Last night I was lucky to attend a screening of the concert film/tribute You Got Gold at the Music Box with my friend Web, thanks to the generosity of a stranger with 2 extra tickets to the sold-out screening. It was an excellent and emotional film followed by an interview with John’s wife Fiona Prine. […]
April has been mild and I have been enjoying the beautiful city of Chicago. I have never regretted moving to this city at the end of 1996. I was not made for small town life. Give me the sights, sounds and strangers of a world-class metropolis! In 2009 we moved to the suburbs, and I […]
I have been using the plant identification app PictureThis since 2020. It’s great when I can’t remember what I planted in that corner of the garden, or I’m on a garden walk and want to identify something I might want to purchase later. I know that Google lens is pretty accurate, but I appreciate some […]
Before we even had our own record player, Aimee and I were Monkees fans. I remember my mom going into the utility room one day and coming out with one of her old records, More of the Monkees. We brought it to our friend Kelly’s house and used to play it every day, acting out […]
My first camera was a 126 pocket camera, probably Kodak, that took square photos. I think my mom passed it to me when she got her first 35mm camera, but by the mid-80s I was using her camera. I’m not sure which I used to take photos on this particular camping trip in 1987. This […]
As we visited Aunt Fran in the time of her final illness, she wanted to pass on some items to us that had meaning for her or that we might enjoy. She gave me this cast iron skillet which had been her mother’s, my grandma Mildred. I have used it a few times but am […]
Our Grandma Benoit was born Edith Maude Giasson on November 2, 1914 near Aroma Park, Illinois. Her father Frank was of French-Canadien ancestry, like her future husband, and her mother, Josephine Posing, was of Luxemburger ancestry. She had three older sisters—Hazel, Millie and Irene—and two younger brothers, Franklin and George.
During my visit to Fort Collins, Colorado in September, my Aunt Pam and I had lunch at one of our favorite places, the Silver Grill. Afterwards we decided to check out the shop next door, Walnut Creek FOCO. It turned out to be everything we love—a mix of vintage and locally-made art, clothing, jewelry, and […]