photos from chicago

It's been a busy couple of weeks, hence no postings here. Fear not, dedicated reader (singular intentional) - we return to Portland and normal life tomorrow, after a week in Chicago followed by a few days baking in Pasadena.

In the meantime, here are some Chicago photos. Neither of us had ever spent time there, and we found the city to be fun and fascinating. Aside from the incredible architecture (we took the superb river cruise from the Chicago Architectural Foundation - highly recommended) and the mostly-meaty food specialties (I did get a hot dog, an Italian beef sandwich, a beef-and-sausage sandwich and a deep-dish mini pizza), we loved the high energy.

We began our sightseeing with Millennium Park, and the famous 'Bean' sculpture.

That day, I spent nearly 6 hours at the nearby Art Institute. We have been to famous art museums in many cities, but I have to say that this one had the most astounding collection I've ever seen. The 19th and 20th Century art was amazing, but this place has prime examples of every time and place.

I was not disappointed by 'Nighthawks', which bore a striking resemblance to the Peeps version.
Karen was dazzled by this one: 'Pardon in Brittany', by Gaston la Touche
...and this one: 'Easter Mystery', by Maurice Denis.
I especially like this Chagall Crucifixion, with Jesus as a Jew (duh!), surrounded by scenes of pogroms.

No visit is complete without seeing 'American Gothic' and the famous Seurat. It's really quite large.

We saw a ton of great architecture. Here is the interior of a building called 'The Rookery'. The exterior was kinda neat, but the interior atrium was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and was dazzling.
Stairwell at The Rookery, looking up.
I did the Hop On/Hop Off Trolly, which turned out to be a great deal, since one of the 15 stops was one block from our motel. I hopped off at Navy Pier, which was a major tourist trap. However, my destination at Navy Pier was the free stained-glass museum, which was very cool. I took a bunch of photos - here are some of my favorites:
There were several Tiffany pieces:

Wild:
I especially liked this one:

After seeing the stained-glass collection, I went outside to join a work-related conference call. Here is my view during that conversation. An hour later, I was on top of the Hancock building (center).

On Friday, I took the Green Line out to Oak Park and walked around the neighborhood where Frank Lloyd Wright lived and worked. There are a number of his projects in a small area, side by side with the grand old Victorians.


Japanese tourists at the Frank Lloyd Wright studio:


The showpiece in Oak Park is his Unity Temple, a Unitarian complex that is being restored. Here's the outside - a poured-concrete structure that was daring for 1908.
And the interior. Still used for concerts and other events.
We saw so much more in Chicago, but these are some of the highlights.

Oh yes, in Oak Park I spent a few minutes at Ernest Hemingway's boyhood home, appreciating the scene of serene, large homes and the ghost of the little boy who turned out to be one of the major bullies in literary history. But that's a different story.

thanks again, John McCain

Why am I not surprised?

wishing everyone a meaningful Yom Kippur. We went to Kol Nidre last night and it was beautifully done, as usual, with wonderful music and those old, old prayers.

Since I've been somewhat sick from food poisoning all week (thanks again, Soji restaurant in Sisters, OR), it will be easier than usual to associate food with revulsion.

Yom Kippur thoughts

It's a troubling time for atheists.

The image of a Supreme Judge who is making decisions about how my life will go in the next year is great for 5 year-olds. I do understand the metaphor, and how it suggests that repentance and charity will make your life better, so you might as well be virtuous and considerate.

Makes sense.

What I can't deny is the power of the ritual. I have had certain Yom Kippurs over the years that were tremendously affecting, especially during the climactic moments at the end. It's the power of crowd psychology mixed with profound hypoglycemia - a potent combination.

Wishing everyone well - may you get something meaningful out of it.

there's a whole lot of giggling going on

Regarding the looney victors of selected primaries yesterday.

Ho, ho, these wackos are certainly amusing, and the consensus seems to be that Democrats will have no trouble steamrolling over them in November.

A lot of Germans laughed at the Nazi clowns in 1933.

end of two weeks of panic

About two weeks ago, a client handed me a challenge that seemed totally overwhelming. I've put in the hours since then, and have scheduled a demo for next Monday, one week before their drop-dead date.

98% of what needs to work is tested and satisfactory to me. The final issues await resolution/assistance from the 3rd-party vendor of a key software component, and they have been totally unresponsive to my calls and emails (which is a little unsettling, to say the least). Not only that, but their 14-day trial period ends next Monday, and their website offers no information on how to buy a license (other than 'call us').

However, with minimal help from the client, no help from their consultants in St. Louis, and little from either the major and minor software vendors, I have a Microsoft Access application that can read and update Salesforce tables, replacing complex logic that formerly updated an internal Access app that was obsoleted by Salesforce.

The client needed me to come in and rescue them, before Sept 20, and I am pretty confident I will deliver. Unfortunately, two other clients have been left hanging while all my attentions were focused.

It's been a whirlwind, but I will stop thinking about it now, and pack my bags in preparation for 3 days at the Sisters Folk Festival. Don't get excited, crooks, our friend Robert will be here at the house watching it and the cats.

the lesson of 'Rev.' Terry Jones

How interesting to hear that the Germans booted him out of his Cologne church because he was too incendiary for them.

How about this for a simple tactic? Take away his tax-exempt status.

Hey, why stop with him? Think about it. Isn't it time?

does anyone love the chrome browser?

Ben likes it, and I am trying it, but I miss some familiar features from Firefox.

What's the big benefit? Anyone?

who ya gonna believe?

Two articles:

Samsung: Galaxy Tab has leg up on Apple iPad

Success of Samsung Galaxy Tab Doomed by Carrier Contracts

the media has decided

Obama has failed and the GOP is going to take back the government in November. You hear it everywhere now. They seem gleeful about it.

Mission Accomplished, Fox. Thanks, again, lazy journalists.

Middle-class America (what's left, that is): get ready for the next round of thievery. Not that much left to loot anymore, but I'm sure they'll come up with something. (Hint: Social Security).

Time to hit the Deck!

Loyal readers of this blog (i.e. both of you) may remember last 4th of July, when we had a work party to build the base and frame of our new backyard deck. Today, the decking went on! Come with me, as I relive the events of the past two days....

We ordered the decking last week, and it was delivered Friday morning. Here it is, in two stacks. I spent about 45 minutes just pulling out the damn staples.

After the staple-pulling, I applied a coat of waterseal to all surfaces. That took a long time Friday, and, by the middle of the afternoon, I was hot and ready for a cold beer, which, come to think of it, was really quite enjoyable, especially after the emergency visit to take Ben to get a tetanus shot, after he was bit on the finger by a mouse.

But that's a different story. Here are all the sealed pieces, laid out for Saturday's fun.

Our construction guru, Robert Perron, brought his great tools, boundless patience, and in-depth experience. Here he is, getting everything set up.

It took a while for us to get into the rhythm of laying out the boards, measuring the gaps, clamping everything down, drilling the holes, and screwing in the deck screws. The first few boards were painfully slow to set, and I was wondering how we were ever going to make real progress. Most of the boards in this picture are just laying there, as we checked positioning.

Amazingly, the momentum built quickly, and, by lunch time, we were about half-way across the 12x12 expanse. It was beginning to look pretty good.

Ben arrived and, incredibly, had a steady hand and saved the day, with his precision screwing, so to speak. He worked hard and his cheerful attitude was welcomed. Zack the neighbor came over to talk politics for a while. He's not sure about Kitzhaber. We are - Go Kitz!

By around 3:30 we were all getting mighty tired, but Ben kept at it. Karen made all the precision cuts for the four corners, and they were all perfect!


We finished tacking down the last board around 4:30. We cleaned up all the gear, covered it with tarps and went to Fuddruckers for burgers!

There are still many pounds of screws to be applied, but all cutting and measuring is done. Now, it's just the brute force of a couple hundred more deck screws, and nailing back the temporary facia boards. Whew!

Next year - the roof!

Sunday morning thoughts

Cloudy and cool, with the possibility of rain tomorrow. Just finished my coffee, in a quiet house.

Saw Garrison Keillor at the zoo last night. Sadly, most of his voice-crew was not with him, so it was mostly a msic show, but the band, as usual, was great.

The News from Lake Wobegon segment was a very familiar rehash of long-told stories - nothing new for veteran listeners. Still, it was nice seeing him in person, and, unlike any other zoo concert, he wandered out into the crowd.

But that's not what's on my mind this morning.

I just read a web piece about 'why americans mistrust Islam'. All I can think about is how it was for Jews throughout history, when you never knew if the non-Jew you just met would be a bigot when your identity came up.

Same with blacks - would the next casual encounter be hostile? Now it is Muslims.

They are the Feared Outsider of these times. Perpetually on guard for the sudden insult or ignorant stereotype.

And Glenn Beck's crowd wants to 'restore honor'. I can think of several areas where this clan could begin.

garden update

Picking zucchini and the first tomatoes are turning orange (finally).

Also, I began digging potatoes. Here is the potato patch back in March, with the seed potatoes laid out.



Here is the plot now - I dug out the first 3 feet (of a 12 foot patch).


Here are some of the potatoes, and the onions that I dug out yesterday. Lots more potatoes to come.

hint: rhymes with 'Reason'

Those who are whipping up the masses into anti-Islamic hysteria, and those who are really into it (with signs, marches, and indignant, sanctimonious speeches) are providing convincing video to the manipulators on the other side, who now have great material for their recruiting posters, 'proving' that Americans are indeed at war with Islam.

So, in a twisted way, can't we state that the anti-NYC cultural center (I refuse to call it by its 'Death Panel' moniker) folks are giving 'aid and comfort to the enemy'? Ironic, no?

Once again, our profound national ignorance plays right into Osama's hands, and this time, they didn't even have to have any planning meetings - it just happened.

By the way, NPR reports this morning a new poll showing that a giant rise in the % of Amurikans now either believe the President is a Muslim, or are 'not sure'. Very sad.

Maybe, next year, Truth in Advertising rules will require them to change the name of the show to 'Are you smarter than a 2nd Grader?'.


UPDATE: for example

George W Bush - just a coward or something more sinister?

So Bush's people say he has 'no comment' on the Imam at the center of the phony NYC Islamic Center nonsense. If he had any intellectual honesty....wait, what was I thinking?

For those of you not keeping score, that Imam was picked by the Bush administration to be a moderate force in dealing with other islamic groups, and, under Bush, he had full FBI clearance.

One can only assume that his handlers suggested he stay out of the fracas, in order to let events play out the way they are already trending (i.e. 'Some People Say that Allah hates Jesus').

I am so frickin' frustrated

Harry!

Once again, they have let the right-wing fog-machine determine the national discourse, and manipulate the meme to make Democrats bend to a totally-manufactured 'national outrage'.

This, from the 'Read the Constitution' folks.

I give up.

There is no hope.

Our Republic is doomed.

Close to mexico

Sitting in the El Paso airport, waiting to board the first flight, to 110 degree Phoenix.

I am looking out the window to the south, where I clearly see the barrios of Juarez, going up the hills on the Other Side of the pretty narrow Rio Grande.

On the freeway coming in from the north, you come quite close to the modest river, with at least one stretch guarded by an industrial-strength metal fence.

Just a quick plane-change in Phoenix, then on to 98 degree Portland, where KG, friends, music and a cold beer wait.

three hours later...

I found El Comedor without any problem, after taking a quick look at the historic Mesilla plaza, which I visited some years ago (it hadn't changed much). Unfortunately, I had hoped to have a look inside the church, but, alas, it was locked.

As I mentioned, El Comedor was reviewed pretty favorably by TripAdvisor. It certainly had the feel of a small, family place. The service was very quick, and the menu presented many tempting things. I wanted to sample several things, so I had to order the combination plate.

There was a Taco de Pastor, an enchilada de pollo, a chili rellano, a serving of chili verde, the expected beans and rice, and a big flour tortilla (I barely touched the salsa and home-made chips).

Everything was pretty good, and it was a challenge to finish it all (I rise to all challenges). The clear winner: the chili verde. It was spicy and very flavorful. I could have made a meal just with that.

There was also a beer. Total: about $15.

Now, I am back in my motel room for one more night, watching Rachel on MSNBC. Maybe I'll see if there's a movie on TV. The swimming pool is still open for another hour. So many choices.

Heading home tomorrow. No complaints.

Does it get any better?

I finished my three days of intensive work with my two project teams here in Las Cruces, and am now back in the Ramada, enjoying my $3 margarita.

The work week is over. It was very good.

I did some web research, and believe I will soon head to a restaurant that TripAdvisor says is the best Mexican in town. Stay tuned.

amazing desert lightning in New Mexico

Finished my 2nd day of meetings, down here in Las Cruces. It's all going very well, with lots of decisions being made and my To-Do list growing hourly.

I stepped out of the motel to walk over to the burger place across the street (WhatABurger) to get a chocolate shake. There were dramatic clouds and setting sun, with frequent, classic, forked lightning flashes illuminating the sky to the south.

Not sure I'd love to live here, but it sure is different from western Oregon, and I can see the appeal!

Tomorrow is the final day of meetings with my project teams, then back home on Saturday.

having it both ways

So the teabaggers keep saying they just want to 'return to the Constitution'. I even saw a bumper-sticker the other day, that said 'I vote the Constitution.'

I assume that's a euphemism for 'Obama is not the President.'

Well, with all the right-wing blather about 'activist judges' interpreting the Constitution, instead of simply following its straightforward language, I have to laugh (uncomfortably) at their recent jibes at the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to anyone born here.

You can't have it both ways - either we follow the literal sacred words of the Founding Fathers (where the amendment is clear) or you admit that times change and interpretation is necessary, to adjust to current realities (which demolishes their pathetic argument that 'the Constitution does not address Gay Marriage').

Of course, intellectual consistency is for oxymorons.

Best wishes to Christopher Hitchens, as he nears the End.