Happy 250th, USA!

 

Check out this photo Tiffy sent from Washington, DC:

Almost makes me wish I were there, but it's like a thousand degrees there. 

Here in the Midwest, it was hot and stormy. We met my aunt for brunch, then we went back to the spot in West Chicago with the diamond, but nothing was happening so we walked to a coffee place to get chocolate chip monkeys, or mochas with banana flavor. When we came back, a Canadian Pacific train was heading north, and then we saw a Metra train. I'll compile Travalon's videos at some point. My graffiti pics from yesterday evening in West Chicago finally downloaded.

I will try to make screen shots from some of Travalon's videos. We thought at first that he had missed the prettiest graffiti today, but when I watched his video just now, he did get it. 

Then we drove through another storm (not as bad as yesterday) to the Rochelle Railroad Park, where I took so many photos of the graffiti that I don't have time to post them, since of course it got late again. Then we drove to Blue Mound State Park to see the Daughter of Denni's band play. Because the weather was so bad, they played inside this time, but they were just as good. I loved when they said, "It's Saturday, we're in the park, and it's the Fourth of July. If only there were a song about that..." and then they played the song by Chicago. They also did a lot of Beatles stuff, and some really good original tunes, and a bluesy song about a deep blue well, and a Yes song. They are so versatile!

After that, Travalon and I drove to the top of the mound to take a walk, but we saw the sun was setting so we rushed to the west tower to try to see it. We were too late, but the other Daughter of Denni and her husband and two daughters joined us up there. The husband is the classical guitarist we have often seen perform, and after I offered to take a family photo of them, he took some of Travalon and me. These are the two best.

Here are some sort-of photos of the sunset that I took.

Travalon had his good camera with him. The rolling hills and the mist made it look like Scotland.

On the ride back we saw lots of amateur fireworks going off, sometimes right over us. We pulled over to watch Waunakee's display, and Travalon took some photos.

When we got home, I desperately needed some exercise, so I took a walk in the neighborhood, and Travalon joined me after a little bit. We saw some more fireworks in the distance.

Soon to come: more photos of graffiti and videos of trains and fireworks. Stay tuned!

Famous Hat

Old Warsaw and Railfanning in West Chicago

 

At work we got a floating holiday since the legal holiday is on a Saturday, so I used it today, and Travalon and I headed to Chicago. We hit some really bad weather, so it wasn't a fun drive. There were a lot of scary sights in the sky, like a cloud in the distance that looked like it had a waterfall underneath it. Because the interstate was moving so slowly in the deluge, it took us forever to get to my aunt's house. We talked a while, then we drove to Old Warsaw and met another aunt and uncle for dinner. This restaurant is a Polish buffet, and I was happy that there were plenty of things to eat that were either fish, seafood, or vegetarian on a Friday night. The pierogis were especially tasty. 

The aunt who joined us there is really into genealogy, so we talked about that a lot. At one point she said she took her family tree off the internet. "I'm incognito," she said, and my uncle said, "I'm in Oak Park." Badoom-ching. He and Travalon didn't say much; it was mostly us three women chatting, and at one point we were talking about fermented foods and what is the best brand of sauerkraut. (I don't have a strong opinion on this topic; I don't hate sauerkraut, but I much prefer pickled red cabbage.) I keep reading that we should be eating more fermented foods. My one aunt was saying how easy it is to make your own yogurt, and I've heard other people say that too, but you know what's even easier? Buying it at the store.

We got done with dinner early, so Travalon and I went to a spot in West Chicago which is renowned in the rail fan community because several tracks cross each other, and there's an old signal tower still in use. Literally as soon as we had parked and walked up to the tracks, a very long Union Pacific freight train with excellent graffiti passed by. Travalon made a video, and I took some photos. Unfortunately, my photos have not yet downloaded to my computer, and the video needs editing, so here are some photos Travalon took of the signal tower and the crossing train tracks.

While it was passing by, a Metra train went by in the other direction. We saw a couple more Metra trains, then we took a walk to find a restroom and ended up at a bar so busy that we couldn't order anything to justify using their bathroom, so we just left. We were starting to head to our hotel when a Canadian National came on the north/south track, so we parked and watched it. When we got back to the car, Travalon tried to remember which direction we'd been heading to get to our hotel, and I said, "We got derailed by the train," so he said I had to blog about that. The weather was fine then, but just about the time we got to our hotel, another storm blew up, so we decided not to go into the outdoor pool while there was lightning. Plus my former neighbor called just to chat, so it got late, and then it got later while I was trying to figure out how to access either the hotel WiFi or my phone's hotspot, and I ended up having to contact Richard Bonomo for technical support. He found a way to get my computer to recognize my phone, and so I can blog. Hopefully I can soon post photos of train graffiti...

Famous Hat

Munster Monster

 

Today I worked from home while Travalon explored historic train sites and went swimming in the Wisconsin River. It was very hot again today, so we walked outside early, but not early enough to see the train that went by around 9:35. I spaced out about praying the rosary while walking around inside on my lunch break, so I just put on my headphones and walked around to music. I walked inside on my afternoon break as well.

When Travalon came home, I said we should head to the Elks Club early to avoid the storm, which my phone said was coming in forty-five minutes, but when I went outside, it felt imminent. Then my phone said it was coming in eleven minutes, which would be before we got to the Elks Club, so we went back inside and waited until the storm passed. Finally we headed to the Elks Club and joined our Shamrock Club buddy and her friend, but nobody else joined us, and the head fiddler was not at the session. In fact, there were a lot less musicians than usual, probably owing to the weather. Travalon was happy because they were showing the Croatia game (but sadly they lost to Portugal), while I chatted with the other two women about plants and other stuff that didn't interest him. At one point we were talking about genetic tests, and I have done both 23 and Me and Ancestry, but I deleted my 23 and Me account when they went bankrupt. My buddy logged into her Ancestry account to show us her background, and I tried logging into mine and was stunned to find out I'm one-quarter from Munster, Ireland. It said I had some ancestry from other parts of Ireland, like Donegal, but 23 and Me said my ancestry was mostly from the south and west of Ireland, and for a moment I thought Munster was up in the north. I said, "How can that be??? Wait... is Munster the part where Cork is?" Indeed it is, so my world was turned right-side up again - I am who I always thought I was. Both tests said I have some Cornish in me, so now I can go to Mineral Point with great pride in that part of my ancestry. Both also said I have some German and a touch of West African, so I'm trusting that they're pretty accurate. I also have quite a bit of Scottish, but the biggest chunk of my ancestry is Munsterish, if that's a word. I wondered if that's where Munster cheese comes from, while my buddy thought it came from Munster, Germany, but we're both wrong - it comes from a French town of that name in the Alsace region of France. Wherever it comes from, I love it - I'm a Munster monster!

Interestingly, when I googled "Munster" and it told me all this stuff, it was showing a slideshow of places in the Irish province, which includes the Cliffs of Moher and lots of castles, like Blarney Castle. No wonder I built that little shrine of Belleek Irish castles! It's in my blood.

Blarney Castle is the one furthest to the left, next to the French children's book. If only the Irish language came as easily to me as French did... Interestingly, Castle Clare (the middle small castle tower) and Nenagh Castle (the furthest right small castle tower) are also in Munster. The big one on the far right is just an imaginary tower and not based on any real castle, but if it did exist, it would also be in Munster, is what I'm saying. This is my Munster Shrine, apparently.

I needed steps when we came home, so I was going to take a rosary walk outside, but suddenly there was more rain and more lightning, so I just walked around the house while praying the rosary. And that was exactly the number of steps I needed to get to ten thousand.

Famous Hat

Plants are Okay in Uncooled Building

 

Today I worked from home and only left the house for a walk at 9:30 am, until I went to my building after 5:00 to check on my plants. It was warm and humid in the building, so like a greenhouse, and my plants looked perfectly happy, so I didn't bring them home. I did bring home Niko's nameless girlfriend and the flower she sits beneath. Anyone got a name suggestion for her? Here's a supercut.

It was very hot out, and the worst part of my day was getting into my super-heated car and then waiting for the AC to kick in as I got caught in the traffic jam caused by road construction on the only way left to get downtown from our house. After I took care of the plants, I ate a sandwich I had brought while sitting in the shade outside (that was cooler than inside the building), and I heard a train but had no hopes of getting to see it in time from where I was sitting. Then I drove down to the Labor Temple for an organizing meeting that was not what I'd call organized. It made me feel really old because they do everything on Signal and Instagram, which are apps that are well after my time so I don't use them. It's good that we're getting young blood in the Union, but I don't love being reminded that I am so behind the times.

I forgot to blog on Monday about my Red Cross towel. My regular readers may remember that they gave it to me the last time I gave blood, and it was so beautiful, but I hadn't actually used it until Monday evening when we went swimming. And it was even better than I could have hoped! It's so huge that it wraps totally around me, so I don't need to wear a T-shirt over my swimsuit. This may be the best swag I've ever gotten.

Famous Hat

Recorder Concert and Cactus Fruit

 

I forgot to take pictures of these until just now, but Saturday on State Street I bought a couple of crystals.

They are black tourmaline and sodalite. Here is another thing I finally took a photo of - my rick rack cactus blooms now and then, but it's been looking crispy lately, and my plant app said it was getting sunburned. Makes sense, I guess, since I moved it to a spot in a south-facing window where it gets direct sun all day long. I moved it into my plant room with the east-facing window, and I discovered this:

It's making a fruit! I guess some bug in our house must have pollinated it. These fruits are supposed to be edible and very delicious, closely related to dragon fruit, so I'll see if it ripens. Honestly, I just got this plant because the leaves are so cool, but with its showy and fragrant blossoms and now maybe tasty fruit, it has far outlived my expectations.

Today I worked from home, since the cooling system is out at work (now they say for at least a month), and many buildings - including mine - are closed. Hopefully my plants at work are okay - I'm going to check on them tomorrow, since that's the usual day I water them. Of course the AC had to go out right during the heatwave, so we were all told to work from home. It's like a mini-pandemic. 

Travalon didn't have to work today, so he went to Portage and swam in Silver Lake. From there he saw a couple of trains go by. Then he went to the Dells and saw this train.

Isn't it cute? Here are some photos.

And this is a former Sinclair station in the Dells that still is called Dino-Stop.

Then he kindly drove me to Adoration and walked down to the Union while I was making a Holy Hour. Outside the Union he saw this tiny bunny.

Then he even more kindly drove me to the church where I often go to Baroque concerts to see my former choir mate play with her recorder ensemble. They played some Baroque and Renaissance stuff, some shape note tunes, some Polish folk tunes, and a Welsh tune. I had forgotten my sunglasses (the ones I just won at the Alumni Party) at my bandmate's house, and I said if we met there, she could give them back to me, so we sat together. Afterwards there were make your own sundaes, and I sat with my bandmate, my former choir mate and her husband, another choir mate who had come to hear her, Pete the Sailor Man, and a woman they all know and I met a few times years ago. It turns out she and her late husband were both rail fans, so when Travalon joined us, we talked about trains, among other things. She's also on DuoLingo, so if I can find her, we can be friends. I have tons of friends on there I've never met in real life, so I might as well have a few (besides Seabird and my former choir mate's husband) whom I've actually met in person.

Famous Hat