Whimsy

For the past two Tuesday's I have taken bus #12 to Hull-House for re-Thinking Soup, and both days I have walked the 2 miles back to our apartment, crossing the Roosevelt bridge with it's whimsical animal statues.

What other whimsical treats await me in Chicago?

re-Thinking Soup: a great find!

Thanks to my emails from Slow Food Chicago, I went today to re-Thinking Soup at the Hull-House Kitchen on the campus of University of Illinois Chicago.

Re-thinking soup pairs free soup made from the bounty of the hull-house urban farm with a topic, speaker, conversation, etc. Donations are requested. See description at left of today's delicious soup. Unfortunately my picture of the actual soup wasn't too appetizing, so we'll stick with the description! Tasty.

At today's re-Thinking soup, film makers, Tashai Lovington & Robert Lughai, discussed their new feature length documentary, Mad City Chickens, about urban backyard chicken raising. Some chicken loving Chicagoans were there with resources and two brought their own hens for show and tell. A great meal and good time. I will be going back.

Retrospective: The Most Fun

The List

Mantracker (Check out the link and enjoy!) This is a Canadian reality show always makes me laugh, and I think it's more fun to imagine the show!

Big Rock Brewery’s Grasshöpper (What’s up with umlaut? See what we mean?)

Evolution wine label from Sokol Blosser, Wilammette Valley, OR

Playful, arguing German couple debating the level of toasting that takes toast from toast to an abomination

AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com

New version of Great Big Sea song, "Come and I Will Sing You" with lyrics about pikas, bison, moose, elk, etc. to keep away the bears

Golf courses/sand traps in Yellowstone; it's really patches of snow

Bison Ghosts: you know you've been road tripping in national parks/out west too long when someone mentions a bicyclist and you hear "bison ghost"

Road Laughs

1. en-ra-ha from the movie Happy Go Lucky - check in out on YouTube
2. Fluckinger Road, Toledo, WA

Quotes worth remembering...

"Dude, I'd be careful if I were you. Every time I do that [jay walk], they haul me to jail."

--Guys on BART, and that's right, it's every time, not that one time

"There's this one point where the ice hasn't quite melted and the drop off is pretty sheer. It'd be pretty easy to lose your footing, so you'll definitely want to bring your ice axe."

--Ranger's advice for early June hiking in Death Canyon

Polecat

Pictures from the Dammann Family Reunion at Polecat, Charlevoix, MI, September 5-13, 2009.

Chris, Jocelyn, Leah, and Nancy enjoying the sun The sinking laser (Nancy & Jocelyn) and the rescuing canoe (Leah & Michael) Dinner on the beach (Chuckie, Chris, Bennie, Polly, and Sara Gay) Lovely sunset Ralph, Frank, and Michael at dinner in town at EsperanceLeah, Nancy, Chuckie, and Polly out at dinner (Michael lurking in background with Bennie)

Retrospective: Best Lazy Sunday

Sunday, June 7

On our early morning trek through beautiful Colorado and Wyoming on empty roads, we heard a radio interview with Bob Kull on his book, Solitude: seeking wisdom in extremes A YEAR ALONE IN THE PATAGONIA WILDERNESS. (Most interesting was how he ended up in the wilderness with his cat, Cat.) In Pinedale, we discovered a great farmer’s market and good coffee. To round out the day, we drove into the snowy grandeur of the Tetons (as seen in the picture).

Retrospective: Food Accolades

Frank and the fantastic outdoor seating at Sixth Street Bistro, Hood River, OR The noteworthy fried banana peppers at Billy's BBQ, Lexington, KY

Best Dish – Spaghetti and meatballs at Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA
Most Unique and Tasty Dish – Blue Bird Bistro’s entrée of LOCAL smoked tofu, LOCAL pecans, quinoa, greens, carrots, and onions, Kansas City, MO
Best Food AND Outdoor Seating – tie Sixth Street Bistro, Hood River, OR and Sokol-Blosser Winery picnic from Farm to Fork, Dundee, OR
Best Sushi Ever – Sachi Sushi, Whistler, BC
Best Pub Grub – Snake River Brewing Company, Jackson Hole, WY
Best Food for the Road – Poet Street Café, Billings, MT
Best Wine and Cheese – Steeps Grill and Wine Bar, Whistler Mountain, Whistler, BC
Best Beer and Cheese – Pike Place Brewing Company, Seattle, WA
Best Breakfast Goodies – Sweet Ambrosia’s chocolate hazelnut scones, Portland, OR
Best Hot Chocolate – Blue Owl Books Coffeehouse and Ice Cream Parlor, Nederland, CO

Best Ice Cream Sandwich – Meyer lemon ice cream and graham cracker sandwich, Ici, Berkeley, CA
Best Fried Things - Tie between fried banana peppers at Billy’s BBQ, Lexington, KY and texas toothpicks (fried onions and jalapenos) at Sunpies Bistro, Steamboat Springs, CO
Best Cheese – too many to list!

Retrospective: Most Unexpectedly Cool Town and Best Outdoor Art

Shuttlecocks on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO

Arriving in Kansas City on May 20, I knew I'd found a good spot. Within walking distance of our hotel was, PotPie, a local restaurant, where we lunched on asapargus soup and a chicken salad sandwich. For dinner, we met the director of Buy Fresh Buy Local Kansas City at the Blue Bird Bistro, where we sampled even more delicious local fare, including local tofu and pecans!

That evening, we heard Michael Pollan speak on In Defense of Food and afterwards wandered Kansas City on a beautiful spring evening stopping at Winstead's, a Kansas City establishment, for a cherry limeade.

The next day, I woke to a beautiful morning and walked from our hotel to the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hands down, my favorite outdoor art of the trip were Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Shuttlecocks (known to me as badmitton birdies). There are four giant birdies in all; 1 on the north side of the museum and 3 strewn about the lawn on the southside.