Oh The Places You’ll Go

And I’m off -

Oh, but wait, as they say, don’t count your chickens before they hatch…

Captain just announced approximate takeoff time is 8:59, UGH!

The delay is one thing and frustrating but to add insult to injury, they were boarding us as the delay was announced, so we’re all now stuck seated in the plane, on the runway.

Well, at least the seat beside me is empty, so that’s a plus…

Koulouria & Kourabiedes

I picked up some Greek cookies when in Chicago -

There is a Greek store a couple miles from my daughter’s house in Chicago that has all things Greek! From olive oils to baking ingredients to snacks and candies to delicious pre-made Greek foods, yummy 😋!

They’re not my mothers cookies, which I miss SO much, but enjoying these with a cup of coffee still rushes back some wonderful memories of my mother.

Stop by and try one before they’re gone…

Up Up And Away

Heading home, thank you Chicago!

It was great to see and spend time with my daughter and daughter-in-law! It was emotional and amazing to see my baby pregnant! She was a glow and looked beautiful!

Although, it was a quick trip it was perfect!

We knocked off a lot of honey-do items from their list.

I’m already looking forward to flying back out, when I’ll officially be a grandfather!

#Blessed

Opa! Brunch With A Greek Twist

Sunday breakfast at Elia cafe!  The best Greek and Mediterranean brunch in Park Ridge, IL, absolutely delicious!

I went with the Spano Benedict, which is spinach and feta pie, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce with hash browns and sourdough toast - 

Great service and HUGE portions, SO delicious!

#Blessed

Say Hello To Mr. Bailey

Meet Bailey!

No, he's not caged and behind bars here, just relaxing on the stairs at a good vantage point to take "it" all in.

He moved in with Stephanie and Audrey (from Audrey's moms apartment) and is living large now!

There is somewhat of a power struggle of sorts between Bailey and Ms. Nala, the queen (cat) of the castle but they're working it out.

He's a good boy and, from what I saw while visiting over Thanksgiving, the epitome of a "lap" dog.

Egg Glazed Koulouria! The BEST!

While in Chicago and before the storm on Saturday really got going Stephanie, Audrey and I headed out to run some errands.  We had an Amazon package to return, dry cleaning to pick up and the most important, picking out their Christmas tree.

While Stephanie and I were in the UPS store taking care of the package return, Audrey ventured into a new Greek store in the same plaza and what a find it was!  Looky at what Audrey bought, Koulouria, OMG!

Clearly and obviously NOT my mothers but man-o-man these sure brought back some wonderful memories and were quite tasty -

One of these days I'd like to try my hand at making these Greek cookies using my mother's recipe.  However, like most old-school cooks their secrets lie in what's NOT listed in the recipe but rather how they "ad-lib" on the fly.

Time will tell and we'll never know until we try.  Stay tuned...

What A Score!

Stephanie & Audrey surprised me with tickets to the Chicago Blackhawks vs Anaheim Ducks hockey game at the United Center on Sunday afternoon.

2025-2026 is the 100th season in the NHL for he Blackhawks, so they were in centennial celebration mode.

We stopped in at The Barn Hockey Bar before the game for a couple cold beers and an appetizer -

A pretty cool emblem of the original six teams on the floor of the bar -

One of my all time favorite goalies, Tony Esposito -

Centennial photo op signage -

The Ducks scored two goals, literally, before the first minute of the game. Sadly, it looked as though the hawks were gonna get routed. However, the hawks scored 5 unanswered goals -

And won the game -

We even “scored” an Alex Vlasic memorial pin upon entering the United Center -

After the game we stopped in at Morrison Roadhouse Tavern for dinner, which was delicious!

I had a fantastic time!

#Blessed

Snow, Shopping & Superdawgs

Currently under a winter storm warning here in Chicago, with ~12” of snow predicted! There were over 600 flight cancellations out of O’Hare this morning-

It’s starting to accumulate-

But that didn’t stop us from venturing out to run a few errands this morning, one being Christmas tree shopping, which was a success -

We stopped at Superdawgs, a Chicago landmark restaurant since 1948, to pick up lunch! Three loaded with all the fix’ns superdawgs and a superchickenmidgee -

Oh boy, SO SO delicious!

Chicago Thanksgiving Blessings

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mine was perfect - A brisk turkey trot in Edison Park to kick off the day, family, football, food all in a warm and inviting home -

The food was delicious and of course we all ate WAY too much, which is what you’re supposed to do, right -

Where we enjoyed our scrumptious meal -

#Blessed

They Walk Among Us

I think it’s safe to say that people are odd, generally speaking, at least I think so.

I do enjoy people watching, so waiting for a departing flight at the airport is an ideal location. SO many “unique” individuals coming and going to help pass the time away.

I find them all fascinating and fair game for criticism.

So, first up is this gentleman - those cuffs are somewhere in the 8 to 10 inch range, I kid you not! The dude was swimming in this britches too! Now we don’t know his story but he’s in dire need of a mirror.

Since this is a trip about “firsts”, this is my first time posting to my blog using my iPhone AND the first time doing so in an airplane at 36,006 feet!!

 

Up, Up And Away...

Morning all!

I'm headed out shortly to Boston's Logan airport.

Destination of Chicago, IL!

I'll be staying at my daughter and daughter-in-laws house. Unfortunately, it will not look as inviting as pictured above, since they already have snow on the ground AND in the midst of a cold polar vortex, 🥶

We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with a couple of "firsts" - first Thanksgiving in their new house and first Thanksgiving being married!

I'm blessed to be able to be a part of these "firsts"!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Pope Leo XIV Hail Mary

I picked up this souvenir t-shirt while attending the Chicago Cubs vs Chicago White Sox game Wrigley Field.

They were being offered by most of the vendor around Wrigley.  Oodles of fans were wearing them too, along with other Popely attire, e.g. Mitres and robes. A fun atmosphere.

Seems "Pope Chicago", "Chicago White Sox Pope Hope" and other similar references refers to the increased optimism and renewed belief among White Sox fans since the election of Pope Leo XIV, who is a confirmed White Sox fan and a Chicago native. The fact that a figurehead of global religious authority, and a fan of their team, has emerged from their city has brought a sense of hope and faith to the struggling team and its supporters.

As of this morning with roughly 60 games played the White Sox's have a whopping 18 wins and no longer in last place in the entire league (Colorado Rockies have an embarrassing 10 wins). 

Maybe it's working!  Lets keep an eye out...

A Sprinkler Conundrum

Posting to get your thoughts on what appears to be a lawn sprinkler, that is recessed in a ground level green PVC pipe.  It's located in corner of the front yard of my daughters new house in Chicago.

It's the only one on the property and I was unable to locate any button or switch or spigot or anything, both inside the house and out, to control this thing.  Nor was there any way to physically raise the sprinkler up directly.

** Side note - look at how nice the flower bed is edged in the picture below <pats myself on the back>!

The yard itself is tiny, so this one sprinkler as installed would be sufficient to water the entire front lawn without any problems.

 The house was originally a one story house with a basement.  However, a second floor was added and the house remodeled from top to bottom, including a complete finish of the basement.  What I'm guessing is that this was installed BEFORE the house was renovated and during the remodel, the switch or nozzle or whatever it was that controlled this device was either removed or covered up with sheetrock and plaster.

It's unfortunate to lose the ability to control this but what worries me, especially residing in Chicago, is the winter and the very real possibility of the water line feeding this freezing and busting.  How would you know, assuming it wouldn't puddle?  Perhaps, a super crazy water consumption bill!

Any thoughts on how something like this can be troubleshot in an effort to locate a way to turn on\off or confirm it's still connected to the water lines?

SO weird!

I Survived The First Ever Chicago Dust Storm!

To get to the Cubs game on Friday afternoon, we walked from the house about a mile to the train station.  Took the train 3-stop, then hopped on a bus, which brought us close to Wrigley and then walked the rest of the way.  Other than the train and bus being jam packed with fans also making their way to the game, it wasn't a bad experience.

Of course we did the reverse heading back home.  We stopped at a sports pub a couple blocks from Wrigley, had a couple wobbly pops and watched the crowds walk on by.  Our plan was to stop at Moretti's Ristorante & Pizzeria restaurant for diner, which was located right across the street from the train depot.

As we were riding the train, all passenger cell phones started beeping with an "Emergency Alert", even mine, with a "DUST STORM WARNING"!  Yes, a first ever, rare dust storm warning for the city of Chicago -

The timing couldn't have been any better, as we got off the train shortly after the warning. The wind started to really pick up as we were walking towards the restaurant, and as we entered the front doorway, the metal valet stand literally blew over with a very LOAD crash -

A homemade chips and French dip appetizer, a 14" "House Favorite" Italian sausage, green pepper, pepperoni and onion pizza and a couple beers later we exited the restaurant stuffed to a windy light rain for a nice walk home. Avoiding getting stuck in the dust storm itself.

Here is a pic of what the downtown Chicago looked like at one point - 

A exciting way to end an absolutely perfect day spent with my daughter!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame...

I flew out to Chicago to spend a long weekend, and my birthday, with my oldest daughter and her fiancée AND to see their new house! SO exciting and SO much fun!

We went to Wrigley Field Friday afternoon - 

And took in a crosstown classic baseball game - the Chicago Cubs vs Chicago White Sox -

The Cubs won 13 - 3! -

It was a beautiful sunny day.  The seats, season tickets, were perfect! The beers were frosty cold and the Cubs are 2 - 0 when I attend a game a Wrigley!

What A View!

One last posting from my visit to Chicago last month.

We took in the 360 Chicago Observation Deck at the John Hancock Observatory, which is on the 94th floor, a mere 1,030 feet above Chicago, YIKES!

One of the offerings is called "TILT", where you stand against floor to ceiling windows that slowly tilt outward towards the city below.  Um yeah, I passed on this option but there were many people doing it.

The views were incredible in all directions -

I found the below signage funny, which were posted outside of a pub we went to.  Based on the news I've seen, Chicagoans don't seem to follow the "no gun" directive.

A Google search returned the following, "as of July 7, 2024, there have been almost 1,200 total reported shootings in the city, according to the Chicago Police Department."

Looking forward to my next visit to the windy city!

 

Chicago Road Tripp'n

My oldest daughter is the assistant varsity field hockey coach for Saint Ignatius College Prep, a private, coeducational Jesuit college-preparatory school located in the near west side neighborhood of Chicago.

It was founded in 1869 is an absolutely beautiful old, well maintained school and campus.

The field hockey team had game on Friday night, 9/27, which was also senior night, against Edwardsville, so Audrey and I went to watch the game and Steph coach!  As you can see in the picture below, it was a beautiful night and awesome sky - that's the old Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, in the background. The Wolfpack trounced and won easily 12-1

We spent Sunday, 9/29, at home watching the Chicago Bears beat the LA Rams 24-18.

After the game we headed out to the Tripoli Tap sports bar, on W. Armitage Ave., to watch the Patriots take on the 49s!  The Tripoli Tap is a Boston sports sanctuary that have their TVs tuned to all professional Boston sport games.  Sadly, it was an ugly game for the Pats but the beers were cold, so we still won -

Although, the Tripoli Tap is known for it's wings, which looked delicious, we fought the urge to eat and instead headed to the Athenian Room restaurant for a delicious Greek meal!  Spanakopita appetizer to start with, followed by the chicken breast shish kebob, OMG SO SO good!

What a great way to spend a Sunday!

#Blessed

"A multi-sensory destination of epic proportions"!

We stopped in at the Chicago Roastery on Michigan Ave, which is the worlds largest Starbucks and what a place.   The last time I was in Chicago, and we walked past this place, there was a literal line out the door and along the sidewalk just waiting to get inside but not this time.  There was no line, so we were able to walk in and took our own walking tour up and around each floor, each with a different offering. A very cool place that was actually quite busy and bustling.

Since it was late morning we reluctantly passed on partaking in and sampling martini flights on the fourth floor but it is definitely on the list to do for my next visit!! 

This wall was created using different Starbucks empty coffee bag, showing their labels, to spell out "Chicago", very neat and a popular spot for folks to take pics in front of.

We grab a couple coffees, hung out for a bit and watched the baristas in action and the endless flow of peeps.  A worthwhile take and one I'm looking forward to visiting again!

A Chicago appropriate billboard sign outside Wrigley Field.  However, we weren't swayed and opted to drink Chicago born and brewed Goose Islands Beer Co. 312 Wheat Ale.  After all when in Rome...

Fun times!

"Go Cubs Go"!

We went to Wrigley Field and took in the pregame festivities, followed by a Cubs game on Saturday afternoon.

It was a tie game going into the bottom of the 8th when the Cubs woke, rallied and scored 3 exciting runs, which was enough to win the game!

With their win, I was introduced to the official Cubs home victory song, "Go Cubs Go"!  Take a listen -  Chicago Cubs Win Song “Go Cubs Go” LIVE At Wrigley Field -

View from our seats -

Unfortunately, no foul balls came our way but we were ready -

Three zip -

Da Cubs -

Wrigley, like Fenway, is a terrific old, original ball field.  So much history.  The whole experience was fun, it was a great take but fear not for I will always be a Boston Red Sox fan!