Its a dog's life

This is what happens when you take a Havanese for a walk in wet grass. Bernie is Karen's dog. 

Just for all who think Chicago is aways cold and windy

This was snapped a couple of days ago less than a mile from "The Loop", Chicago's downtown shopping and financial district. 

Father’s Day Gift Guide: Recommendations and Tips for the Best Presents

Just in case anyone needs to know:
ConsumerReports.org - Father’s Day Gift Guide: Recommendations and Tips for the Best Presents

Julia's dance recital

Julia (on right) worked hard to rehearse for her studio's annual recital. The rest of the snaps are here.

Seminordnilap

This is my entry for this Monday's Streetphoto forum bi-weekly Salon. The theme for this fortnight is "Seminordnilap". Sort of like palindromes, but backwards.
Other pics I considered entering are here, together with a better definition of the concept.

Jacob discovers that a camera is a chick magnet (or maybe not)

Yesterday I went to meet my grandson Jacob's class at a farm that allows city kids to meet farm animals up close and personal. When we arrived, he asked me if I had brought his camera with (I gave him one of my "obsolete" digitals a few weeks ago, and he is not yet accustomed to taking it everywhere). I said I had not, and he asked plaintively if I had one of mine that he could use. I cheerfully surrendered a Fuji F11, remembering how much I had enjoyed taking snaps when I was eight (using a Kodak Box Brownie).
I have posted all of his pics here. He did a much better job than I at capturing the spirit of the day.

A new alternative fuel?

Yesterday we pumped up our bicycle wheels and took advantage of the glorious spring weather by riding to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. At the garden I ate a bowl of oatmeal with milk, butter and sugar - cost $1.50 for about an 8 oz serving. Our total riding distance was about 11 miles. So, we got about 11 miles per bowl, which is equivalent to 176 miles per gallon of oatmeal.
This sounds great on the surface - but a gallon of oatmeal would cost $24.00.
A better measure would be cost per mile - the result is:
Oatmeal+Bicycle: $0.136
Gas +Automobile: $0.143
This is a wash - but oatmeal has less impact on the environment, so it wins overall.

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

My daughter Karen (on the right) and her friend Wendy.
We are very proud of Karen and Wendy. This weekend they took part in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Karen raised over three thousand dollars for breast cancer research and treatment. A heartfelt thank you goes to all who contributed to this total.
Karen walked a marathon and a half - 39 miles - over a two day period with her friend Wendy and over three thousand fellow walkers. In all they raised over eight million dollars.
Wendy's mother succumbed to breast cancer fourteen years ago.
Karen's donor page is here if you would like to make a donation.
For more pictures, click here or on the image on the left.

Stratford, Ontario

We visited Stratford, Ontario. Three days. Four swans. Four plays. Coriolanus, Much Ado about Nothing, London Assurance, The Glass Menagerie.
I preferred the swans.