PREACHER MAN

In his element...
Hubby at the Unity Temple (Oak Park, Chicago area), designed & built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Here's a role hubby played many times as an actor. He's always disliked typecasting! ha!
Isn't he gorgeous!? Sure wouldn't put ME to sleep with his preaching! ;->
~sher

Bummer!

Coming home from Chicago left me with mixed feelings! I'm proud to say I survived the plane ride home much better than going up. But being home was a readjustment!
After landing, we had to swing by my in-laws to pick up the kids at 10pm. Hubby & I had had nothing but time for ourselves for soooo long that I had to try to get back into the "mom" mode of listening & talking with teens. For the most part, no problem. It's just trying to pick up again on the quick pace that teens live by. The kids missed us & had a lot to fill us in on.
The next day was "the big day" at my school. State & county officials came in to observe us, classroom by classroom. I can honestly say I was EXTREMELY fortunate & glad I'd had all the time off with Hubby. Just from the time in the a.m. that I opened my classroom to the time I walked to the office to check in, I had no less than four people pass me who looked tense & expressed concerns over how we were going to do with all the officials coming in. I was unprepared for those comments & felt bewildered by them. They had no "scary" affect upon me. I am convinced that it is due to the time I had to relax in Chicago the previous week. Thank goodness I did because when lunchtime rolled around, some anxious people had some nervous moments to share. Turns out all the officials showed up in groups of three & four & sat down right behind the kids to listen. Some actually plunked themselves down IN THE MIDDLE OF A READING GROUP AT THE TABLE!!! Geez...
Such a high number of visitors threw the kids off, to hear the teachers talk about it. Many turned around & gawked at the visitors. And I say rightly so. I believe the state & county folks should know better than to overwhelm the kids like that. They are used to a couple of visitors at a time & we worked at getting them used to having people come in. But higher numbers were not wise.
Anybeehova...I still wasn't too bothered by their presence, perhaps because I was also more rested.
The rest of the week stayed busy. Tuesday included two more meetings. Wednesday was a required PNE update training that all PNE support teachers must take after three years. (PNE teachers are coaches to new teachers in their first, and sometimes, second years of teaching.) Thursday & Friday brought conferences with parents that I had to make up due to my Chicago departure. Friday night also brought with it a school skating party & pizza dinner out with four of our sons, who also skated. Today our daughter had a regatta for her high school rowing team. Nothing like getting up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday to slog through weeds, mosquitoes & ants at the Hillsborough River. ha! This was Daughter's first race...women's novice 4. They placed 8 out of 9, but hey! As we've tried to instill in her, it's not the destination...it's the journey!

I feel Hubby & I pulled back in a bit closer to one another as a couple. We've spent many moments this week just hugging & reminiscing about Chicago. We'd had so little time together lately, between my job & our kids. I already can't wait to do it again when possible! It was a sorely needed time away!
~sher

Super Chicago Saturday

Saturday we slept in late AGAIN! Gotta love Lynn & Em's place! They have a 2 bdrm/2 bath condo, and we love the way the second bedroom is made. It is on the inside wall & doesn't have any windows. However, the top of every wall is open about 2-3 feet from the ceiling. So you get filtered light. Nothing direct from a window. We'd been offered the master bedroom for our use, which was sweet of the girls. It has a huge tub & a TV you can watch in bed. But we ended up spending most of our time in the kitchen getting & eating food & drinks. So we were always at the counter bar area or the couch watching the bigger TV. What we loved about "our" bedroom the most, though, was that secluded feeling that kept the light out. It felt great to just sleep in without any light coming in. Sleeping was real cozy! The only downside...if you can call it that...is the fact that you lose track of time sleeping so much. So it wasn't unusual waking up around 10 a.m. CST, which for us was like waking up around noonish since we were used to EST. BUT we aren't complaining. Hubby & I both couldn't think of a time when we were able to sleep in for so long so often. Oh yes, we did get up to take "the boys" for a walk (Em & Lynn's greys). I should say HUBBY did because he was more of a morning person, and I'm sure part of it was that he didn't want to wait for me to try & wake up & get myself dressed. I'm too slow for him. You know guys...throw on a shirt, slip into jeans, and they're good to go. Definitely not as easy for me. Factor in trying to put my contacts in, brush my hair, etc & you'd be waiting WAY too long, according to Hubby. But hey...I love him anyway. I traded him the walk for preparing the boys' food & making him a pot of coffee. So I THINK we may have evened out. No matter what, it was sweet of my Hubby to walk the boys without me.
After taking the boys out, sleeping, taking the boys out again....we went over to Starbucks for another cup of coffee. It's been pretty cold here. Lows were in the 40s. Freezing to a Floridian. We jumped back on the green line & headed back to Oak Park. Hubby had said yesterday that he REALLY wanted to get into the Unity Temple...to see it & hear more about it. So we bought tour tickets. They are only $8, and the docent was a very knowledgeable woman. I was so tempted to ask her if she was an architect now or in a previous life, or possibly even a professor at a nearby college. She was very thorough.
Another strong glimpse into Frank Lloyd Wright's work & life. He loved this little temple. He called it his little jewel box & felt it was his best work of all his religious buildings. He began the design in 1905 to replace the Unitarian Universalist Church that was lost in a fire. As you go into the foyer, look on the wall behind the display of t-shirts & bags for sale. You will find gold-plated nails children pulled from the rubble after the fire of the original church. These nails were given as keepsakes to the people of the congregation. One woman donated hers back to the church upon her death, and it is the one hanging in a frame on the wall.
The church had only a very small budget, so FLW was confined to that budget for rebuilding on the narrow lot & so close to the street. There was also the need to build it in such a way as to its use in a variety of functions. It is currently used for public gatherings, such as musical performances. So FLW built the temple (as the people asked it to be renamed) between 1906 & 1908 for the cost of $60,000. He mainly used reinforced concrete slabs, formed by pouring a mixture of Portland Cement & crushed red granite. Pea gravel or crushed stone aggregate added texture to the exterior roof, floor & walls. His use of concrete helped him stick to within his budget, & it made him one of the earliest to use poured-in-place concrete. (Personally this part of FLW's preference is not one that I like about him. I understand why he used concrete & how it was supposed to be more modern for the times, but I find concrete to be rather bland.) FLW used art glass in doors, windows, skylights & in the light fixtures. He used natural oak in the wood millwork in the window frames, doors, in bands around the concrete areas, & in the organ screen, which is a beauty in & of itself. Much of the furniture was designed by him, but wasn't intended for the temple. He did design church pews for it, but they were never built. A simpler & less expensive set of pews was chosen, again probably due to cost.
On the outside of the temple, the words "FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD AND THE SERVICE OF MAN" are carved. The temple has two distinct areas. One is for the worship of God & the other is called a meeting room, to be used for social occasions. The two-story social room has a huge hearth & fireplace. The bottom had kitchen, study and classrooms, and balcony classrooms are above. Reopened galleries offer views from the main level through upper clerestory windows.
There's so much more to tell about the Unity Temple, even as simple as its form is. But there is nothing like going to experience it for yourself.

After Hubby & I enjoyed the tour, bought a book & a CD to go with t-shirts from the day before, we headed out on a walk around town. We'd visited inside the township's library before heading in for the Unity Temple tour. Now we headed behind the temple for a few blocks & over to another section south of the loop. There we ate at a simple family restaurant called George's. It had a mixture of all-American & Greek food. Try the gyro pita! The sauce was on the mark! Then we discovered K9 Cookie Company, "the bakery & boutique for discerning dogs", voted best bakery for dogs in Chicagoland. Of course, we just couldn't resist taking homemade doggy treats back to our "furry nephews" back at the condo. We also bought extra to take home to our own furry "relatives" who always expect SOMEthing upon our return. The boys here LOVED them! You can find them at k9cookiecompany.com if interested.
Then we headed "home". We debated going down to Grant Park. We really wanted to see the fountain at night. But we discovered that part of the Loop was closed down for renovations. So we decided to stay in & ordered pizza (Pat's Pizzeria, 628 S. Clark, (312)427-2320..."not affiliated with Pat's Pizza at 2679 N. Lincoln Avenue"). Their saying is "we think our thin crust is the best in the world", and if you like crispy, credit-card-thin pizza like Hubby & I do, this is the place to order. (By the way, a relative owns the one at Lincoln Avenue, though they parted ways. It ALSO has fantastic pizza!) Be sure to try the garlic bread, baked with mozzarella, while you're at it, too!
Tomorrow: Sunday...time to head home... :-(
But we enjoyed this so much. We hope to be able to come back soon & discover more of Chicago. With over 9,000 restaurants ALONE to try, there's still a lot of adventure left!
~sher

Fantastic Friday in Chicago

Hubby & I had a very nice day in Oak Park, Illinois on this day. It is where the home & studio of Frank Lloyd Wright is located. My hubby is a huge fan of FLW, so it was a "must" to go see while in Chicago. We started out with a Starbucks..can't miss them here...one at every corner, practically. On the Loop, we took the green line out towards Harlem, getting off one stop before at Oak Park. Quaint little area. Beautiful park, library, schools. What most would consider the "perfect" place to raise your kids. Tree-lined streets with leaves falling in red, yellow, orange & still speckled with a bit of green. Parents & their children outside in the breeze setting up Halloween decorations. Even Hubby & I got into the mood by sliding our feet & kicking at the various piles of leaves by the road.
First we took the self-guided FLW tour, visiting 20 different buildings built by FLW &/or his contemporaries. We followed that with a tour of his home & studios. You just can't get the depth or beauty of his work, nor the organizational & utilitarian skills (minimalism, prairie style) he must've had, unless you visit here. No longer will I feel an architectural picture book does him justice. You have to FEEL & be within the architecture for yourself to appreciate it.
We wanted to stop in at the Unity Temple, too, but didn't have time to catch the tour. So we decided to go back on Saturday.
Instead, we ended up dining at Wineberries...not sure I spelled that correctly...will have to fix it later. Food to die for!!! Hubby had London broil while I had a type of tilapia. The sauce had Greek black olives, sundried tomatoes & wine. Various hearty breads were served with butter. Wish I could remember the names of things. I've never been good at it. But if I can figure out the name of the dish I had, I'll post it.
The train ride "home" was nice. We passed the observitory area. Maybe we will explore it another time.
Then in for a quiet ending to our evening.
~sher

Thrilling Thursday in Chicago

Thursday was beautiful, but chilly in Chi-town. Hubby & I walked downtown to the river, under the bridge of Michigan & Wacker streets. It is there that you pick up river cruises. The Mercury cruises were closed. We took the Chicago Architectural Foundation's 90 minute cruise. You can take one of the lake AND the river, and on Wednesdays there is a fireworks cruise. But Hubby enjoys informational & historical tours, as do I. He especially enjoys architecture, including Frank Lloyd Wright. (More on him later.) The river cruise offers a tour of Chicago's architecture, albeit not in historical order.
Four hundred years ago, Native Americans used the Chicago River for travel & trade. Then in the mid-1600s, French fur traders made their living there. When settlers arrived in the 1830s, the river was very different from what we see today. It was slow moving, marshy, and emptied into Lk Michigan. The river eventually became a symbol of agriculture, commercial & industrial strength. With railroads coming in the latter half of the 19th century, it moved shipping away from the river, & the city continued to grow as a major business area. The river now flows westward, but didn't always. Early residents polluted the waters by dumping animal, industrial & HUMAN waste there because there wasn't an adequate sewage system. Chicago's solution to their problem was to change the flow of the river. It took 11 years to do it, but a new 28-mile canal opened. This connected the south branch to the Des Plaines river. The canal's depth was lower than the river, so it pulled clean lake water into the river. Industrial traffic continued to shift over time. It wasn't until the 1970s that interest in the river came about again, thanks to a volunteer citizens' group called Friends of the Chicago River. Due to their efforts, the river's status of "toxic" has changed to "polluted", & ordinances & guidelines have been established re: construction & beautification. Since the 1990s, new residences & hotels have been added. Old buildings have been turned into new commercial use or reused as residences.
Now the CAF offers tours year-round, including walking tours. Hubby & I can attest to the fantastic job the docents do. The boat tour runs from May to November. Other tours can be taken almost every day of the year. Highlights include: Merchandise Mart, Marina City, Tribune Tower, Lake Point Tower, the Navy Pier, the Sears Tower, and the soon-to-be Chicago Spire (just announced Friday, the 17th: architect Santiago Calatrava & the builder are in dispute, so all is halted on building it right now until a settlement is reached.) The CAF is a not-f0r-profit organization. Check them out at www.architecture.org. If you head to Chicago, this is something worth doing!!!
~sher

Chi-town Wednesday

Rainy Wednesday. Chicago had rain all day. We could see it coming in down the street, heading toward the condo, which is 9 stories up. It was amazing to literally see the front rolling through Chicago.

And what did we do for the day???

We decided to stay in & relax.
It was sleep, eat, watch TV, eat, watch TV, sleep.
Basically, that was it.
And it was really, really nice to NOT have to do anything for a change...
A beautiful day!
~sher

Tuesday in Chi-town

Our friends, Lynn & Emily, flew out today. They are now in Provincetown on their own little get-away. Sounds gorgeous there! I think Hubby & I should plan a trip sometime there, too.
I forgot to say in Monday's posting that they took us upon our arrival to a delicious Italian restaurant. I forget the name already (unlike my Hubby's memory...see below), but it had an outdoor cafe. Wrought iron. Trees with leaves yellow with the coming winter. Burly "old world" Italian servers. Seems no matter what it is that Em & Lynn pick...travel, food, or entertainment... it's always interesting and/or delicious!

While they are away, we were given the gift of staying in their home while we pet-sit their two greyhounds, Spacely & a little foster guy, Cooper. He's named Cooper after the mini-cooper because he's such a small guy for a male greyhound. These two boys are sweethearts! We're partial to greys anyhow, but I've always gone goo-goo for the girl greys. That is, until I stayed with Spacely this past summer. At the time Power, Em & Lynn's other boy grey, was here. I was shocked & stunned to find he had to be put to sleep about a week after I returned home. He had cancer & one he was not going to have an easy time with. So the girls had to make the difficult decision of letting our Power "go on" while he was still in a better state. I miss seeing Power here. I've stopped myself numerous times from calling Cooper Power's name. Em thought she could never love another dog again like Power, but Cooper has helped her to see that she can, just differently. However, they've decided to continue Cooper as a foster & he will be going to his new home next week. He has a higher prey drive, normal for some greyhounds due to racing training, & the girls don't feel comfortable with that in their condo situation. I'm not sure how they & Spacely will feel when the time comes for Cooper to go to his new home. It may help that he's going to a new home that isn't too far down the road.

Tuesday: 4 a.m.CT- Em & Lynn get up & take the boys out for a walk, and then head to the airport. The little guys let us sleep in. When Hubby & I finally get up, we walk them again, and then head toward downtown. Along the way we stop at a great little restaurant called Meli's. Highly recommended if you're up this way. Very chic. Very delicious! Then we hiked down to Union Station. The architecture reminds me of Grand Central Station. We took some great photos, and if I get the chance, I'll post some upon our return.
From there we went a short jaunt over to the Sears Tower. I really wanted Hubby to see it. They show a very informative movie about how the tower came about & how it was built. Then you go up 103 floors to the skydeck. It has a 360 degree view of Chicago & all of the surrounding area, up to fifty miles away on a clear day. This was important to me as a visual learner. I was able to base everything we did & everywhere Em & I went this summer strictly on what I'd seen from so high up. And I'm sure my Hubby was glad I'd already been there before him. There is a lot of information to read, and I'm one of those folks who can spend all day in one part of a museum, reading every tidbit & detail of what is on display. Drives Hubby nuts sometimes! ha! What is so funny about it is that I won't remember all the details, even with all the careful reading I do. But my Hubby has one of those "sponge" minds...ya know...one of those people who can skim something & it becomes a part of his permanent knowledge base of experiences. He's the guy you can find at the party giving all the interesting facts about something, and everyone will be on pins & needles listening because he's so good at playing it back.
We left there & started our trek back "home", stopping along the way to get some more camera shots of archways, doorways, grills and columns. By this time it was time to walk the boys & feed them. After feeding them, we walked over to the Jewel Osco for some staple items. We decided to eat dinner in & bought one of their $10 baked chicken meals. We had to keep an eye on everything we purchased because we had to haul everything back while walking. We did very well considering we had only 5 bags to carry. It was nice to sit back, relax, watch some "House" on TV, do some reading & ...did I say relax???
I told my Hubby today. I'm so glad he is eleven years older than me. Actually I told him I'm so glad he's an "old" man. It's nice to go on vacation & have some "downtime". I don't like to rush so much over a vacation that you get back home more tired than you left.

Tomorrow: A Chi-town Wednesday
~sher
p.s...Almost forgot today's plug: Obama--because we can't take another McBush!:-)

Flying in...

Everything went like clockwork on Monday! YEAAA!!! I used some comp time I had coming to me so that I could leave right on time as my students were leaving. My hubby picked me up outside of school. For ONCE I actually had all of my suitcase packed & ready for him at home so that all he had to do was pick me up. And for ONCE I was on time! I was so proud of myself!
So we shot right over to the airport. We flew out at 3:50 pm ET, which come to find out is an excellent time to fly. There were "no lines-no waiting". I even had time to hit the potty (quite necessary for a teacher's bladder at this time of day), & time for each of us to grab a Starbucks & some extra magazines. Not too long of a wait to get on board. We were almost afraid...or I should say IIII was almost afraid we wouldn't get a seat together, but we did.
Here's something truly embarrassing to admit. I've flown before, but not very often. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've flown anywhere, and most of those times have been since my hubby & I married. This time for me was a bit unnerving, and I don't know why. I can only speculate that it's because I was tired. I'd been up until 2a.m. to make sure my lesson plans were "perfect" while I was gone. I am one of those teachers who has to type out each day & leave specifics. I've just had so many subs over the years who just don't "get" or follow the plans that teachers leave. So I feel like I have to spell it all out. Fortunately... & possibly wisely...I've learned to type a basic framework or template that I copy & use over & over again. But this week in particular has been so busy & stressful. In fact, the day after we return from Chicago, the state & the county are coming in to visit our classrooms. Supposedly two teams of 3-4 people will be coming in to observe us at 15 minutes each visit. So yeah...nervewracking. I've told myself...PROMISED myself...that I wouldn't let it bother me. I'm ticked enough that our schools are held accountable for the results of ONE test, which we don't even do to our students. Could you imagine grading a STUDENT on ONE test & telling the parents whether or not they pass or fail based upon that one test alone? Even with FCAT, there are possible exceptions for the students, but none that I see for the schools. So when you work for a "focus" school (read that as an "F" school), the one test pass or fail is what you get.
So possibly my flight jitters were due to all of the above. I flew up here to Chicago to visit our same friends back in June, and the same thing happened. I teared up. I mean, I got so emotional on these two flights that I feel downright silly. This time I actually had a tear streaming down my face & felt like blubbering like a baby. But I didn't. Having the Love of my Life there actually helped. I realized a bit later I was gripping him rather tightly. I just couldn't help it. I wonder if anyone else acts so silly... Some turbulance didn't help.
Finally, though, we landed safely. It was fun & felt adventurous to find our way on our own from Midway on the Loop to our friends' home in the Clinton area of Chicago. It was just beginning to get dark. Outside the window was a stunning full moon. Creeping through the Loop system was a bit romantic & a bit gothic. The shadows & lights made typical buildings look like staged sets.
We arrived at the Clinton stop & found our way down the wheelchair ramp to the street level. As we looked around, we found our friends staring back at us diagonally across the street corner. It was wonderful seeing them again! Emily is my artist friend. You will find a link for her work in my fav sites. Her partner, Lynn, is a pharmacist, for lack of a better descriptive term. I say that because I know she works or has worked as a regional director for her company & I'm not so sure what all her job entails, except a lot of smarts. Em & Lynn are both champions of animals. We met through BAGA (Bay Area Greyhound Adoption) in Tampa. They have & foster greyhounds, as we do. I also appreciate them for being more laidback like Hubby & I are. While they enjoy friends & the arts, they're more easygoing & fun to hang out with. I don't feel like I have to run around all the time when I'm with them. They know how to enjoy good company & a good glass of wine now & then. Lynn makes a mean glass of sangria coupled with champagne. My fav! And so sweet of them to have that on hand for our stay. I keep telling them they've spoiled us. They even had a gift card ready ahead of time for us so I could enjoy my Starbucks while here & while at every street corner! ha! I've lost count on how many are in Chicago, but I now know of about 4 within a couple of blocks of E & L's place. Two are in the works.

Tomorrow: First day of Chicago
~sher

Almost Time...

Well, in 24 hours we'll be sitting somewhere in Chicago having dinner with our friends, Lynn & Emily. (You can see her paintings by clicking on her link to the right.) I'm very excited to be going back to Chicago. Hubby sent me there to visit this summer so I'd have a chance to recharge before school started again. Now I find I need another recharge. I'm looking forward to showing my hubby some of the places that Em & Lynn introduced me to, and then sitting back at night with a good glass of Lynn's homemade sangria. YUM! They are such sweethearts! We'll be watching their greyhounds while they're away on a vacation & using their condo as homebase while we are there. Meanwhile, back on the ranch, my mother-in-law & our older son (one of our twenty-something-year-olds) will be watching our teens & OUR greyhounds at home.
Lynn & Em have graciously offered us the use of their computer while we're up there. So I hope to post our daily happenings each night upon our return. We'll be staying in the heart of downtown Chicago, so there will be loads to see & plenty of good eats!
Coming up...Day 1: Flying in to Chicago
~sher

Chi-CA-go...Chi-CA-go...

We're off to Chicago this coming week! I'm so excited! I visited friends there this summer. Now we're going there on some business for the same friends & are planning on making good use of the time for pleasure, as well. Two of our good greyhound friends, Emily & Lynn (see Emily Rutledge, artist, in my fav sites to the right), live in Chicago. They are going on a trip & have asked us to look after their greyhounds while they're gone. They have graciously allowed us the use of their downtown condo during that time while we're there. I can't wait to see them again. They're such "greyt" folks! I also can't wait to show Keith some of the things Em & Lynn showed me while there last, as well as explore some other interesting sites we both HAVEN'T seen yet.



I think we really need this trip. It's so cool how things are just all working together for it. I miss having Emily & Lynn around since they moved to Chicago, and Keith & I haven't had a lot of downtime together. There has been so much going on, both at work & at home, not all of it good. Our school was rated an "F" this past year, through what I feel was no fault of the faculty. It's my first year with them, but I really think they have their act together, and it's a shame that the entire school is going through county & state inspections because of ONE test.

We don't grade STUDENTS that way...so why in the hell do we grade SCHOOLS that way?? Wonders never cease! Whatever happened to "practice what you preach"??

Gotta run....

Tired...been staying up late since the debates this past week.

Oh yeah...almost forgot to say:

GO, OBAMA!!!! Wooohoooo!

G'nite...

sher

Wunzuponatime...again...

Wow! I feel like I've finally landed...in Kansas, that is.
AOL is closing its blogs, so I & my friends had to find a new blogging home. And I guess this is it. It will take some getting used to. A lot of my "decorations" did not transfer. That was disappointing. But hopefully all of my past blogging buddies will find me here. I've already found Carlene (Horseshoebend) & Bea (Wanderings).
If any of our old buds find their way here, please get in contact or leave a posting! It'd be great to hear from you & hook up again!
In the meantime...this ain't Kansas anymore, really. I'll have to play around with it.
sher