I was raised as a Lutheran, not a Roman Catholic, but just because us Lutherans didn't see the Pope as our leader doesn't mean we ignored events in the Catholic church. I remember when Pope John Paul died after only about a month and the cardinals elected a new one who took the name John Paul II. This was huge news here in Chicago because, get this, he was Polish. (Chicago … [Read more...] about John Paul II, RIP
Introducing Ripley
Ripley This is Ripley. He's the first cat my wife and I got together after her previous cat Rover passed away. We got Ripley—and all the cats to follow—from the Orphans of the Storm animal shelter about 10 miles north of Chicago. Orphans has some of the cats and all the kittens displayed in a bunch of little cages, like at a pet store. In addition, they have … [Read more...] about Introducing Ripley
Random Scenes
Lately this blog seems to be all about the photography. I can live with that. Here's a picture of some closeup damage of a burned-out house I passed near Elgin.Burnout With Mermaid I was trying for irony, but I don't think it quite works. I'm not sure why. Here's a nice shot of the street in front of my house:Street With Trees … [Read more...] about Random Scenes
Pet Show
This last weekend, my wife and I stopped by the Chicagoland Family Pet Expo. I took pictures. Most of them were pretty bad because I was trying to take them in ambient light with a handheld camera and they came out blurry because of camera motion. I also took a few pictures with the flash. I usually hate my flash pictures, but some of these didn't look too bad. First up, a … [Read more...] about Pet Show
Citizen ICAM
I've added a new link in the Resources section to Citizen ICAM, the Chicago Police Department's online map of recent criminal activity. It's nice to see that my neighborhood is still remarkably free from criminal activity. When they first put this up, you could also use it as a shopping guide. Are you planning a visit to Chicago and want to find where to go to get street … [Read more...] about Citizen ICAM