Chicago is yummy!

Taste of Chicago was a swarming frenzy of fun and food. We didn't even eat breakfast before we headed down to this festival of vittles. I started with goat, red beans and rice, before moving on to a bite of a real Chicago hot dog (boiled dog, nuclear green relish, dill pickle, sport pepper, tomato, onion, celery salt and black poppy seed bun, with yellow mustard). I then had some mustard fried catfish with tangy sauce. Some Puerto Rican banana dumplings stuffed with pork was next, rounded out by some amazing watermelon and cherry ices. You know I'm gonna pay for it later........ -Max

Collin Theis

So here we are hanging out with Colin at his place in Chi-town. Colin wasn't a very happy camper after getting his gallbladder removed through his bellybutton but it was great to see him nonetheless. After meeting Max and Morgan for the first time and seeing Erin and I after a couple of years Colin felt strong enough to drag himself out of his house for the first time after surgery...to his friends at the 7-11 down the block.

-Sam

Here's Colin petting the Jagmeister


Here is one of Morgan and I discussing something important...


Colin's getting stronger....

and here is a GREAT picture of one of the best tattoos I have ever seen in my life...MC Escher styley!

Taste of Chicago

Hey everyone!!!

Today we woke up late after a long night of chillin at JPU's place. He made us get up and go to the Taste of Chicago Festival...which was awesome! Fresh watermelon and roasted corn on the cob when you walk in and then booth after booth of chicago style foods! We spent some time there where Morgan ate a lot of fruit and Erin had her first BBQ (vegan style)! It's such a beatuiful day that we want to spend more of it outside. Joe is gonna take us to the beach and then we're gonna chill at a cafe with the dog and drink some beers with Dave.

-Sam

thoughts on Gary, Indiana

Written by Max

Smoke belched forth out of Gary
Filling the sky with soot and smog
The once industrious Gary
Now just a steel skeleton, of which it produced
Vacant, but for a few passers-through
Gary stretched out it's spindly, twisting
metal towers of power.
Gary, a once- proud and diligent laborer
of America.
Now wants nothing more than to settle into
the rust and dust of existence.
Smoke continued to fill the vacuous sky
over Gary,
like a cancer dripping down it's acidic rain
onto the city.
All the human features of Gary
having long since gone.

Happy 4th of July

We've arrived in Chicago. It's rainy and we're pretty tired, but I think it will be a good place to spend the 4th of July.

Notre Dame

Upon Sam's request, we stopped at Notre Dame on the way from Indiana to Illinois. I'm glad we did- those stained glass windows are breathtaking.


New gargoyle

checking out the view

yes, this is the ceiling



the lamb of god- yum!

the grotto

Buck Lake, IN

Jager makes a friend at the rest stop- a Cockapoo named Tyler. So, so soft...




horses!


Buck Lake Ranch- the "Nashville of the North"







settin up for the night


That Indiana night sky