Missing Link

Seemingly out of nowhere it has become Summer.   I say ’seemingly out of nowhere’ simply because it feels like just yesterday that it was cold and grey outside, and now it’s warm sunny and beautiful.  I love it.  I know several people who prefer it dark and rainy outside – for whatever reason – and who scoff when I mention how great it is that the weather has been beautiful the past few days.

Last Friday was the SJC Trustees Scholarship dinner in Chicago.  SJC being the college where I got my degree.  My parents were going and had asked if Ann and I would like to join them,  which we said yes to.  It necessitated making friday a half day at the office so we could make the 3 hour drive.  The drive was fine, until we hit chicago and got stuck in horrible traffic.  I hate driving in chicago.  Despite that, it was actually a very nice evening.  Ann looked simply spectacular in her dress, and I thought I looked pretty good in my (rented) tux.  Kyle Purple and his fiance Kat were also there,   so Ann and I had people to talk to our own age.

Saturday Ann and I went to the Museum of Science and Industry in chicago,   which I will admit was a lot cooler than I thought.   Not to say I didn’t think it’d be neat but I wasn’t really sure what to expect.   We spent a lot of our time at the U-505 Exhibit , and also saw a Omnimax movie which was alright, but probably could have been better (I think ann agrees with me on that).

Sunday we washed our cars and I replaced the windshield wiper blades on my honda – something several years overdue.  Yes, YEARS.   It’s simply amazing the difference it makes.  I no longer fear driving in the rain.  I also got some rain-x wipes for the insides of the windows on my car – I’d used windex on them before but it never really got my rear window clean – one swipe with the rain-x wipes and the film and grime came right off.

The other day I was out by the pond in my back yard and saw a frog up on the top of the waterfall.   I was able to get close without him moving so I snuck back to the house and grabbed my digital camera to try to get an up-close shot of the frog.   Sadly, while I got close to the frog again without problems, as soon as I lifted the camera to snap the picture he dove off the rock and hid.  I have made it my mission to get a photo of one of the frogs, up close.

 Speaking of the pond – the past few nights I’ve gone and sat out by the pond for a while.  The sound of splashinig water, the smell of greenery and a pond, and just the simple scenic beauty it presents is really relaxing.  The past few days have been really stressful,  so having the abillity to just go sit and BE has been a godsend.  I always walk back in the house feeling much more grounded,  and significantly less stressed.  As one of my friends put it,  my back yard is “like the garden of eden”.

[tags] Chicago,  Pond, Museum of Science and Industry, SJC [/tags]