He's out there again

The squirrel from yesterday.
Actually he's there almost every day.

Some things don't change.

Sarge and Cranky have their take on that this morning.
My observation is that change is constant and subtle.
Then it will come along and hit you like a brick, turning everything upside down.

We can manage [sic] change by remembering that it is our attitude toward it that makes the difference.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." 
Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

some may recognize that quote

There's a squirrel

He's on the back fence.
I'm just going to watch it for awhile.

My sister is sorting

Years ago . . .   like in the last century . . .   all of the things nobody wanted from my folks house was stored at one of those storage facilities you can rent.
I dunno what's in there, but she's doing a thorough job of checking what's what.
She sent this picture.

Too bad colored film was so expensive in the 'olden' days.

This was written on the reverse.

looks like someone tried to change the date?

It says, "Bow River Valley between Banff and Lake Louise.
Somewhwere there are more pictures from that transcontinental train trip (both directions, two countries).

yeah, I can translate cursive

More of the same

Yesterday NWS said, "Fair"
Today the site says, "Hot"
They're as bad as the squirrel in the road.

There's also an image on the site:

That should serve as a warning.
Also as an enticement to fall into the pond again.

too hot for gardening

108°F

I don't really understand the National Weather Service terminology.
They concluded today's weather is Fair.

That said, we have a solution.
This morning was an early one for us.
MB and I were up and off to church early because we had tasks to perform before the late service was done.
It was Family Fun Fest.
Lots of activities and a chili cookoff.
We'd both prepared entries.
(I hate to say anything, but none of the entries wexcept mine were real chili. There were beans in the others.)
Hers won.

It was hot out there in the Sun.
We got home and found relief.

It may not be as nice as Sarge's fishpond, but it suits us ust fine.

chili for dinner tonight

What could be better

. . . than the muppets?

Of course . . .  [YMMV]

not my theme song

Friday cat

Master of all he surveys

Are we there yet

It isn't a short drive to Eugene.
It's what I'd call a long drive in the country.
We drove I-5 all the way.

We'd been told to expect heavy traffic, even some delays.
That didn't happen.
I read about and saw a video about some delays, but those were in areas without the infrastructure built to handle lots of cars.
For us it was clear sailing over the approximately eight hours it took to drive 498 miles.

We collected our key to the "loft" where we stayed and put our gear away.
Our host took time to explain how the TV worked.
We didn't have the heart to tell him we seldom watch television [like two or three times a week . . .    maybe!].
Then we went looking for some dinner.
Our hosts provide a really nice binder with some suggestions for all types of cuisine.
We picked Mexican.
After eating we checked out a nearby park and walked [it's a habit we picked up while we were at Chicago].
There was even a bridge across the Willamette River.

Saturday we went out for breakfast and explored a little further afield.
We wanted to find a good spot from which to observe the solar eclipse.
Eugene would experience only a 99.5% totality.

it's about 100 miles from Eugene to Portland

We knew about where we wanted to go so we drove up Hwy 99 to Junction City and took 99W to Corvallis, scouting potential locations.
Then we drove east toward the Interstate, making observations there, as well.
We then drove back south, along 99E through Junction City again, to our accommodations.

I guess I should mention the place was really nice.
It had two bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen with all the amenities.
It lacked nothing and is family friendly.
There is even a deck outside the door with a fire pit.
The refrigerator was stocked and there were snacks.
I'd go back even with an eclipse to attract me.
I guess I forgot to mention it costs less per night than a hotel or motel . . .   and it is a lot quieter.

But I digress.

Sunday we just goofed off.
We took another walk in the afternoon, though the Valley River Center, a mall, killing time before going to Red Robin to celebrate an anniversary of sorts [but that's another story you may read HERE].

Then it was back to the nest and an early, for us, bedtime because we were gonna beat the traffic to our, as yet non-specific, spot.
We'd decided to take 99E north because there was a one lane bridge bottleneck on 99W.
We stopped first at Dutch Bros. for coffee.
There was no traffic other than local anywhere along the route.
The Sun was barely up when we arrived at Albany.
We found a park on the Willamette River that had a ball diamond.
After we played dodge the sprinklers, I set up our folding chairs and the eclipse telescope.
Then we observed our neighbors while we waited.
It was another three hours to the event.

Ironically, directly below where the eclipse would actually take place, there was a sign on the outfield fence.

I felt kinda silly with the cameras because I realized I was there to watch and not chronicle the eclipse.
All I really needed were the special eclipse glasses.

The hosts at the AirBnB had provided those, too [we'd brought some with us, too].

So now we were ready to watch the Moon block the Sun.

source: Google

 MB did well with her smartphone,

The telescope was overkill and a little difficult to keep pointed at the Sun, but it worked.
I will forego the tales of southbound traffic because they will only throw a wet blanket on an otherwise awesom experience.
I can understand why there are people who chase solar eclipses.
The next one is April 8, 2024 and traverses from Mexico to Maine.
If I go, I won't be bringing a bunch of gear.

it was awesome

Catching up

Seriously . . .
I doubt I will ever catch up.
I have taken to this concept of living in the moment so well that there are many things that have been left on the table never not likely to ever be picked up again.

When I last posted it was about activities that occurred in the first part of July.
So much has happened since that I can't even begin to think about where to start a post about them.
No, nothing major, just life.

Anyway, here's the latest.

About a year ago a good friend who lives in Cottonwood, Arizona [at least I think he still lives there] told me he and his wife were going to Idaho Falls to camp out and watch the eclipse this weekend.
I didn't think much about it at first.
Then my life got really interesting and I asked the party who'd become MNBF* if she was interested in viewing the eclipse.
Receiving a positive response, I started investigating.
Much to my chagrin I was finding there were few places available in the locale of the best viewing areas.
Those that were available, including camping spots, were way out of the budget range [which I had set relatively high because it is a special event].
Then we both started looking and we determined we could stay nearby and travel at the last minute, if necessary.

Initially, that didn't show a lot of promise, either.
Then it was suggested we look into AirBnB.
That proved to be fruitful.
It still required some searching, but we determined we could get close and travel the last few miles on the morning of the great event, traffic permitting.
. . . and we did!

Last Friday morning we loaded the car.
Literally, we packed it full of stuff.
Then we drove north, into the smoke, through it, and out again, to Eugene and the beginning of the Willamette River Valley.

will finish this tomorrow

*now MB

Travel day

No, no, no, no!
We aren't inflicting the flight home upon you.
I am just telling you MB and I are driving home from the viewing of the eclipse.
Yes, we could've stayed home and seen a partial eclipse.
Who knows, maybe that's all we saw anyway.
Traffic in some places was awful a week ago.
We shall be sure to let you know.

Meanwhile . . .

. . . and again
. . . and again
. . . and again

yeah, at least three more times

As we inflict another day

. . . rest assured that we are most likely done.
That's because we probably have another adventure [eclipse, anyone?] with which to apply torture . . .   or we could talk baseball.

Milwaukee, home of Miller Park [which has nothing to do with our story and there are no pictures].
There is a zoo.

The zoo, like Navy Pier and Lions Clubs is celebrating a birthday.

Everyone in our group is enjoying themselves, particularly those in the massage chairs/

Yes, there were animals at the zoo.
This part of the trip was about being with family.
Yes, we all had a good time and some ice cream.

going back there, too

still stringing

MB and I are out of town visiting an astronomical phenomenon.
We hope this tides y'all over 'til we return.  
Please remember that images may enlarge when they are clicked.

And it was off to Milpitas Milwaukee.
Via Lakeshore Blvd.

. . . and some numbered highways [I'm sure they have names, too] but I can't be bothered with that.

I just know it's north and seems less frantic.

can we take one more day of this?

We'll string this out . . .

MB and I are out of town visiting an astronomical phenomenon.
We hope this tides y'all over 'til we return.  
Please remember that images may enlarge when they are clicked.

. . . because there's so much to see.

There's no way we were just gonna drive to Milwaukee.
We had to make a stop.

Once we found a parking space we walked.

She almost caught me taking the picture.

This one dwarfs the Field Museum [also is more fascinating].

We only had a couple of hours so we didn't see a much od what's to see and we saw a whole lot.

When we were leaving we had ice cream from the soda fountain.
I think we need to go back [to see the boat [think naval terminology].

not done yet

Friday cat

credit: cats that don't like selfies

Finally

It's the last day in the Second City [dunno who came up with that, but they may want to rethink].
MB's first born is driving down from Milpitas* Milwaukee to gather us and our belongings for a family visit.
But he won't be there until late in the morning.
We have some time to kill.

July 5 is the first day of Taste of Chicago.
Admission is FREE!!!
It's only two blocks from the hotel, in Grant Park.

We were early and we weren't hungry.
 But there is a lot to see in Grant Park, it's that big.

we called that a Squiggle

Some will understand the reference.
Why yes, that is the Buckingham Fountain in the background.
(we photographed it earlier)
But this is a better perspective in any number of other ways . . .   Really!

Wait!
What's wrong with that building (the skinny one in front of the Sears/Willis Tower)?

Click on the image to enlarge.
Somebody really partied or there was a committee drawing the plans.

Then It was time to go back to the hotel to catch our ride to Milwaukee.

But wait . . .   there's more!

tomorrow er, Saturday

*it's the punchline to a joke that Bay Area natives will understand (except for those originally from Milpitas).
The only funnier punchline is Alviso.

Okay, it was day five

. . . and we were booking our way out of the auditorium with another couple.

the clothes may be a hint

You might think that was a simple task.

However, it was the last day of the convention and there were more people out in the foyer of the two auditoriums being used than there were inside at the plenary session   . . . and it was filled to capacity.

The folks outside weren't necessarily looking to get in.
They were more interested in trading collector pins with others.
They didn't seem to care that they were being rude.

The four of us were kind of in a hurry because we had a time schedule to maintain.
That involved catching the shuttle back to our hotel and getting to the subway to catch the Red Line [we've mentioned this before].

 This was our destination.

What's better than the national pastime on . . .

[for everyone but the Cubs fans]
The plan was to enjoy ourselves.
We did, despite having to walk some distance because of a transit glitch.
We were used to walking by then.

It began appropriately.

We ate lunch at the game.
We tried Italian Beef, having already determined Chicago dogs are really good.
We know how to produce both in our own kitchen now.
. . . and there was plenty of action.

the runner was out

Afterward we made our way back to the Wellington Station, about a mile, where we caught the Brown Line back downtown, where it runs elevated through the city and makes own small loop within The Loop.

We completed the day by attending a reception for all of the newly elected International Officers.
After which MB and I went looking for dinner.
We missed our first choice and ended back here

Right next door to the hotel entrance.

tomorrow's the last day for sure.

I forget what day this is

But it is the last full day in Chicago.

Up early because there's a concert before the final plenary session.
The Charlie Daniels Band is live on stage.

They were loud . . .

. . . and animated.

Later, we were entertained by Patti LaBell.
Mostly she was interviewed, but she did sing a little.

We didn't stay until the end of session because, well, we already knew the out come of the election and what was to follow.
We wanted to avoid the mad rush for the buses.
We had somewhere to go that afternoon.

more tomorrow

I was wrong!

There just isn't any wifi in the mountains . . .

. . . and the cell service is a little spotty at times.

Anyway, I'm back and relatively well rested after a weekend of fellowship and good eating.
Friday to Sunday in the Lassen National Forest.
I pretty much surrounds Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Where we were staying was close enough we could have seen the aforementioned Mt. Lassen except trees were in the way [How rude!].

The accommodations

Same place I stayed last year.

Another just like it.

One thing I DID miss were all of the acknowledgements of my birthday.
Over on koobecaf I even heard from folks I don't remember knowing.
will finish Chicago tomorrow  

. . . maybe

Off in the mountains . . .

. . . where there's no internet.
Be back later.

Today's my birthday

Happy Birthday to my cousin!

Friday cat

. . . but we still weren't finished by a long shot

Day four continued with another bus ride, back to McCormick Place.
The convention package included a concert by Chicago.

Sorry, none of the photos I took can do justice to how loud [really, really loud] or spectacular the show was.

Afterward, it was still relatively early, we made our way to the Chicago Marriott Downtown where the delegation from the British Isles and Ireland were staying.
We had been invited to their reception.

It was a formal affair for them.
The closest thing to anything formal I had was a shirt with a collar and long pants.
There was good food and fellowship, a few brief speeches, and the installation of the incoming District Governors.

We walked back to our hotel afterward.
It was only about a mile and the skies were clear.

the bed felt good

So then on Day 4

I kinda don't remember much because there are only a couple of pictures that make any sense.
We spent the morning listening to speeches.
Keynote speakers are brought in for each of the plenary sessions.
While I recognized the names and even the faces, I wasn't impressed, just polite.

There was hype about membership in the "world's largest service organization."

Then we wandered into the display area, where it was more interesting.

Somebody got to the cupcakes before us, but there were more later.

There were photos from the contest.
MB is checking out one from a local Lion we both know [Hi, Tony].

And we caught the bus.

more tomorrow

More adventures on day 3

I had booked a concert.
It was in addition to the regular stuff at convention.
The local Lions, that is the ones from Illinois, had joined forces with the delegation from Germany and arranged for a brass ensemble to put on a concert at the 4th Presbyterian Church.
(Yes, indeed, that was all the way back the other end of the Magnificent Mile from where our hotel was)
I found, though, that we could step outside our hotel on State Street and catch the Red Line underground to with a couple of blocks of the church.

Chicago has really good public transportation.
Sometimes it's really crowded [which is why there are so many cars on the streets], but not on a Sunday evening.
It was a quick trip.
I didn't get many pictures.

Like this one as folks were still arriving for the concert.

. . . and this one while we walked [yeah, again!] back to the hotel after the concert.

There are lots of architectural wonders along the Magnificent Mile (aka Michigan Ave.).

The walk back to the hotel was another two mile stroll.
We did take a short break for dinner.

Did I mention the weather in Chicago was glorious for almost the entire time we were there?

come back for more