On the Sound

This has been my third yearly trip to North Carolina with Chris. For one week in March we hole up with food and drink in a beach condo on the coast of the Pamlico Sound, a large lagoon miles from the nearest town.


The days are spent lounging, beach combing, grilling, mixing cocktails (our first breakfast began with mimosas) and enjoying the seclusion. I particularly appreciate the relief from the traffic and crowds of Chicago. It is also the only time I get to see the stars, as there is almost no light pollution.





This year we were accompanied by friends Rich, Leah, Rob and Christina.


This trip was also my first real opportunity to play with my new Nikon D90 and by the end of the week I'm pretty sure everyone wanted me to get my lens out their faces.
Here are the shots I captured of some of the week's shenanigans...

Take that, Willis!

When Emily came to visit me over New Years, she was shocked and appalled to learn that the Sears Tower had been renamed...

Walk at Highbanks Park

Dunked

Anyone who reads this blog probably knows by now that I'm engaged. He/she may also know that my betrothed is a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. On a recent visit to the fraternity house, I was introduced to a local ritual of Ohio Wesleyan University Greek life when a brother makes a romantic commitment (called lavaliering). As recognition/punishment for the act of giving one's fraternity letters to one's significant other, the brother is traditionally kidnapped, tied up, carried across campus and dunked in Ohio Wesleyan's (in)famous sulfur spring. I can safely say that I have never witnessed anything like this before and it's hard to say how I felt about the whole thing. It was hilarious, yet disturbing to watch as the entire fraternity pounced on Chris, tied his hands and feet, put a hood over his head and hauled him like a sack of potatoes from one side of campus to the other, singing and generally making a scene, before finally lowering him into a stagnant pool of putrid sulfurous water. The grand finale was Chris, having cut himself free of his bonds, dashing after the brothers, in true Swamp Thing form, barefoot and dripping with rancid spring water.

Here is my documentation of this event. Enjoy, Chris.

Walking the Lakefront trail

This has been a summer of walking. Indeed, outside of work, walking is how I spend the majority of my time. I walk to buy groceries, to various coffee shops, to the park, I walk aimlessly while talking on the phone. The proximity of my apartment to a huge stretch of walking/jogging/biking path perpetuates my walking habit - at least while the warm weather holds out. The 26-mile Lakefront Trail is public and maintained by the Chicago Park District and is conducive to joggers, bikers, roller-bladers, dog walkers, and anyone simply out for a stroll.


From my neighborhood the trail takes me past Diversey Harbor, a big public soccer field, and North Avenue Beach, where I have to dodge bikes and watch for stray volleyballs.





The beach is on the east side of Lake Shore Drive, so you have to cross a bridge over the 8+ lanes of traffic to get there. That bridge is my least favorite part of my run along this trail.

Missing him

This photo was taken at the lake, the last time Chris was in Chicago, at the end of May. Once he finds a parking spot (an often daunting task in Lincoln Park) he's a pretty happy camper.

We're surrounded by hippies

My little brother recently sacrificed a whole weekend of slacking off (summer vacation) to visit me in Chicago - I was most honored. That weekend happened to be the same as the Chicago Peace Fest, a three-day festival of music, activism and general frolicking in Lincoln Park. We spent one afternoon sitting on the grass, listening to a very jovial group of musicians dressed in (among other things) spandex and rabbit ears, while a number of stoners and flower children danced/hoola-hooped barefoot in a mud puddle in front of the stage.
















We also made the acquaintance of a friendly, albeit somewhat pathetic, basset hound whose owner asked us to watch her while she went to the restroom. The poor thing looked a bit embarrassed to be out in public. Hopefully we cheered her up some.