Crosswalks to Nowhere

We got up early on Sunday morning to make the drive to Milwaukee and join the 2008 Miller Lite Ride for the Arts. This is a great ride through downtown Milwaukee and the surrounding areas, and it was a beautiful day for all 6,000 participants.

Our ride began in the middle of downtown Milwaukee and went in an almost-loop that ended at the Summerfest grounds. You'll see our post-ride refreshment below.

I brought along the Allez for this ride, and it did very well in spite of several potholes.

This is a ride that will be on our card for next year!

Our Roma tomatoes and peppers (cayenne, jalapeno, green bell) really enjoyed all the heat and rain we had recently, as have the onions and bush beans. The heirloom bean seeds didn't come up, but the cukes did. We now have carrots and some new bean seeds in the ground, and those should surface shortly. And the sunflowers in the back row are about to spring up in a huge way.

More updates as events warrant. :-)

The photo above shows my Father's Day present: an awesome hammock, complete with frame. I'm looking forward to a nice, sunny day when I'll be able to hang out there for an hour or two...

The weekend was very nice: we had dinner on Saturday night with my dad at Johnny's in Glenview, followed by a visit to the physical therapy center where my mom is staying following her knee surgery. Our last stop was our first visit of the season to the Glenview Dairy Bar. Yum.

On Sunday, the kids came over and we had an early dinner at Maggiano's followed by a relaxing day just hanging out.

Sometimes the quietest days are the best.. :-)

It's an annual summer tradition: The Silent Film Society of Chicago just announced their schedule for their 2008 Silent Summer Film Festival at the Portage Theater.

In brief, here's what's coming up:

July 18: Speedy (1929) with Harold Lloyd, directed by Ted Wilde. Live organ accompaniment: Dennis Scott. Shown with "Swing Your Partners" from 1918. Pre-show entertainment by the West End Jazz Band.

July 25: Children of Divorce (1927) starring Clara Bow, directed by Frank Lloyd. Live organ accompaniment: Jay Warren. The film will be introduced by historian Ken Irwin, and Jay Warren hosts a sing-along before the show.

August 1: Our Hospitality (1923) with Buster Keaton, directed by John G. Blystone and Buster Keaton. Live organ accompaniment by Michael Jacklin. Special Event: "Keaton Pork-Pie Hat Contest! Prizes for the best 'Buster' hat!"

August 8: Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) with live organ accompaniment by Jay Warren and added effects by theremin authority Professor Pierce.

August 15: Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson (1928), directed by Raoul Walsh. Live theatre organ accompaniment by Dennis Scott. Special event: "What's Behind the Curtain? See it for the First Time Since 1927!"

August 22: The mini-festival "Kings of Comedy 2" featuring short comedic films of W.C. Fields ("Pool Sharks"), Douglas Fairbanks ("Mystery of the Leaping Fish"), Harold Lloyd ("Somewhere in Turkey"), Harry Langdon ("Lucky Stars"), and Buster Keaton ("One Week"). Also includes closing-night festivities and pre-show with The West End Jazz Band at 7:00.

I've been a fan of Buster Keaton for years, and PBS showed a beautifully restored print of Our Hospitality a few years ago. I hope the SFSC got their hands on that copy.

Lisa wants to see the presentation of Metropolis, which will include effects by Theremin expert Professor Pierce. Here's a photo and description of the Professor at work (courtesy of Leigh Hanlon's ChicagoScope podcast site).

This is a highly recommended event! Maybe we'll see you there...