Cubs!!

DN got us some nice tickets to a Cubs game. We dedicated an entire day to the event. 

In the 13 years that we lived in Chicagoland, I never made it to a Cubs game. This was an exciting event for me!

Before the game we wandered around Wrigley - what a cool place!

JP & the girls discovered that you can get wine at the stadium. We now have a Cubbies wine carafe.

JP is a Chicago style hotdog fiend. 

The Bean by Night

We all remember when The Bean was first revealed - WTF!?! It took a while, but now it's everyone's favorite Chicago landmark.

There's One in Every Crowd

CG always has a great pose, no matter the situation.

Chicago Day 1

We did a long weekend in Chicago with our old neighbors from IL and our old neighbors from Lincoln. We took the blue line from O'Hare and stayed downtown at the Palmer House. What a beautiful hotel!

The first night, we ate at Miller's Pub and then wandered around. Along the way, we found the Monadnock building from 1891. It's the tallest load-bearing brick building ever built. After that we found the Dearborn, M's favorite pub in the theatre district, and then we wandered over to the Bean.

Looking Up in Chicago

Macy's has a HUGE seven story flag hanging in the tall space in the Field's building.

The ceiling at the Palmer House is spectacular.

And of course, we cannot forget the Tiffany mosaic ceiling in the old Marshall Field's building.

Turbine Hubs

Usually when I get stopped by a train on my way home, it's either a coal or ethanol. Not this time - it was wind turbine hubs. We see the blades all the time on I-80, but I've never seen these parts.

New Student

It's official! GP (and we) made it through a long day of new student enrollment.

On the way out, GP spotted a record (yes, a vinyl LP) of his favorite album from his favorite band (the band he saw in Boston). He was fired up, to say the least. Afterwards, we celebrated at our favorite downtown haunt, Leadbelly.

SOL Live at Duffy's

SOL Played at Duffy's again. What a fun place!

More Animal Pics

The cat keeps all the stray dogs out of S's cage.

K brought over a female sheeba that she was babysitting. S has a new girlfriend! They played and played and got along well. 

Learning Legos

CP is working at the Malone Center and running the robotics program there. He just got several new Lego robotics kits and brought one home to learn it. 

Brass Improv

The clutch pedal in the Toyota has some bushings that last all of 2 months. Then the pedal squeaks, and then eventually it won't return all the way back up. I got some new bushings from the dealer, but didn't realize there's another that supports the middle of the spring. Once I had the pedal out (and the driver's seat), it was too late; I couldn't let it sit for a week for a new part to arrive. I found a piece of brass and made my own. Hopefully it lasts longer than the original plastic one.

Furry Father's Day

We babysat the neighbors' two dogs and then one of S's friends came over. They were all interested in my chips & dip.

Lego Lander

For the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Lego released a Saturn V and lunar lander model. GP used his hard earned $$ to get all 1087 pieces of the lunar lander. He stayed up until 1:00 AM putting it together.

SOL @ White Hall

Stripes on Lions, Lightless Daze, and Caleb played Saturday night for the Nebraska Music Academy at White Hall as part of UPCO Days 2019. It was an absolutely perfect evening in a beautiful setting.

White Hall

Last night, GP's band played at White Hall mansion on the north side of Lincoln. We were able to go inside before the show and learn about its history.

It was built in 1910 by a widow for $80k. She lived in it for 15 years and then sold it to the state when she fell ill. The state converted it to an orphanage with 120 kids.

The state still owns it and there's a group that is trying to restore/maintain it.

LSW Class of 2019

Congrats to GP!!! He graduated from LSW last weekend and is now enjoying his summer.

New Old Grill

We've been eyeing new Weber grills, but the $1,100 price tag says "No way!", so we found some new stainless grates and installed new burners and made our 20 year old grill new again.

Dogsitter

We babysat our friends' dog while they went on vacation. He got along well with S and L.

Laundry Room Expansion

JP has been wanting to continue to expand the laundry room, so we ripped out the utility sink and put in a nice 24" cabinet. Now we have some storage space for dog food, dog treats, dog chewies, laundry soap, and bird seed. 

Hired Guns

We bought a large rock to go on the berm in the back yard. How do you move a 640 lb rock from the street to the back yard? You call up your son's buddies and give them a few bucks.

Same goes for digging a trench from the deck to the berm.

End result: we now have a large rock with lights on it.

W is Gone

W passed away. He had a good life with us and his other two homes. We will miss his furriness and good nature.

Go Away, You're Bothering Me