys most is spending time with all of us, together as a family.

After church this morning, we went home to give Baird his gifts.  I tried to get a portrait of Baird with the kids before we headed off to see Toy Story 3 (excellent movie, by the way) and enjoy dinner at Poor Phil's.  I didn't get my portrait.  What I got instead was some fun candids of the 5 Ring Circus in action.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Part 1

This evening we trekked out to Geneva for the Kane County Cougars game. It was a perfect summer evening for a ball game. Even tho the Cougars lost 8-0, we had a great time, and the fireworks were magical. I love summer...I love baseball...I love fireworks...and I especially love sharing all three with my family.

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody, Everywhere

We woke up this morning, still without power.  The Chicago Tribune reported that 285,000 people thru-out Chicagoland are without power.  We had breakfast at the farmer's market and then got to work clearing the large branches off our property.

Our neighbors right behind us had their own pile going too:

Drew was helping Baird and the girls work on a neighbor's yard, since they were on vacation when the storm hit.  A branch snapped back and clobbered Drew hard in the face, just missing his eye.  Kelsey and Erin worked with me to patch Drew up. He looks like he got too close to a tiger. We're so thankful his eye wasn't injured at all.

Drew stayed inside to rest, and Baird and the girls went back to work.

I know that I occasionally rant about the Village of Oak Park, but they've been literally working overtime today, with crews all over the place cleaning up the debris from yesterday's storm.

Power was restored to our block by 1:00 this afternoon, just as afternoon temperatures headed into the 90s.

What Just Happened?

We were warned that thunderstorms would probably pass thru our area at some point today. We weren't thinking serious microburst with 75 mph winds roaring down our street. In just a few minutes, our street was changed forever. The storm left as fast as it came, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. We feel so blessed that only a large branch hit our garage.  We'll need to replace some gutters, but that's minor compared to what our neighbors are facing.  Here are scenes from Fillmore between Elmwood and East Ave.:

Yes, those are downed power lines wrapped up in the fallen tree in the middle of the street.  We lost power about 4:00 in the afternoon and we have no idea when it will return. We went into camping mode a bit, and roasted marshmallows ("mallows" as Kelsey calls them) over candles.

Japanese Dining

For the past few years, over the summer, Kelsey and Erin have been responsible for making dinner one night of the week.  On Sunday evening, they have to tell me which night they are cooking, and what they are going to make.  They have to check the fridge and the pantry to be sure we have all the ingredients they need.  Tonight was Kelsey's night to make dinner, and she made tamago yaki, a Japanese egg dish.  She served it with rice and it was quite tasty.