Blogging has gone the way of the dodo this summer, but that bodes well for days filled with happiness and sunshine!!
We've thoroughly enjoyed our time at Ravinia!! This is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as many rock, country, and jazz artists, so we've had the pleasure of many a perfect evening sitting outside and enjoying phenomenal music. The two most outstanding concerts were given by Lang Lang and Yo Yo Ma (http://www.ravinia.org/) but we also were thrilled by an evening with the Four Tops and the Temptations (each group has one original member). We've usually had pavillion seats (thanks to my parents and the tickets come with an Opus pass for priority parking, ahhhhh soooooo sweet!) so we sit under a soaring roof and don't care what the weather is doing outside as the music plays, but there are always many picknickers who are thrilled to set up a candelabra on a blanket and relax while enjoying the concerts.
And we finally made it to the new modern wing at
the Art Institute (http://www.artic.edu/) and although we are far from modern art afficionados, we were wowed by the building, the outdoor spaces including the bridge from Millenium Park, the views of the Gehry band shell, and the outstanding collections. Of course, modern art begs you to think you can do it yourself in some cases (those monochromatic canvases come to mind and even the occasional Jackson Pollock!!), but the exhibit of modern chairs did seem to be missing one oevre -- the spectacular styrofoam chairs that we built in Merida!!
Eva has been working up a storm. All her clients were delighted to see her again and most have signed up for massage work so she's busy several nights a week and daytimes, too. She is so enchanted by the cool weather we've been having (currently highs in the 70s by day and low 60s which makes for wonderful sleeping with windows open and breezes blowing -- and Sandy under an extra comforter or two) that Eva is walking (!!) even in the day time (!!!!) just for fun (!!!!!!).
Sandy is taking bridge lessons (cannot seem to grasp the negative double but maybe third time will be the charm), playing some, re-learning tennis after 10-15 years of not playing (it feels so good to have improvement each time I play but I still say "good shot" too many times instead of running for the ball!!), and delighting in her girlfriends. The other day, she spent an afternoon floating in a swimming pool on a raft and laughing her ass off with two dear dear friends. What a way to go!!
We've had a blast spending more time with Marilla and Rhodri, the newlyweds, who had a wedding trip to Italy and Greece in June and are now settled into a new apartment with a fireplace and a 2/3 size dishwasher that's situated on the penthouse floor, so they're moving on up. Marilla ran a benefit for a children's services agency in Chicago -- here she is with sister-in-law Megan and father-in-law Morton -- and had the most perfect night for her half outdoor party which broke records for raising money and number of attendees.
We've poured money into the Audi and now it works like a dream, suspension system repaired and happy and a few other major things fixed along the way. And we've purchased new tires. Although it was March when we last put new tires on the car as we drove north and were told they had a warranty worldwide, we found that within 4 months of around-town driving, the tires are bald and the warranty from Mexico is NOT honored in the US, just as a warranty from the US would not be honored anywhere else, or so Pirelli told us. This financial bloodletting has cut into our ability to travel this summer, but at least we're driving safe, and even are considering driving it back to Merida for the winter.
And we've had the pleasure of dining with a friend from Merida -- Jerry, aka Don Geraldo de la Viagra. He was in town on business and we swept him away for a decadent French meal as we watched old clips of Julia Child (the real one, not the Meryl Streep fantastic portrayl of one) and laughed. This dinner was after we'd just been treated to Cavalia -- billed as Cirque du Soleil on horseback. It was quite a performance with all manner of horses and acrobats doing amazing things, but we couldn't help but wonder, who dreamed up this pairing of man and beast and props??
This week, we're back in Swainwood staying with former neighbor and current friend Linda and it feels great to see the 'hood looking good. Naturally, there are streets torn up for some reason, but still the old place looks and feels wonderful. The annual adult party is this Saturday and we heard we were welcome to crash so long as we bring some liquor. Some things never change!! But we'll be at a wedding instead, so the partying with neighbors will have to wait.
We've thoroughly enjoyed our time at Ravinia!! This is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as many rock, country, and jazz artists, so we've had the pleasure of many a perfect evening sitting outside and enjoying phenomenal music. The two most outstanding concerts were given by Lang Lang and Yo Yo Ma (http://www.ravinia.org/) but we also were thrilled by an evening with the Four Tops and the Temptations (each group has one original member). We've usually had pavillion seats (thanks to my parents and the tickets come with an Opus pass for priority parking, ahhhhh soooooo sweet!) so we sit under a soaring roof and don't care what the weather is doing outside as the music plays, but there are always many picknickers who are thrilled to set up a candelabra on a blanket and relax while enjoying the concerts.
And we finally made it to the new modern wing at
the Art Institute (http://www.artic.edu/) and although we are far from modern art afficionados, we were wowed by the building, the outdoor spaces including the bridge from Millenium Park, the views of the Gehry band shell, and the outstanding collections. Of course, modern art begs you to think you can do it yourself in some cases (those monochromatic canvases come to mind and even the occasional Jackson Pollock!!), but the exhibit of modern chairs did seem to be missing one oevre -- the spectacular styrofoam chairs that we built in Merida!!Eva has been working up a storm. All her clients were delighted to see her again and most have signed up for massage work so she's busy several nights a week and daytimes, too. She is so enchanted by the cool weather we've been having (currently highs in the 70s by day and low 60s which makes for wonderful sleeping with windows open and breezes blowing -- and Sandy under an extra comforter or two) that Eva is walking (!!) even in the day time (!!!!) just for fun (!!!!!!).
Sandy is taking bridge lessons (cannot seem to grasp the negative double but maybe third time will be the charm), playing some, re-learning tennis after 10-15 years of not playing (it feels so good to have improvement each time I play but I still say "good shot" too many times instead of running for the ball!!), and delighting in her girlfriends. The other day, she spent an afternoon floating in a swimming pool on a raft and laughing her ass off with two dear dear friends. What a way to go!!
We've had a blast spending more time with Marilla and Rhodri, the newlyweds, who had a wedding trip to Italy and Greece in June and are now settled into a new apartment with a fireplace and a 2/3 size dishwasher that's situated on the penthouse floor, so they're moving on up. Marilla ran a benefit for a children's services agency in Chicago -- here she is with sister-in-law Megan and father-in-law Morton -- and had the most perfect night for her half outdoor party which broke records for raising money and number of attendees.
We've poured money into the Audi and now it works like a dream, suspension system repaired and happy and a few other major things fixed along the way. And we've purchased new tires. Although it was March when we last put new tires on the car as we drove north and were told they had a warranty worldwide, we found that within 4 months of around-town driving, the tires are bald and the warranty from Mexico is NOT honored in the US, just as a warranty from the US would not be honored anywhere else, or so Pirelli told us. This financial bloodletting has cut into our ability to travel this summer, but at least we're driving safe, and even are considering driving it back to Merida for the winter.
And we've had the pleasure of dining with a friend from Merida -- Jerry, aka Don Geraldo de la Viagra. He was in town on business and we swept him away for a decadent French meal as we watched old clips of Julia Child (the real one, not the Meryl Streep fantastic portrayl of one) and laughed. This dinner was after we'd just been treated to Cavalia -- billed as Cirque du Soleil on horseback. It was quite a performance with all manner of horses and acrobats doing amazing things, but we couldn't help but wonder, who dreamed up this pairing of man and beast and props??This week, we're back in Swainwood staying with former neighbor and current friend Linda and it feels great to see the 'hood looking good. Naturally, there are streets torn up for some reason, but still the old place looks and feels wonderful. The annual adult party is this Saturday and we heard we were welcome to crash so long as we bring some liquor. Some things never change!! But we'll be at a wedding instead, so the partying with neighbors will have to wait.
