Nothing like old friends!

There is nothing like old friends! People who already know your "back story" - even after long absences, you can just jump right in and resume your relationship, as though no time has passed.  

We recently spent a weekend hosting our dear friends, Dave and Denise, from Indianapolis.  Scott and Dave were high school  friends.  Dave stood up for Scott at our wedding, and Scott sang at their wedding.  We were all married in 1978, they in June, and Scott and I in September.  Still going strong!

Scott and Dave - the hombres! 

Denise and myself.  We were about to head into Chicago for a day full of sightseeing and fun activities - and eating and drinking, of course! I told them to wear comfortable shoes! We had breakfast at home, and then we headed out!

This is our reflection in a VERY large artwork in Millenium Park, called Cloudgate - but lovingly referred to by nearly everyone as "the bean".  It's a fun gathering spot for tourists and locals alike.  I love hearing all the different languages spoken here.

Here you see one of the amazing fountains in the park.  There are multiple images projected from inside the fountain, and the images move, too! There is a splash pool down below - very popular on warm Chicago days.

This is "the bean" - not my photo, but you get the idea - this is huge!

While at Millenium Park, we toured the fountains, gardens, artwork, and the fantastic Pritzker Pavillion, shown here.  There are dozens of free, outdoor concerts here every summer, which we love to attend.

Then we toured the Chicago Cultural Center - originally, the Chicago Public Library.  It is a stunning architectural example in Chicago, full of amazing Tiffany glass mosaics.  

You can see all of the Tiffany glass work on the wall and ceilings  everywhere in this ballroom!  There were setting up for an event.  This is one of  the most sought-after locations for weddings in Chicago.

After a stop for a snack, we headed to Chicago Distilling Company.  We got to see how they create spirits, like gin and bourbon, and they gave out samples! We each tried one of their cocktail creations, too.

We finished the day with dinner at my favorite spot, Tre Kronor, in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Chicago is a city of neighborhoods - over 200, I think - and we drove through lots of them on our little tour of the city.  Cheers to old friends!

Cupcakes, Sunsets, and Batiks

Great weekend! Went to Chicago this morning with Emily, who's visiting from Austin, Texas.  

Where to go when you need a cupcake? To the CUPCAKE ATM, of course! This is real, and their cupcakes are yummy! I had the lemon meringue pie cupcake.

One of my current projects - an abstract interpretation of the sunset photo next to it. Photo was taken at the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina, where we attended the wedding of my nephew a couple of years ago.  This is to be a long-overdue wedding gift.

Lucky me, look what I got in the mail? A sweet package of batik rectangles from my friend, Wanda of Exuberant Color.  If you have never visited her blog, you definitely should! Wanda is a very talented quilt artist, making all kinds of gorgeous, yummy quilts full of - you guessed it - "exuberant color".  Plus, she is one of the most prolific quilters I know!

Open House Chicago 2013

Scott and I had a great weekend exploring different neighborhoods of Chicago as part of Open House Chicago. Over 150 locations were open to visit, free of charge, so of course we said "let's go!"  Our first stop was the KAM Israel synagogue in the Hyde Park neighborhood.  And right across the street - is the family home of Barack Obama!  It would have been even more exciting if we could actually see it!  It is heavily landscaped, and - of course - had lots of security. (no picture taking allowed, for example)

Then we headed further south to the Pullman neighborhood.  This was a planned community from the 1800s, for the employees of the Pullman train car factory.  Those homes are now attractive townhomes. 

Also in the Pullman neighborhood - the Greenstone Methodist church. 

We resumed our touring on Sunday, in the Uptown area, at the Broadway Bank.  It had the most amazing, elegant lobby.  Look at the detail on those lamps!

And look at the size of that safe! You have to go inside to access your safe deposit box.  And - this safe was used in the 2009 movie "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp.

Although touring Chicago was fun, the real highlight of the weekend was having Emily and Matt home (from Boston) for the weekend! They came home not just to see us, but also to attend the Notre Dame football game (Matt is an alum).  Love those cuties!

Scott Hudson Day

The Hudsons had an exciting day this past Saturday - we all trekked to Chicago for Scott Hudson Day!
Hannah is obviously excited that Matt and Emily could make it, all the way from Boston!

Matt and Emily enjoying the giraffes at Lincoln Park Zoo . . . 

. . . and a martini at Hub 51!

Fun family foto - it's more fun, because you spell photo with an "f".

Our waiter was a very good sport! :)

Picnic in the Park

Scott and I had a great day in Chicago this past Sunday, July 3rd. We got to Millenium Park early - the big concert (Grant Park Orchestra's annual Independence Day Concert) was at 5:30, but we got our spots on the Great Lawn around 2:15! It was a glorious day, around 80 degrees, with a nice breeze, and no mosquitoes in sight!

We brought our picnic, plus the Sunday paper, a crossword puzzle to share, and a deck of cards. We had fun playing, until Scott decided to beat the cookies out of me at 500 Rummy! Well, he was still having fun...

This is the view of the stage from our chairs. The Frank Gehry-designed Pritzer Pavillion is simply stunning. And I love the overhead grid - you get a feeling of being inside a room, while allowing the view of the Chicago skyline. We love not just people watching, but also chatting with the other concert-goers. We met some college kids who went to U of Minnesota (our alma mater), and also a mom and her little daughter, visiting from India.
Doesn't Scott look relaxed? These foldup chairs are very comfy, plus we have a collapsible table which doubles as a sweet foot rest!

We had a really fun day - can you tell? Oh yeah, the concert was GREAT!