Fall Lacrosse

Rebecca is full gear into lacrosse. The Chicago Youth Lacrosse League hosts several girls teams. Fall lacrosse is mostly focused on skills with some inter-team scrimmaging. Spring season is games. Playing at camp over the summer plus CYL training, she's gotten very good. Here's a few shots of Rebecca in action.

Lake of the Ozarks

The summer is just not complete without a trip to Lake of the Ozarks. Luckily with my summer off I was able to go this year. We spent much of the time on the lake. The girls had a blast being pulled around on the inflatable, playing in the pool and just bathing in the sun on the boat. Photos.

Provence, Barcelona and Venice

We had the great fortune of travelling to Europe for 2+ weeks. We started in Paris for a quick visit to Versailles, only to find out that on the single day we had planned to visit, the museum was closed (as it always is on Mondays). So we ran around Paris including a visit to Centre Georges Pompidou (which for some reason was open). Here's several hundred photos of the whole trip.

We took the TGV to Arles and stayed in an amazing B&B, Le Lavadin, where Georgia took very good care of us on her beautiful estate. We were treated to unbelievably beautiful and fresh breakfasts daily in her garden. Over our 5 days there, we toured picturesque towns such as Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and Les Baux-de-Provence. The food and wine, of course were fabulous and we walked a lot burning off some of the extra calories.

From Provence we drove to Barcelona, stopping in Figueres to visit the crazy Dali Museum. In Barcelona we stayed in the center of the city and did essentially 3 days of Gaudi touring. I love Barcelona which is built for walking--wide sidewalks and cut-cornered intersections that form beautiful squares. Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló and Park Guell were all visited. What an amazing, brilliant architect. It was great to see the progress being made on the Basilica from 10 years ago when we last visited it. Tapas and Sangria rounded out the experience.

We flew to Venice from Barcelona and stayed in a wonderful apartment on Calle de Verde, right off of the Strada Nova. It was an extremely relaxing 5 days of sleeping late, walking everywhere, taking pictures and of course wonderful food. It's a magical place.

The weather the entire trip was beautiful and again we were very fortunate to have traveled everywhere we did.

Photos of the vacation.

Chicago Architecture Tour

What a beautiful city I live in! Friends visiting is always a good occasion for an architectural boat tour and today was no exception. We had perfect weather. The buildings today were extra graceful, grand and colorful. While I'm not a fan of Trump the guy, the new Trump Tower along the river is a magnificent building and a great addition to our skyline. Photos.

National Parks

We toured some of our magnificent National Parks, including Sedona, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Brice and Zion. An amazing life experience--all of them. Photos.

Halloween with the Fletchers

An evening with the Fletchers, never dull. Throw in some costumes--look out.

Cona in the Fall

Ahhh...Cona in the fall. Nothing like it. Air is crisp, clean and moist. The lush forest starts to thin out. Leaves start to turn yellow and brown, coating the ground. It begs for walks and for fires inside to warm up.

Firenz

Suprise! Sharon gets a Vespa scooter. Sharon fell in love with Italy (including its men and scooters) when she studied there in college. She always yearned for a Vespa and we'd rent scooters on vacation where we could. So after eying some unfamiliar scooters in the front of the house I bought and added an additional one. Wondering who owns that cute orange one, I handed her the key and said "you do". It's license plate "Firenz" (Florence).

Girls Lacrosse in Chicago

Lacrosse is continuing to grow in popularity in the midwest. A couple graduates of Northwestern's Women's National Championship team started a girls team in a small league on the north shore. Nothing too formal or too serious. Following in her father's footsteps Rebecca decided to give it a try, in goal! Not easy.

Welcome Sheldon

Guess who caught the reptile bug? No sooner did we return from the Galapagos, Rebecca puts a turtle at the top of the birthday list. Sharon hunted down a turtle looking for a new home (on Craigs List). So the 1 year old Russian Box Turtle, with all the papers, now is a city turtle. Aptly named Sheldon, he lives outside 6 months of the year. Rebecca has built a corral for him which he's managed to escape from 3 times already. He's got quite the sense of adventure, having been discovered all over the back yard and somehow he even made it to the neighbors front yard. Lily is having the hardest time adjusting to a new creature drawing our attention.

Galapagos Islands 2010

T he Galapagos Islands.

Day 1--San Cristobal




Day 2


Day 3


Day 4


Day 5


Day 6


Day 7


Day 9

Science Olympiad 2010

Rebecca placed first!

Littons Descend Tahoe, 2009

The Randalls bought a gorgeous house in Lake Tahoe. We visited the week between the holidays. Their house is just minutes from Northstar Resort and Peter skied all six days. Every day was in the upper 20s and we even got some fresh snow. All runs were open and we covered most of it. We did group lessons with Matt who helped the boarders and Rebecca continued to build her confidence and skills, cutting through woods on fresh powder. The pictures.

Anniversary of Jason's Death

Today is the 1st anniversary of my dad's death. I haven't written much about it here. Much of my web work is on the memorial site I created for him. He died of an ugly cancer, Glioblastoma multiforme. I celebrated his life by taking the family to the Sox-Sox game at Comisky--he was a native Bostonian. Sharon and I also had our own little memorial for him at home, enjoying a bottle of 1981 Chateau Margaux. He's missed in lots of little ways. What I miss the most is sharing experiences and time with him. Photos at the Sox game.

Rivkins in Michigan

T he Rivkins were kind enough to invite us to their lake-front compound in Dowagiac, Michigan--just 2 hours from Chicago. Our visit was short but full, relaxing and long. Rebecca had a blast fishing for the first time. She learned to hook a worm, cast and the whole bit. No need for anything fancy for her, though. She just dropped her baited line into the water and watched the fish approach. She caught 3 fish including a 12" large mouth bass. Good enough for eating but I wasn't in the mood for cleaning it so we put him back. Other highlights were skiing and tubing for hours around the lake (thanks to Dan for driving). We had one unbelievable morning where Elaine and I watched the sun rise over the eerily misty lake. It was quiet and beautiful. Dog Archie enjoyed it too. Photos.

To DC

We went to Cona and DC for a cheap week away. In DC we stayed just 2 blocks from the white house. We ran around the mall for 2 days visiting the National Gallery, Air and Space Museum and major monuments. We got to see the Capital Steps which was a blast. The Korean Memorial was spooky and very well designed. Photos.

Wico Weeks Two and Three

We got a chance to talk to Rebecca this week. She's doing well and having fun. Lots of gymnastics, of course, and water skiing, softball, camping and more. The food is good, apparently. Photos.

Wico Week One

Here's some shots of Punky her first week or so of camp. She looks like she's having a great time. Photos.

Off To Camp

I had the great pleasure of bringing Rebecca to camp. We woke up early and headed to Midway. On the plane, Rebecca slept some time on my shoulder. We then drove from Manchester 90 minutes to Hebron. We stopped along the way for lunch which Rebecca hurried me through--she couldn't wait to get there. For months, weeks, days, hours and finally minutes away, she was so excited. Upon arrival we were warmly greeted. Rebecca gave some firm hello handshakes and then we were guided through the welcome process. I stayed in the background as none of this required me. We toured the grounds and then off to her nicely appointed cabin. Fifteen minutes later we kissed and hugged and with no hesitation she said goodbye. I slowly returned to my car taking a few more pictures along the way and imagining what Rebecca will be doing in surrounding fields and houses over then next 4 weeks. Before I knew it I was back home and eating dinner. Pictures.

(Thin) Air in Park City Utah

Rebecca added a few feet to the 10,000' elevation in Park City. Our first day on the slopes, the conditions were nice--a few inches of new powder on top of a packed base. In the afternoon we got a heavy downpour creating some whiteout conditions. The kids ran us ragged and us them. We skied an additional day at Park City and then headed over to Deer Valley day 3. Deer Valley Resort is spectacular. Like a fine golf course, the mountain is intelligently designed and meticulously maintained. That, combined with some sunny weather made for a truly unforgettable day. We'll definitely be back but they don't allow snowboarders there so not an option for Rebecca :-( . Our last day we headed over to The Canyons resort. The mountain is mostly blue and black runs--so not for the uninitiated. It was a snowy day making visibility a little tough but the runs were narrow and curvy making for some fun skiing. The kids had a blast weaving through the woods, chasing one another down the hill and taking the jumps in the terrain park. This was my #2 resort after Deer Valley. The five day trip was wonderful but it went by too fast. We agreed to find a rental on Deer Valley next year. The photos. The video.

Religulous

Some of my most religious experiences have been wine. (Photo from: PremierCru.net)

Sledding!!!

A big snow storm hit Chicago, so off to one of our finer sledding parks with the Sanders. No tow lifts or anything like that but it has a nice warming hut, complete with a fireplace. There were hundreds of kids braving the driving snow and cold. No better way to spend a Saturday. Slideshow.

Update: This great action shot is the photo-of-the-day on WBEZ.org

Pine 2008

We headed up to Pine Mountain again this year (fourth year running) for some skiing and snowboarding between the holidays. Rebecca sported her new suit and got to hang with lots of friends. In fact, I didn't see her much during the day. She played with her friends and me with mine. Conditions were cold (single digits and teens), we got some snow and there was little wind all of which made for some decent midwest skiing. A few photos.

Christmas in Kansas City

We spent a wonderful, relaxing Christmas in Kansas City with Sharon's family. The day after I took the girls ice skating, outside. It was over 60F out and the rink was melting. But no one particularly cared, especially Rebecca and Lily who were on the ice for about 2 hours.

Bug Snowboards Alpine Valley

Bug conquers Alpine Valley on heels AND toes! Check out the cool new Burton board from Aunt Ash. See Rebecca in action. A few photos.

Faulx in Chicago

The Faulxs took Chicago by storm with endless eating, skating, touring and playing.

Boston Visit

Rebecca and I spent the weekend in Boston. We flew up on Thursday and spent 2 days at my Stoughton office and then moved downtown. With big plans for Friday night, we took the T to Fenway for a game vs. Blue Jays. Sadly, it got rained out but we had a fun time anyway. Saturday was beautiful and we toured the entire city on bike. Our tour guide took us all over for three hours. In the evening, we headed to the North End, Boston's Little Italy, for the Fisherman's Feast--an annual event dating back to 1911. The Feast is based on the devotion of the fishermen from Sciacca to the Madonna del Soccorso (Our Lady of Help). The streets were filled with food to eat, stuff to buy, games to play and music. Rebecca got a tattoo, kettle corn and chocolate covered strawberries. We hooked up with Hang and her friends, had lots of fun and watched Phelps earn his 8th Gold Medal. Sunday we toured thebeautiful Public Garden, walked up quaint Charles Street on Beacon Hill and then sadly headed home. It was a wonderful visit and I particularly loved hanging out with Rebecca and holding her hand as we walked everywhere. Pictures.

Volterra

On our last full day in Italy we packed in as much as we could, repeating those things we enjoyed and trying to visit those places still on our list. Warren and I traveled to Volterra where we discovered the world base for alabaster. Visiting several studios and shops, we saw beautiful craftsmanship using different grades of stone. Each piece seemed to be more beautiful than the next. The town itself was also a nice discovery. It's beautifully preserved with several piazzas and narrow walkways. Photos.

Borgo Antico

We all slept late and relaxed around the villa. The kids went for a hike and then a compulsory swim. We headed to Castelina in Chianti, passed through Radda (MUST go back) and then to Dimezzano for dinner at Dave and Laura's cousin's restaurant Borgo Antico. Photos.

Reach The Beach

We lounged around the Villa and then drove to Baratti Beach, about 2 hours from here. The roads were twisty, turny so not much fun for some of the family but the views were great. We then worked our way up to the Populonia Castle. It's situated on a peninsula a few hundred feet above the Mediterranean with an unbelievable view that included Elba. Dinner was at the only restaurant in the tiny town--quite good. We had a 4 course dinner with lots of just-caught seafood. We took an easier (but longer) trip home and heads hit the pillows around 1am. Pictures.

The Day in Firenze

Florence is about an hour away so we packed up the kids and hit the road. It's hard to do such a big city in a day but we hit the highlights, covering it all on foot. Sharon played tour guide, having studied here in college. Photos.

Hike from Montauto

The girls went horseback riding this morning at Agrifolio in Staggia and I toured nearby villas and vineyards. With Villa owner Jens Schmidt we drove up to Montauto where his friend owns the only home. It's isolated and has spectacular views at the top of the mountain. We hiked down to Case Monti and then onto Scorgiano. Photos.

Visiting Local Towns

We had a leisurely morning on Monday the 7th and then headed out to Casole D'Elsa and Colle di Val D'Elsa. Both are exquisite old small towns that have been well maintained and are fun to explore. There were few tourists so we had both mostly to ourselves. The evening was a late swim (with drinks of course) and another delicious team dinner. Photos.

Monteriggioni

After our drive up from Rome, we were happy to just hang out for most of the day at the unbelievable Villa Montecastelli. So we slept in, took a few walks and played by the pool which, on the north side of the estate, has breathtaking views of neighboring hillside villas and nearby towns. The kids got in plenty of pool time (which, of course is never enough). We pickup up some groceries and made our way to Monteriggioni where we experienced a Medieval Festival. In the US this would have been a little corny but in the setting of this Medieval castle town, it came alive. We picked up a case of wine from a much-appreciative local vintner and had a yummy dinner at the Villa by chef Sharon. Photos.

Flying

How cool is this?!!! Our friend Peter Vogt took a picture of Rebecca and his girlfriend Pam did a little Photoshop magic. Click on the image to see it bigger.

To Siena

We checked out of the hotel after another nice breakfast on the terrace and we walked to get our rental car (van). It was a nice walk north through beautiful streets. We got a bit lost but picked up the 9-passenger Europcar without incident. We picked up the girls and headed out of town. Again, the GPS was invaluable. It's about a 3 hour drive to Siena and we stopped halfway in a random town called Otricoli. Warren and I were debating as to whether to stop at a roadside stand (think: oasis on the Ohio turnpike, Italian style), or pay the exit toll and head into a town. We were greatly awarded for taking the path less traveled. Otricoli is a charming town overlooking the valley. We had a delightful, long lunch at their finest restaurant. After a little stroll, we headed onward to our villa. Follow the link to learn about it. It's absolutely spectacular, old and gorgeously restored. The views from Montecastelli are amazing and amenities, first class. It's a working olive farm with a few chickens for eggs and pigs for prosciutto--yum. We finished the day under a clear Tuscan night with stars, Milky Way and zipping satellites. Today's pictures.

Coliseum and Ancient Rome

What a HUGE day. We met Laila at the Coliseum and learned much about its history and how it was build. We then toured the oldest part of Rome, had lunch in a private dinner club in the Jewish part of town and then visited the cat orphanage. After a little nap we walked more and had dinner just off of the Piazza Navona. And no day is now complete without gelato. Photos.

Vatican City and Pantheon

We spent a very full day touring Vatican City and the Pantheon. Our guide was Laila Volpe. For now, I will let the 140+ pictures tell the story. When I have time I'll update the images with captions and details. We are having a spectacular time: learning lots, exploring, eating, drinking and laughing.

Roma

We arrived in Rome on 3 separate flights, meeting within 10 minutes and somewhat all well rested. We taxied downtown, checked in and hit the streets for food and sites. It's hot but tolerable. We're near the Spanish Steps in the heart of the city with most everything within walking distance. Sharon's effort to relearn Italian has immediately paid off, simplifying most interactions around the city, particularly with such important things and finding what's best to eat on the menu. Photos.

Rainbow

The Tourtellottes came over for dinner and to do some final Italy planning. It had been raining on and off all day--rain, sun, rain, sun... We were rewarded late in the day with a beautiful rainbow--lots if detail in the color spectrum. Seen here from our bathroom.

Cona Visit

The three of us flew to Cona for the weekend--nothing formal planned, just to hang out with Grandpa Jason. We swam in the pool, kayaked down the Yellow Breeches, had dinner with the McCorkles and Peter & Pam visited. The most memorable part of the weekend were the meals on the screened porch. I had SO many family dinners there as a kid and in the summers, with no A/C, we practically lived out there. I was glad that Rebecca, at 10, got to have several nice meals there with Grandpa Jason. Even though we've all aged, the sights, smells and woodsy environment there hasn't changed for the 35 years we've enjoyed Cona. A few pictures of the weekend.

$6,500 Raised

Some neighbors and I hosted a wine tasting fund raiser to benefit the Irving Park Community Food Pantry. It was a huge success, raising over $6,500 for the homeless and underprivileged in our community. It was their single most successful fund raiser ever and it created new awareness of the efforts of the organization in the neighborhood. Wine, food, venue and invitations were all donated. Photos.

Gert to Dataw

I brought Great Grandma Gert to see Grandpa Jason in Dataw. She had never been to the new house. We travelled together and had a great time. Spring was in bloom and the weather was beautiful. Jason has been setting crab traps at a neighbors dock. We caught a bunch is an awefullys smelly trap--steamed and ate them in a meat garnish. Yum.

Spring Concert

Rebecca performed in her first-ever band concert, blowing on her trumpet in a three-song set that opened the NPES Spring concert. She matriculates to 5th grade band and then Advanced band. As her smiles show, she had a great time.

Rebecca Turns 10!

Rebecca ushered in turning ten or "double digits" as she likes to call it. Of course it was celebrated with friends--no better way for her. So, cakes, parties, sleepovers were all part of the festivities. There was a little gift giving but nothing too excessive either requested or given, except for a cell phone. She would have given ANYTHING for a cell but a little too early and unnecessary. She just keeps asking and asking.... Photos of the celebration.

Rebecca to NYC

There's something magical about introducing my daughter to an old friend and watching them interact and, almost simultaneously, introducing my daughter to a city that I love, showing her many of its features. Again watching her interact, respond and enjoy it too is an amazing personal experience. Shots and a few more shots.

Warehouse Rules

NPES took over the Portage Park Theater for their annual school play. Warehouse Rules, written by school mom Wendy Andrews and scored by dad Chris Cameron, was a great production. Rebecca delivered an unprecedented 7 lines with 2 costume changes and some dance routines thrown in. Photos.

Ruben and Lily In The Snow

Nothing like a little snow to bring two dogs together for some fun. Cousins Lily and Ruben played in Aunt Ash's back yard after a few inches of fresh powder had recently nestled down. Photos.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Here are the Dance Pictures.

Last Day of Solitude

We were blessed with another great weather day. Reports from home were zero degrees. Here it was mostly sunny and in the 30s. The mountain was again not very crowded and no lift lines. We covered lots of runs with everyone making the most of our final day. The kids showed little fatigue as we followed them down the moutain. Rebecca regained her snow boarding confidence and tackled one of the steepest black diamond on the mountain. We skied Honeycomb Canyon again, a wonderful run that starts at the summit and goes along the back side of the mountain. The trail runs 3.5 miles--a real treat. The kids showed great improvement over our vacation. Here are some cool action shots.

Honeycomb Canyon

A gorgeous day--Sunny, 30s. Much of the mountain was groomed overnight making everything an easy ski. Black diamonds--no problem said the kids. Jack was back on skis leaving Rebecca the sole snowboarder. A few tumbles she took made me happy she was wearing a good helmet--thanks Ash. We covered lots of the mountain today including 2 trips through Honeycomb Canyon. The Canyon is on the back side of the mountain. Some areas of it are large and bowl-like. Others, a narrow tree-lined path. It was sun-fill and fast. Photos.

Big Day

Today was a Big Day. Jack rode a snow board for the first time and Rebecca mastered turning on her toes. Gregory used poles! We skied from lift open to close and finished the day in the hot tub. Photos.

Solitude Skiing

Today was a spectacular day. The weather and ski conditions were perfect. It snowed another 6-8 inches of fluffy powder over night. The sky was virtually cloudless and temps in the 20s. Ash navigated us across the mountain down mostly blue trails and the occasional black. Solitude Resort is beautiful with lots a terrain variety, beautiful views and no lift lines (!). The powder was as light as air, soft and gentle.


Jackson, we struggled to keep up with. Rebecca quickly adjusted to the powder (vs. midwest packed man-made) and Gregory is getting better and better. Pictures. Trail Map.

Solitude--Day 1 Hot Tub

Arriving at Solitude the conditions we're pretty harsh and the lifts were only open for another 2 hours so we decided just to hit the hot tub. Super cold outside and super hot hot tub. It was painful getting in and getting out. Photos.

Impomptu Party

We had a nice Playoffs party catching up with friends, having been away from home for much of January. I made some delicious home-made chili and the kids made a fun kids-sandwich -->.