Wedding Photos

Kathryn and I finally got our wedding pictures! Ahh, it seems so long ago... :) If you're interested in perusing hundreds of good wedding photos, click here.

The Windy City

Kathryn and I had a great time in Chicago with her parents--we couldn't have had better hosts than them. Our "travel package" was all set when we got there, complete with a "professional" brochure personalized just for us! (I had to be told to look closely in order to see that the brochure was all their doing.)

It was truly an all-inclusive vacation package: room and board, entertainment, meals, transportation, and our very own flexible itinerary. I was spoiled rotten...and loved every bit of it.

Food

The first thing we did (after taking morning naps) was to hit Superdawg for lunch.

What a cute couple of wieners!

We also got to go to Gino's East in downtown. That was some goooood Chicago-style stuffed pizza!














But downtown Chicago wasn't the only place we had some goodies. We missed the Taste of Chicago, but we didn't miss the Taste of Park Ridge in the community where K's parents live! There were vendors from all over the area selling their fare--and I was chomping it right up. The Pickwick Theatre is there in Park Ridge, where K and I saw Ratatouille. It's an old art deco style theater (whose silhouette, by the way, shows up in the opening sequence of Siskel & Ebert's "At the Movies"). Our movie was playing in the newer section, so I didn't get to see the inside of the main theater. (We tried to sneak a peek at it while a movie was playing, but it was too dark to get a good enough glimpse.)

Not to be outdone by the restaurants, we had plenty of great grub at home, too!

Architecture

We went on a couple of architecture tours that I really enjoyed. I don't know enough about architecture to be able to pick out a lot of the interesting aspects of the buildings, so it was nice to be instructed by those more in the know than I.

One of the tours was a walking tour in Oak Park to survey some of Frank Lloyd Wright's homes (including his own home and studio). I didn't take very many pics from this tour, but I'm sure there are more than enough nice photos on the internet for you to see!

The Heurtley House: a good example of Wright's prairie style.

From inside the famous Unity Temple. (Which also supplied a much needed bathroom break.)

The other tour we went on was a boat tour that went up and down the Chicago River. (See below)

The Chicago Tribune building. It's style is Gothic influenced and was the winner of a contest. The runner up is across the river.

Sleek postmodern look.

Sears Tower in the background

I don't remember if the tour guide called them this, but I thought of them as the "corn cobs." Apartments above, parking below. The architect gave them a tree-like structure: the main support and action in the center trunk, the apartments coming out from the center as branches, and the balconies as the leaves.

I just liked the skyline in the reflection of the windows on this one.

Philosophy on Michigan Ave

While walking up Michigan Ave (the "Magnificent Mile") we came across Cafe Descartes, a coffee shop devoted to none other than philosophers.

A philosopher seated among philosophers!

Night Moves

We went to a fireworks show Saturday night at the Navy Pier. I'm not a huge fireworks fan or anything--I get more enjoyment from being with others who like fireworks than I get satisfaction out of them--but those were some of the coolest fireworks I've ever seen. (Below) Looking out at part of the Chicago skyline before the show.


For more night shots, K and I went to the observation deck of the Sears Tower Sunday evening. We got there a bit late and couldn't stay long, but (below) here's one of the shots I managed to get. You can just see the Navy Pier in the distance (the white strip, top center).


Of all the tours I went on, I don't recall any explanation for the moniker "The Windy City." Not that I expected or secretly demanded such an explanation from the Informants. There appear to be competing interpretations and alternative histories about the label, so there probably isn't a set-in-stone, agree-upon-by-all-responsible-parties explanation, anyway. Nor is there a need for a victor. It's good to have lots of stories, even if those stories bite and pick at each other.

This past weekend Kathryn and I went down to Thomasville (GA) for Miriam's wedding and then over to Graceville (FL) to see her grandparents and (for me) more family. We spent a wonderful Friday night in Macon with Stephen and Christian (and kids), where Kathryn and Christian graciously put up with my and Stephen's shenanigans. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, so we replayed much of the silliness that we stored up during the two years we were roommates. Then down to Thomasville Saturday morning for perhaps the shortest wedding I've ever been to--and I've been to (and in) a lot. But, I'm not complaining, for waiting on the other side of the ceremony was some good Georgia BBQ.

That pig looked--and tasted--mighty fine.

Some shenanigans (yes, I'm using that word a lot in this post) from Gina (above) and Val (below) at the reception. It was nice having the old Mellow Mushroom crowd back together again (sans Oren and Jenny, sadly).

Miriam and Meredith

What's that Thomas up to, anyway?

The Beautiful Bride

But, as far as I'm concerned, not to be matched in beauty to this lovely lady!

After the reception, it was off to Graceville. We took the highways rather than the interstate, but I must have been thinking interstate 'cause I got me a speeding ticket once we hit FL. The trooper was nice enough to write the ticket for the minimum speed (I'll omit how much over the limit I was going), which brought down the price a good bit. But points will still go on my license, which will likely up my insurance premium. I'm thinking traffic school is a good option at this point. But apart from that unfortunate snafu, we had a wonderful visit with everyone.

Oh, yeah, I hadn't mentioned that Kathryn got back from Ethiopia safe and sound. Well, she did. And she got me this cool mug and some yummy Ethiopian coffee to go in it!

Daniel sent along some nice pics from his wedding day. Here are a few, the selection being heavily biased in favor of my nephews.


The photographer took a bunch of pictures of Caleb, who seemed to take readily to the camera. The cigar picture (above) is simply hilarious.

Happy little Nathan during the service.

I'm not sure what facial expression I'm putting on, but I really like this picture.

And, of course, the obligatory silly picture of silly guys doing silly guy things. Never fear: no liquids were actually spilled during this photo.

Pics

For those of you who have been wondering what's going on with The Woman, here are some pics for you. We're doing great, by the way.

These first two are old ones from my birthday surprise. (At least they seem old -- it seems like it's been a while since we took them.) This photo shoot did double duty: (1) it gave us some nice photos and (2) it served as a stalling tactic so that the folks could get to Calientito's for my surprise dinner party (!).

No, she's not ours. Kathryn and I with little Lelia Thames Siple. Isn't she adorable? (And the baby's pretty cute, too.)

The results of messing around with Photo Booth the other day.

Family Beach Pics, Part Two

Here are more beach pics -- ones that are actually from the beach, short trip to the sand as it was.






Getting ready for the bike ride to the beach. Aren't my nephews so cute?










Well, when I picked Colin up I didn't expect the wedgie! Those college kids in the background don't know the fun they're missing.













Boys and men.










Every time I made a little sand pillar with the bucket, Caleb would smash it with his shovel and say, "It broke!" Broke? Hmph. We'll have to work on his conceptual skills...








Colin and I burying Caleb's legs in the sand. Man, my legs are just about the same color as the sand!









Little Nathan trying his hand at playing in the sand. We didn't let him eat too much of it.

Family Beach Pics, Part One

Well, it's been two weeks since our family vacation at Sandestin, but I suppose that late pics are better than none at all, right? Perhaps. You be the judge.




That little Nathan doesn't stop wiggling for a second. Here's a nice blurry action shot for effect.











Mom and Caleb enjoying some ice cream












Dad, mom, and Caleb taking a break in the condo.












That's my boy!

**Note: No alcohol was consumed by the model before, during, or after the taking of this photograph












Now that Nathan (my littlest nephew) is one cool kid! Takes after his uncle Bryan, he does.












My silly parents! So this is where I get it from...

Actually, I was the one who put them up to it. But, then, you probably already knew that.













Okay, so I wasn't REALLY going to throw Nathan away. But it's a funny pic anyway (at least to my warped sense of humor).










The nephews at the early morning breakfast gathering. Colin and I made our signature breakfast every morning: eggs (any way you like 'em), grits, sausage, toast, and some of my strong coffee. (But I took it a little easy on my poor parents and weakened it up a bit.) You know, paper towels work really well as coffee filters...











Caleb at the playground on an overcast, cool day. The playground was strewn with chewed up tires--which, of course, mom had to take a sample of for "educational" purposes, being the star teacher that she is.

Vernon, Florida

If you've not yet seen the 1982 documentary Vernon, Florida, you need to. It chronicles several eccentric characters from...you guessed it...the small panhandle town of Vernon, Florida. Really quite hilarious. I definitely need to watch it again and memorize some of the priceless things those guys say. I stopped by there on the way down (it was raining) and back (nice and sunny) from our family vacation in Destin last week (hopefully pics of the vacation will be here forthwith). My personal favorite: the Vernon Historical Society, Inc building.

No windows. The two garage doors you see above (complete with a rotting fire hose piled in front). I think there was a door on the side, but a couple of young turks at the Dixie Dandy across the street were looking like they were bored on the Sunday afternoon, perhaps wanting to have some fun with this picture-grabbing tourist type (that being yours truly), so not wanting to cause a ruckus I grabbed my picture without doing any more investigating.

Oh, and don't forget about Vernon's smok'n butts...