The big event this week was Miles’s graduation from high school, after 6 years at Lane Tech. The ceremony was held at the UIC Pavilion, and with the sports arena setup and the liveliness of the kids, the event was very cheery and high-spirited. First an establishing shot to show how many graduates took part. My rough count of names in the program indicates there were 1020 students graduating! The band played Pomp and Circumstance and the students proceed into the arena. Here, Miles walks past the closest steps to the stage. His height, beard and red cord (for the…

Lane Tech had one of the 11 proms in the city last night, with another 10 or so held on Friday. It really is prom season! Miles and his friends gathered at the Field Notes HQ, very nicely hosted by Spencer’s parents, for photos before the event. They are such a nice group of kids, and they all looked great all dressed up for the event! Here’s Miles, Spencer and Dylan chatting before the pictures. Then group pic with Amber, Olivia and Alanna. These 5 have been friends since 9th grade! Miles and Olivia Think big thoughts at the drawing…

Maddie was in her first ballet recital this weekend and we were delighted to be invited! She’s right in the middle here, 6 from the left and the right. They were on a big stage with professional lighting and a big audience. Maddie and all the kids did great! Her group ended on a nicely gathered moment, with Maddie in the second row, second from right. After all the groups performed, they all came back on stage for a combined curtain call. After we took some photos outside. Here’s Miles and Maddie with her bouquet from our local Adams –…

Day 3! Andrea had an earlier flight than we did (well, not in the end, but I’ll get to that) so John and I headed off to the The National Museum of African American History and Culture solo that morning. The exterior of the building is so cool. It’s covered with lattice work that reminds this Chicagoan of Louis Sullivan, although his decorative work tended to be more of a solid piece, in either terracotta or iron that did not permit light through. This work was reflective of the talent in creating iron work that African Americans brought to colonial cities like New Orleans…

Last weekend we had a 3-day weekend here, and John and I went with our friend Andrea to visit Mike where he’s temporarily working in Washington DC. The first night we arrived late and ate mussels outside in the lovely warm DC weather. Nice! The second day, we got up, visited Mike’s very cool job site and then walked over to Pennsylvania Avenue, known for the White House being there, and then past Ford’s Theater (where Lincoln was shot) and over to some memorials. We read a lot of amazing sentiments that we felt could stand to be read and…

Day 2 in DC! John and I grabbed a coffee and admired the homes around where we were staying, in the DuPont Circle neighborhood. Then we met up with Mike and Andrea and went to the Newseum, a museum dedicated to spreading understanding of the freedom of the press and the first amendment (freedom of speech). It had some really thought-provoking exhibits, starting with the Berlin Wall and fall of the Soviet Union. There’s actually a big piece of the Berlin Wall there! The top deck area has a great view of the Capitol. The roads were all blocked off…

Miles has been doing some open mic comedy events, and last weekend he emceed at a party where 4 bands were performing and they needed a master of ceremonies to keep the crowd going and provide some entertainment between acts. No video, sorry to disappoint on that one, but his friend Dylan photographed the event and got some great shots of him. Looking very professional, Miles! Photos by Dylan O’Connor. Thanks for sharing, Dylan!  

I went to post photos from the very warm long Easter weekend when I realized that just last week we had snow! We had a strangely heavy and sticky snowfall last Sunday, on April 14th, and even the next day there was still quite a bit on the ground. This is the snow near where I take my lunchtime walks, on April 15. Then, the following Sunday, it was 70F / 20C and sunny, and John and I spent the day out on bikes! But to start at the beginning of the weekend, on Friday the weather wasn’t so great,…

Thanks for all the birthday well wishes for Miles, who turned 18 on Friday. He spent the day visiting Lewis & Clark College in Portland, with John joining him Friday night for a birthday dinner at Canard, a restaurant we really enjoyed during our visit to Portland last summer. Then they went back to the L&C campus for a day of activities the following day. Photos below are of the Lewis & Clark forested campus – where Miles has decided to go next year! There seems to be nobody else around except Miles in these photos, which seems to just…

What a great 50th birthday weekend! It started off with a 100K bicycle race, which was about 30% off-road, all taking place about 90 minutes Southwest of Chicago.  It started off pretty cold, crowded and foggy:        But quickly warmed up, lifting the fog as riders spread out, leaving us plenty of time to enjoy the sparse Illinois landscape           I finished in exactly 4 hours 26 seconds, which is about 15mph, not bad for lots of gravel, and pretty tired, but all the better for the free beer they were handing out at the end, which…