An Adventure
When the kids were little, sometimes I'd pile everyone in the van and say, "We're going to have an adventure!" I would let them pick the directions we'd turn... while I sometimes had some vague ideas of where to go, it was usually pretty random.
I've been having some Chicago adventures lately, although not so random. I don't know the area well enough to have vague plans for whichever direction we land in, so I try to gather a couple of spots to visit in a neighborhood, then just go and wander. Sometimes Bill comes along (like when we headed out to the punk bakery last weekend); sometimes I go on my own.
Today was a brisk, bright, breezy day that just begged to have a kite or two flown in it. So we dug up the kites (one I just got at Costco, and Clay's nifty Prism kite) and hit the road. I also needed a few spices, and Bill wanted to xerox his finals for tomorrow. We hit DePaul first, and Clay went up to see Bill's lab while Wiley, Linc and I headed to a nearby playground. It was getting chilly, but still pretty nice, so when Bill was done we drove out to Lakeshore Blvd. and up to Foster Beach (I wasn't sure which other beaches would a) allow dogs, and b) be deep enough for a kite, so we just went to Foster).
Our fingers got frozen but the kites performed beautifully! That kite from Costco was the best 12 bucks I've spent in a long time... VERY eager to fly, spinny and psychedelic and pretty! The construction was a teeny bit fiddly but ingenious, and broke back down for the box just fine. Clay got his kite up right away too. The wind was erasing our footsteps right away back into the sand ridges. But our fingers quickly started to go numb so we had to reel 'em in.
Next stop: The Spice House, an amazing trip around the world via jars and jars of fabulous tastes and smells. I'd had several spices run out recently, so I'd already thought about going there, but I wanted to have Bill along so going today worked out great. The boys stayed in the van with the dog (warming up again after the beach), and I got to compare all sorts of different things. Most of their business is the spice mixtures (herb rubs and salad dressing mixes and so on), but there were hundreds and hundreds of bulk single spices, which is what I focused on. The treat of the trip was a little jar of white truffle salt (like I don't have enough salts already!)... rich and earthy and sooo delicious.
Then Bill wanted to check out Sur La Table a few blocks away... he's been thinking about making more macarons, and so we were considering replacing our cheapo ancient nonstick cookie sheets with commercial heavy steel baking trays. I stayed with dog this time while the boys went foraging for bagels and Bill went in for his first taste of SLT (I'd been into the one at the SF Ferry Building, and knew what a temptation it would be). Fortunately, it closed at 5 and so they kicked him out before too much damage was done... he also got some more decorating tips, a rose nail and a cake comb.
We drove back along Lincoln Avenue, across at Irving Park Rd., and waded through the parking lot that was the Kennedy Expressway. Lots of sights to see, and everything just looked so much more vibrant and awake without the constant layer of snow that's blanketed the area since, oh lord, before Christmas? Not a single flower or opened leaf bud yet... but I saw a few daffodil and tulip spikes tentatively poking up through the ground here and there, and there's a promise of green slowly appearing on the expanses of dead lawns.
How was YOUR weekend?
I've been having some Chicago adventures lately, although not so random. I don't know the area well enough to have vague plans for whichever direction we land in, so I try to gather a couple of spots to visit in a neighborhood, then just go and wander. Sometimes Bill comes along (like when we headed out to the punk bakery last weekend); sometimes I go on my own.
Today was a brisk, bright, breezy day that just begged to have a kite or two flown in it. So we dug up the kites (one I just got at Costco, and Clay's nifty Prism kite) and hit the road. I also needed a few spices, and Bill wanted to xerox his finals for tomorrow. We hit DePaul first, and Clay went up to see Bill's lab while Wiley, Linc and I headed to a nearby playground. It was getting chilly, but still pretty nice, so when Bill was done we drove out to Lakeshore Blvd. and up to Foster Beach (I wasn't sure which other beaches would a) allow dogs, and b) be deep enough for a kite, so we just went to Foster).
Our fingers got frozen but the kites performed beautifully! That kite from Costco was the best 12 bucks I've spent in a long time... VERY eager to fly, spinny and psychedelic and pretty! The construction was a teeny bit fiddly but ingenious, and broke back down for the box just fine. Clay got his kite up right away too. The wind was erasing our footsteps right away back into the sand ridges. But our fingers quickly started to go numb so we had to reel 'em in.
Next stop: The Spice House, an amazing trip around the world via jars and jars of fabulous tastes and smells. I'd had several spices run out recently, so I'd already thought about going there, but I wanted to have Bill along so going today worked out great. The boys stayed in the van with the dog (warming up again after the beach), and I got to compare all sorts of different things. Most of their business is the spice mixtures (herb rubs and salad dressing mixes and so on), but there were hundreds and hundreds of bulk single spices, which is what I focused on. The treat of the trip was a little jar of white truffle salt (like I don't have enough salts already!)... rich and earthy and sooo delicious.
Then Bill wanted to check out Sur La Table a few blocks away... he's been thinking about making more macarons, and so we were considering replacing our cheapo ancient nonstick cookie sheets with commercial heavy steel baking trays. I stayed with dog this time while the boys went foraging for bagels and Bill went in for his first taste of SLT (I'd been into the one at the SF Ferry Building, and knew what a temptation it would be). Fortunately, it closed at 5 and so they kicked him out before too much damage was done... he also got some more decorating tips, a rose nail and a cake comb.
We drove back along Lincoln Avenue, across at Irving Park Rd., and waded through the parking lot that was the Kennedy Expressway. Lots of sights to see, and everything just looked so much more vibrant and awake without the constant layer of snow that's blanketed the area since, oh lord, before Christmas? Not a single flower or opened leaf bud yet... but I saw a few daffodil and tulip spikes tentatively poking up through the ground here and there, and there's a promise of green slowly appearing on the expanses of dead lawns.
How was YOUR weekend?