Summer in the City

It hasn't been that hot around here for a while. We did get up into the 90's at some point, but it's been relatively cool around here, for Chicago.

Still, it is summer in the city.

Remember dust on records? And, it didn't even matter...

Who Loves a Parade?

Yesterday morning, we dropped off our kids to march in their first parade. They marched with their dance studio, and I don't have a single picture of them. I'm quite the photojournalist, aren't I? I do, however, have photos of the other participants.

Lots of emergency vehicles making lots of noise. Who are those guys behind the vehicles?

They're Revolutionary War guys! Hello Piper!

Then there were a bunch of scary clowns. (Not to disparage clowns--I'm sure they're lovely people... but, don't they seem a little creepy somehow?)

Marching bands!

Cheerleaders!

Another marching band!

Hello District 15 Space Shuttle! Coo-el.

Check out the power--look at the rocket booster bottoms thingies.

The Jesse White Tumblers showed up. They are fantastic--a really tight tumbling team. See the floor mats on top of the van?

They set up too far from us! Come back, we can't see you!

Why, hello Harris Bank mascot, Harris.

Is that a steel drum group?

Yes it is.

What fun music. Where are they from?

Ontario, Canada? What?

Cute dogs that were part of something that I didn't really catch...

Another cute pup.

Here's the parade piece de resistance: a church combining their idea of God with uber patriotism... Thankfully, there was only one parade participant like this.

Did you have a good 4th? I hope you had fun whatever you did.

The Fourth

The Fourth

by Shel Silverstein

Oh

CRASH!

my

BASH!

it's

BANG!

the

ZANG!

Fourth

WHOOSH!

of

BAROOM!

July

WHEW!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy your freedom. Enjoy your families. Enjoy the loud fireworks and the corn on the cob and the grilled something or other.

Hold on tight, as you spin too fast on the tilt-a-whirl. Try not to hear the tinkling sound of nuts and bolts being jerkily shimmied out of rides at the carnival... Some of those are redundant any way. It's fine!

Hey, are we ever leaving Iraq? What do you think?

Because of the nuclear threat, must we really recognize the corrupt Ahmadinejad in Iran and continue to speak to him, thereby legitimizing his fraudulent election victory?

Life is complicated.

Let's just have fun today and enjoy our kids marching in parades, or watching parades and enjoy the summer fun of the 4th.

Happy 4th everyone!

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Last night at the pool, we were all in the deep end. My daughter looked at my husband for a long time, dunked her head and then came out to comment, "Dad, your fur goes like this *makes undulating movement with her hand*"

My husband said, "It's hair, not fur..."

A moment later my daughter dunked down again, came up and then said, "And, your back fur goes like this *makes swishing movement side to side with her hand*"

Hilarious.

Both kids jumped off of the high dive and the low board and there my son did a forward flip as well.

Water bugs.

A Lightning Bug by Any Other Name

Last night, I was outside on my back porch and I saw a lightning bug glow for a moment in the branches of our maple tree. A few seconds later I saw it glow again several feet to the right. I looked lower at the grass and did not see a female response. Sorry, Charlie.

The scientific term for them is lampyridae. I never knew this and only just now found out. I grew up calling them lightning bugs or fireflies. We loved seeing them on a hot summer's night and tried to catch as many as we could and stick them in jars and see them glow for a while and then we would release them. They would slowly walk up to the highest point, stick out their wings, pause for a moment, and then fly up and away.

My sister D. lived in Seattle for a while and told me once how she was talking with someone and she brought up fireflies and they had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Isn't that amazing? They don't have fireflies or lightning bugs in Seattle. It wouldn't feel like Summer without them.

I wonder what they have there that I have no idea of--I bet tons.

New poll up to the left: what do you call lampyridae?

Have you seen one yet?

Orchids at Xcaret

We walked on a path through the jungle vegetation on the way to an orchid greenhouse. I was struck by the beauty along the path.










I'm sure you can grow these anywhere in the world, if you get the conditions right. You don't have to go all the way to a greenhouse at a Mexican eco-park. Still, I was overcome by these orchids' beauty while I was there.














Today, here in Very-Republican-Town, Illinois, it is hovering around zero degrees with a wind chill of negative 14. And, in the summer it will be in the 90s with 80% humidity or even higher. We'll get ours in a few months from now--but, the wait is very long.

The Last Hurrah...or, the Fun Continues!

Green pool with diving board and shadow, paper pool 3-I 1978
David Hockney

Our local pool is now closed for the season. All of the tan, bored looking college students have gone back to U of I, or Madison or Northwestern (we have really bright kids around here...) so there are no more lifeguards, or jaded concessions stand workers. Here. None, right here. However, a pool across town is still open and still has tan, bored looking college students (I don't know where they're going to school) so we homeschoolers are going to go there for a last summer hurrah...until we do the next thing that comes along, because we still have nice weather and we still have a lot of time in our increasingly busy schedules in between the newly starting Fall dance classes and music classes and acting classes and interesting field trips. In fact, we can have even more fun as the museums clear out as the other kids are going back to school--more elbow room and less noise.

Whether homeschooler or public schooler, what are your last summer hurrahs where you are? Do you do anything to celebrate the beginning of school? Do you do anything to celebrate NOT going back to school? Any NOT going back to school picnics?

Hasn't this Summer zipped by?!