Clearwater Heaven

One of my all-time favorite things to do in the Tampa area (since 1999!) has been drive into Clearwater Beach near sunset.

I immensely enjoy the sun's rays reaching out playfully to almost blind me,  as I squint at it through sunglasses and straight palms.

The fluffy clouds are relaxed sentinels, quietly escorting us as we make our way through the Courtney Campbell Causeway (60).

I inhale the salt air and each and every muscle in my body feels like it's exhaling is tension away.

Heaven.

The promise of delectable seaside specialties, like broiled or grilled grouper,  are just around the next bend.

We continue cruising through Clearwater Beach and Sand Key with dinner cruises sailing under the Gulf Boulevard bridge.

The sea breeze welcoming,  the warm sunset hues caressing open windows in our vehicle. As we leisurely float on through the various barrier islands.

Heaven.

Thank you.

India Trip

The significant other unit and I visited our India side of the family for ten lovely days and just came back. This was my third trip, and I enjoyed seeing how much has changed since my first trip, in late 2003!

Here are some snaps that either I or other family members captured with my cell phone camera.

The main reason for our visit was attending a wedding, but it's so nice to be around lots of family for a change and visiting old favorite places.

I really enjoyed waking up while listening to the layers of sound of a waking city. Calls from a minaret to prayer around 5:30 am, while the musical and unusual honking of trucks and road traffic on a nearby highway rose up gradually, and, of course, the occasional dog fight in the street. 

A quick peek outside the front door into the entry courtyard revealed bright skies and lovely flora all around--instead of the icy snow of Chicago, ha! The weather was so much better during this trip, than when we visited in August of 2012--I certainly didn't miss the stifling heat and rain. FTW!

My favorite things while visiting were spending time/conversing with the significant other unit's sister and her husband, seeing how much the nephews (3) and nieces (2, one of which is now married) have grown up, and a quick trip to Bangalore (a new city for me!).

I hope to one day maybe have an apartment in Hyderabad near sister's house so we can still drop by and stay up until 1 am talking about all sorts of topics, or just quietly enjoying their lively company.  We could keep some things in that apartment so we don't have to bring and take so much luggage each time. Well, maybe some day.

Oh, and maybe learning the local dialect/language would help too, on future trips. ;o)

Memorial Day Weekend Trip

We took a mini trip over the long weekend of Memorial Day. I had heard at church about a resort right next to an Illinois State Park, so we decided to spend a couple of nights there and bring Benny with us. It turned out to be quite relaxing!

Dunes at Illinois State Beach Park

Saturday I slept in until 11 am and I ended up exceeding my walking goal by quite a few percentage points when we took a long walk through one of the outlet malls in Gurnee/Kenosha. I also walked away with a new dress, skirt, top, and clutch bag out of the deal. Not bad at all! hehe

But what I really liked most of all was being able to be next to a natural preserve of flora and fauna, and some pretty amazing sandy dunes and views of Lake Michigan. It looked so lovely I couldn't help think of Florida's own lovely beaches.

Benny was a total prince and did not mess up the room at all. Though he was incredibly anxious whenever we left him there and so happy to see us whenever we came back to walk him.

a low horizon moon rise

The first night, when we sat down to a casual dinner in the hotel restaurant, I couldn't help but notice the lovely moon rise. The moon was huge and clear yellow. And watching it rise above Lake Michigan and illuminating a trail of yellow water as it went up on its way was just lovely.

We also took a tour of the Jelly Belly distribution center. I've loved Jelly Belly candy for quite some time (at least since 1999!), and was thrilled to take a faux tour with a trolly and getting the full story behind the product and the company. It reminded me so much of those "behind the scenes" shows I used to watch religiously on the Food Network! Such as Unwrapped.

I was also very happy when I got a free baggie of Jelly Belly beans after the tour. We perused the shop and I got a Harry Potter chocolate frog, Bertie Bott's Gross Beans (I skipped the gross ones), and a box of 14 flavors of Jelly Belly beans.

The Jelly Belly Factory Tour

It was a great weekend and we even got to go to downtown Chicago on Sunday night to one of our new favorite restaurants, Howells and Hood in the Tribune Tower. They have amazing food, a spectacular list of booze for those who indulge, and great sports up on the screens. Highly recommended if you haven't been there.

That's what we did on Memorial Day weekend. It was good to get away a little bit, with our furry buddy Benny :)

The lil orange guy in the middle

I like the lil orange guy in the middle,
originally uploaded by jeda21.

Cubs vs. Cardinals Jul 29, 2012

 

Got some free tickets courtesy of the significant-other unit's workplace, so we took in a game last Sunday. Alas, he got bored and so we left early.

The weather was beautiful, and our area got plenty of shade shortly after the game started.

They have a messy but eatable pulled pork sandwich at the concession stand that comes with a delish cole slaw. Everything is misearbly overpriced however.

The cubbies done good that day.

Travel: Montreal Canada

I have wanted to travel to Quebec since I was in my early teens. For some reason the place got emblazoned in my mind as a must-visit locale. I was right. It's as lovely as any European City, with an undeniable Canadian sensibility.

Here's my Flickr set to help remember a lovely, if a little short, trip to a grand city:




So many things are done so well in Montreal, that I can't help count the shortcomings in the City of Chicago upon my return from this trip. I am sad. But hope Chicago can one day match the loveliness and urban practicality of Montreal. Maybe. One day.

Favorite Views

One of my most favorite buildings on the Lorado Taft Field Campus is this stone cabin.

Doesn't it look cozy and sturdy enough to put up in for both summertime and wintertime? 


It even has a little balcony area that you can sit on and observe the goings on in the ravine on the other side of the building.

I can imagine walking around picking greens for a salad and wild growing berries from the rambles and mullberry tree nearby.

Making lemonade on hot days and sitting on those lounge chairs to read a good book or two.

Good times.

Photo: Textures

This mossy roof and stone chimney belong to a mostly unused cabin on the North Field at Lorado Taft Field Campus at Lowden State Park in Oregon IL. Try saying that three times fast.

I love the space this cabin is located in, a thick wooded lot providing cool shade, surrounded by wood plank benches and a fire-roasting ring that's sometimes used for the outdoors cooking class.

Favorite Views

As I was driving back home from Oregon, IL on Rt 38 (Lincoln Highway) I captured a great shot of my old dormitory building at Northern Illinois University, which also included the famed Holmes Center on the far right.

I hated every second of being in that dorm, my last year at NIU, but now that I'm at a safe distance (emotionally too!) I can appreciate these landmarks as I drive on by.

Camping

Camping, a set on Flickr.

Finally got to exercise my camping muscles. Lovely experience, albeit just a one-nighter this first time, due to the significant-other unit's busy Saturday schedule.

We went to Blackwell Forest Preserve campground in Warrenville, Illinois. Just lovely scenery, lots of hiking and walking opportunities, and just lovely photo-taking.

I was so busy working and lifting and heaving stuff that I didn't really feel like taking pictures. So I'd like to thank the significant-other unit for all the photos he captured. A few chosen ones are being shared here and are from my camping Flickr set.

Can't wait for the next time!

Flowering Tree: Before and After

The before...

...and the after.

the promising buds of what can be

the promising buds of what can be,
originally uploaded by jeda21.

Lovely tree buds I spotted on my lunchtime walk in our office building's parking lot.

Perfect variety of rose colors. Check out the dried berries interspersed among the buds and branches.

Life is a neverending cycle. Every ending is the beginning of something new.

Favorite Photos of 2011

Here's a slideshow of my favorite photos of 2011 from my Flickr collection.

I picked my top favorites, even if the quality may not always be as good as I'd like, the sense of the moment was strong and needed capturing.

Looking through them I regain a sense of what the year was like. This was one of the hardest years yet for me, because I lost two people who were close to me. I'm hoping 2012 will be gentler on me.

 

Daytrip: Aurora Regional Fire Museum

I had the good fortune of finding myself in front of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum (ARFM) this past Saturday, with plenty of time on my hands.

I've been meaning to drop by for a year or so, after I learned they feature some amazing gingerbread houses around the holidays. Visitors can participate in the raffle and vote for their favorite houses.

As I came in from the rear parking lot, I accessed the cute little curio shop with plenty of items for kids of all ages, and was greeted by curator David Lewis and one of Aurora's own local firefighters.

David happened onto the opportunity of working with the museum while he was still in college. He's always been a fire and fire department aficionado and this really worked out amazingly for him. He likes to say that the firemen next door have to work, while he gets to play!

David is always happy to talk to visitors of all ages and learn more about them and their expectations and reactions during their visit to the ARFM. He's an interminable source of information about anything related to fires and fire fighting history. You can tell this is his passion by the glimmer in his eye as he talks to visitors.

I had the pleasure of enjoying his knowledge as I bugged him about Ben Franklin's role in US firefighting history. I got plenty of info and was very happy to have found David to tell me so much.

I absolutely loved the different displays with amazing historical facts that I was surprised to learn. For example, did you know that once upon a time, houses with trees would not be insured or be charged astronomical premiums? This is because it was once thought that having a tree near a home would invite lightning strikes and therefore create a fire hazard risk.

The displays with fire fighter protective apparel through the years is an amazing reality check about the dangers and intensity the fire fighters have to contend with on a daily basis. The movie Backdraft always comes to mind in regards to the dangers and the courage required.

Not touching one of the three or four amazing old fire trucks that are on display, was a hard temptation to fight for me. They are immaculately maintained and showcase the different technologies and trends in fire fighting through the years.

Once I was on the second floor, up a lovely and grand staircase (festooned in holiday boughs and regalia) I was able to appreciate a special exhibit explaining how Museums archive and preserve historical artifacts. This was intensely interesting for me as I'm a museum fiend and love anything related to behind the scenes. The ARFM received a shipment of historical artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution, so it presented the perfect opportunity to instruct visitors on the process and also showcase some of these amazing, and very old, mementos.

David mentioned to me that one of the country's oldest insurance companies had initiated a spectacular collection of fire and firefigthing artifact collection, but at one point decided to get rid of it, thereby donating the entire collection to the Smithsonian. Once at the Smithsonian it was eventually consolidated into the existing artifacts, and any additional pieces were dispersed among a small number of fire history museums throughout the US. The ARFM was the recipient of several pieces which were thoguht to best fit in with their mission and existing collection.

I really enjoyed seeing the old building where the Aurora Fire Department operated for over 80 years. The equipment and displays exhibited not only Aurora's fire fighting history, but also provided a unique atmosphere to the building and location that I truly enjoyed. It helped me learn some very interesting local history tidbits.

So if you are a baker and love a challenge, why don't you try participating in their firehouse gingerbread house contest next year? They usually open the call for submissions around Thanksgiving.

Keep up with news about the contest, and any other seasonal events and happenings at the ARFM via their Facebook page. The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is located at the corner of E. New York Street and N. Broadway Street in downtown Aurora, IL (in front of Quinta de Los Reyes). Their website is located at http://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/ There is no cost for entry, but they do welcome donations. If you have a group of school children that would like to visit, you are welcome to please contact David at the ARFM for all the details.

Please check out a few snapshots I captured with my cell phone during my visit.

Gate Coup

Outside (2010)



Inside (2011)

Favorite Photo: The cloudgate

The Cloud (Bean),
originally uploaded by jeda21.

This photo is one of my top favorite photos this year.

Somewhere in the reflection, are myself, my uncle Mario, and my dad Frank.

We were standing far off and I have yet to spot the exact reflection as of yet--even though I've spent innumerable minutes since I took it, to identify our images therein.

I'm experiencing the joy of a rather good composition, the comfort of knowing we made this memory, and the uncertainty of whether I'll ever find our reflections.

This is definitely an image I can come back to, again and again.

Uncle's Visit

My uncle Mario, dad's brother, came to visit us for two weeks. Sadly, the first week he was here I was in Philadelphia working at our company's conference. But Sunday we had a great day in downtown Chicago.

We visited Willis *cough*Sears*cough*Tower and Millennium Park. Plus we drove around a bit. We also drove around Naperville and ate our lunch and dinner together.

It was all around the most time I've ever spent with my dad and uncle, and the first time I've ever gone out with both of them. And it is my uncle's first visit to the US too. So it's a family record memory that we all surely will hold dear for years to come.

Today, since I was able to get a comp day at work for having worked a marathon rather long weekend at the conference, I got a day off. I'm planning on taking my dad and uncle to the Morton Arboretum, where we can join in celebrating the autumn festival. I'm sure it'll be another fun day. Looking forward to it.

:o)

Here's some photos I captured during our outing yesterday.

Conference Update

I was gone last week while I worked at our company's annual conference. It was again located in Philly this year, so I had enough of a comfort level that this time I took SEPTA from the airport to the convention center, and back when my time was up.

It was an incredibly hectic and busy conference from the staff perspective, but I think the attendees had a great time. The educational sessions, the show floor, and the networking events are always a HUGE draw, and this year they didn't disappoint.

I am taking a little longer to get over the conference lag this year. I'm not sure if it's because I'm older or because of the time difference and five hour plane delay on the way back. I was waking up at five or five thirty in the morning each morning, which in Central Time translates to four or four thirty in the morning.

I schlepped, talked, greeted, helped, and made up answers if I didn't have any. And that kinda takes a lot out of you. But the hardest part was probably walking through a maze of conference attendees when you're in a hurry to get from A to B with large boxes. However, any small issue that arose was handled in the back end, and no one was the wiser on the customer end. I think that if things look smooth on the front end, we've all been successful at doing our thang.

Here's to my four day weekend, which, without pride or resentment I say I truly earned. Cheers to a job well done.

Here's some photos I captured at this year's conference and trip to and fro. This is officially the smallest set of photos I've ever taken at one of our conferences and during that trip--I wasn't kidding when I said it was hectic.

Now, Twist!

Check this nutter out:

Our neighborhood's teenage deer.

He's been coming to the park next to our home in our community pretty much every evening around the same time. Which coincides with the time we usually take Benny out for a walk. He was definitely doing a full twist to keep an eye out for us last night!

Kesennuma Japan: A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

from NPR