suburban hobos

We took advantage of the great weather this weekend to spend time at the beach. On Saturday we rode our bikes to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. I think we decided that this was the best farmers market we’d ever been to; tons of locally grown fruit and veggies, milk, eggs, delicious cheeses. After stocking up, we met Rachel and Dave at the beach for a picnic while watching the Chicago Air and Water Show.

Yesterday we stopped by Fox and Obel for picnic supplies on our way to the Warren Dunes in Michigan. Maggie dropped me off at the beach and then went blueberry picking for an hour or so. The rest of the afternoon was spent munching on delicious food, reading and floating in the lake.

For our out of town friends, don’t you think you should come for a visit so we can treat you to a tasty picnic on the beach?

We spent the morning at City Farm helping with some weeding.  Very cool spot and satisfying to get our hands dirty.  A quick video recap of the morning…

Yesterday Maggie and I spent the day in Michigan. First we drove by a blueberry farm and bought 10 pounds of freshly picked berries. So delicious. After stopping by another fruit stand we drove into Warren Dunes State Park for the first this summer.

I told Maggie on the way home that this is one of my favorite places. It’s such a peaceful spot. I love the tasty picnic lunches we bring with us (olives, cheese, pesto, and lots of fresh fruit). Yesterday the water was really warm so we got in and threw the frisbee for a while. Later on Maggie floated in the tube. Overall, a really nice day.

We had a really nice time in Oregon last week.  I’ve posted a very brief recap at Signs of Life, but it seems appropriate to post more photos here.

Maggie also had a good visit with Megs in Calgary, but since I wasn’t there she’ll have to tell you about that.

I dropped Maggie off at the El stop early on Friday so she could take public transit to the airport.  She’s off to spend a few days with her friend Megs in Calgary.  I leave tomorrow afternoon for Portland where I’ll be staying in a hostel until Wednesday when Maggie and my sister join me.  We’re going to upgrade to a hotel and then join my mom’s side of the family for a reunion on the Oregon coast.  Should be a really fun week.

Now I’m in pack, clean, and replace the cell phone that broke today mode.

My little sis Mary and her “special friend” John came to visit this weekend:) David and I had a really fun time hanging out with them, getting to know John, and showing them around our lovely city. We had a very full yet relaxing time (except for the evening we walked a total of about 5 miles to see the fireworks, which wasn’t so relaxing…David and I haven’t quite worked out how far away things are yet). On July 4 we had a leisurely morning, and then took John and Mary to our favorite Chicago-style pizza place, Lou Malnati’s. John reported that he liked it very much. We then spent a few hours wandering around the (free) Lincoln Park Zoo, where we were mesmerized by a polar bear doing laps, laughed at the meerkats, and where the birds decided to have some fun and poop on me. I really got the full zoo experience. Later we went on our 5 mile trek - we took the bus and the el downtown, stopped for a quick Thai dinner, then walked to Navy Pier where Mary and John rode the ferris wheel and we watched fireworks, then took a different, much longer route, back to the bus. Mary and John are very good sports.

We all had a good long sleep the next morning, and had a big breakfast late in the morning out in the back yard. We then head to the beach for a glorious few hours of lounging under a perfectly blue sky, reading, swimming, and loving summer. We ended the day with a picnic and the (free) symphony downtown at Millennium Park, one of our favorite summer activities.

Thank you Mary and John for driving all those hours to come visit us! We loved having you!

In a demonstration of how well she knows me, Maggie planned out a perfect day for me in celebration of my 31st birthday on Saturday. It began with a leisurely morning spent partly in choosing some books and CDs with the Amazaon gift certificates from parents and in-laws. If there is better gift than music or books I don’t know what it is.

We then drove downtown for a late brunch at Frontera Grill. We’ve been wanting to try this place out for a few years and it didn’t disappoint. Delicious.

Then it was on the beach at Montrose Harbor. Perfect weather for reading and napping in the sun

After a quick stop by the apartment we went by the Map Room for a cold beverage. Still can’t believe we live within driving/biking distance of this watering hole.

After the Map Room we drove to Toyota Park to watch a Chicago Fire game. It was a perfect summer evening for a game… despite the 0-0 tie (I know John Watson, what’s the point?).

I mean, seriously. Does my wife know me or what?

Completely unreleated to my birthday, Michael and I drove down to Bellevue Baptist Church for the ordination ceremony of our friend, Dr Vincent Bacote. It was good to be there for the celebration and congratulations are in order for Dr Bacote and his family.

On Tuesday Maggie and I got off work early to hang out with Brian and Victoria who will be moving in a couple of weeks. It was a great afternoon for a walk along the lake and a tasty dinner.

We’re going to miss these guys a lot. Thankfully Brian is a blogger and there are rumors that Victoria may start posting photos on her own blog so we’ll be able to keep up with their lives.

Of course, we also expect to see them on their visits to the Chicagoland area. That won’t be enough so we may have to figure out how to visit them in their new exotic locale.

We arrived home from PAPA Festival a couple of hours ago. We had a really fun time with our friends, met some great folks, learned about some fascinating communities around the country, and enjoyed our weekend camping. I’ll post more later- either here or over at Signs of Life- but for now, here’s a photos of this morning’s communion and commissioning service.