No Dust Bunnies Here

We have dust frogs instead.

Chicago Highlights

I culled through my hundreds of pictures from our trip to Chicago to share some of the highlights with you. I had to get a new camera right before we left, so I had fun getting to know the new one. Above is taken on the stage at Buddy Guy's Legends [blues bar]. If one photo summarized the trip, this would be it. Since I had a new camera, it didn't fit perfectly in my old camera case. Trying to avoid buying another one, I went through my stuff and found the perfect solution: my moop hip pouch.

Carlos Johnson and his incredibly handsome guitar (seen above as well).

I can never get enough of the faded paint and bricked in windows on urban buildings. And nothing beats old business signage.

We saw a lot of outdoor performances, including a jam with a stand up bass,

and this slide guitar.

I've seen this sign at the Kingston Mines blues club before, and it always cracks me up.

I think Otis Taylor was my favorite "new discovery." His "trance blues" style really spoke to me - successful incorporation of a violin into blues is beyond cool - I think its inspiration may actually manifest itself in my pottery.

This piece is familiar!

We visited Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation, housed in the original building of Chess Records. You may have seen the recent movie Cadillac Records, based on the rise of Chess, where Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry recorded.

Buddy Guy's Legends is where we spent perhaps the majority of our time. They just opened a new location, and we were there for the grand opening celebration.

The man of the week was Buddy, who appeared on stage twice at the new club, at the Blues Fest kick off and the grand opening of the club.

Reunited

The pups were just as happy to come home as we were. Above is Angel sitting in the front, since there isn't any room with Mato and his tongue in the back, below.

Angel has a habit of "huffing" the air conditioning. I don't know whether to worry about that or not.

Mato had to roll all over the bed to make sure he was really home.

It's nice to have the whole family together again.

Souvenirs From Chicago

I wanted to show you some of the things we got in Chicago over the last week. Above is a stack of cds from a variety of blues artists we saw. Almost every single one is signed, and most of them also have a corresponding photo of Brian with the artist. If we had a previous photo of Brian and the artist, he had them sign that as well. You can see where David "Honeyboy" Edwards signed the cd above. While the cds are much more representative of our trip, I think you'll find "my" souvenirs more interesting. Below is a tile from Motawi Tileworks, a book on Chicago architecture, and two wooden ornaments.

These are a set of three Motawi tiles. I was so pleased to find a set that would work well with our decor. I think these will wind up in our foyer, where we have an autumnal theme.

Here is the back of the Motawi tiles. You can see the stamp, plus the notch for hanging. Additionally, the artist who (painstakingly) glazed the tile has signed the back. My guess is that they used an underglaze pen.

Finally, here are a few more things I picked up along the way. I went to the Benjamin Moore tent that was at the Blues Fest (probably the least blues-related tent I saw, but I was thrilled to see it), to see their promotion of their new Natura paint. I got a book and a brochure.

Fun stuff, right?

When vintage goes bad. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/8/vintage-plane-accident-closes-national-airport-run/
Delaying our trip to Chicago.

Chi Town

On Tuesday we'll be heading to Chicago for vacation. We haven't been in a few years, so we're really looking foward to it. (Chicago train steps photo above by rebeccaplotnick, Chicago Loop canvas below by bigNickelgraphics.) I'm sure we'll be taking plenty of public transportation and checking maps, even though we've been to the city many times. (Chicago in pen and paper by studiokmo.)

Our main mission is to attend the annual Chicago Blues Festival. (Blue Chicago, RetrospectPhoto.)

Chicago has such a great skyline. (Chicago skyline plate, printedg.)

Our favorite is the John Hancock building, since we got engaged there. I'm sure we'll find time to stop in again on this trip. (John Hancock Chicago, from ktwphotography.)

The Bean is super fun, too, and I know we'll be spending a lot of time traveling around, next to, and under it. (Below, Millennium Park, geminicomplex.)

(Chicago's Cloud Gate Windy October, by Pleyades.)

Even the place names associated with the city make me happy. (Chicago typography type print, PaperBleu.)

(Chicago streets typography, geministudio.)

We may pay a visit to the Shedd Aquarium again. (Shedd Aquarium Octopus, also by geministudio.)

So look for us in the blues bars, at the sites, and on the streets of Chicago. (Chicago Love, artsharkstudios.)

[I feel compelled to note that anyone who thinks this is a great opportunity to burgle my house should know that my sword-fighting brother will still be here. The shop is still open, but I won't be able to ship orders until my return.]

We're Wolf

She slays me.