My box of mugs finally made their way to Massachusetts to “surprise” fellow potter Pam Kinsmith. She’s been coordinating a wonderful fundraiser called “Finding Forever” where all of the donated mugs & cups represent a child in the Foster Care System. So I decided to send a trio that show how children of “different colors” can still make up a beautiful family if adopted as a trio. Appreciate them each for their differences, love them for their similarities.

I also sent a matched pair of “twins” which I hope will get “adopted” together as well. I would have for these siblings to get split up – which I sure is a problem within the Foster Care System.

You still have a few more days if you would like to donate a mug or two to this wonderful cause. I have also collected a few cups form other potter friends at Lillstreet. I’ll be shipping those soon… and will definitely give you a sneak peek of those ones too!

If you would like to donate to “Finding Forever”, click here for more information.

My friend & fellow potter Pam Kinsmith is raising money on Kickstarter for an upcoming ceramic show. Her fundraising efforts here will help defray the costs of the venue & marketing for the event. Then potters around the country (like me) are donating mugs for her to sell during the event for the Foster Care System. Each cup in the show “represents” a foster kid in the system hoping to “Find Their Forever.” Please consider contributing to this worthwhile cause. Do it for the “kids”…

Click here to donate on Kickstarter... only six days left!!!

Yesterday was my first adventure to the Sandwich Fair. Friends have been talking about it for years… tempting me with stories of animals, rides and food!!! So when my friend Cory suggested that we go for Opening Day, I was in!!! So I drove out to Sandwich and met Cory, and her daughter Deni, at their house in Sandwich. We went over to the fairgrounds and started our adventure. First things first…

Yes.
We started with Corn Dogs and Lemon Shake-Ups.

Then we started going through some of the Exhibit Halls looking at all of the entries and the prize ribbons that had been awarded earlier that day. It was a bit overwhelming. The sheer number of entries. All of the ribbons. And how everything had been so pain-stakingly displayed EVERYWHERE!!! So much time had been taken to spread things out, keep them organized by category and showing off their ribbons!!! Fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, baked goods, canned goods, quilts, arts & crafts, photography and so, SO much more!!!

And what county fair would be complete with out some amusement rides?!

Then we tackled some of the livestock barns to see the “living” entries.
There were hundreds of sheep…

And hundreds of goats… none cuter than this one…

And a barn full of chickens…
that surprised me by how many varieties and how striking so many of them were!!!

But then there was the Rabbit Tent. A large tent filled with a ton of rabbits. Practically every breed imaginable. And most of them were for sale. My favorite was this one… dark black on the top, and a warm cocoa brown on the underside.

But could this be any cuter?…

Well, apparently yes.
A gray Lion-Haired Rabbit that looked more like a stuffed animal.

And then we were dancing in dangerous territory…
and I “almost” came home with a rabbit. Almost… but look, can you blame me?

Luckily, good sense prevailed and I avoided the adorable fuzzy companion.
Cory and her daughter Deni however did not. Too adorable… too cuddly… and SOLD.
They got a very cute tri-colored Mini Rex rabbit… very similar to the black cutie I was playing with, just a different color. You could tell very quickly that “at least” one rabbit would be going home with them.

For the record… they ended up with just one rabbit…
and a hermit crab, and a goldfish… but who’s counting?!!!

At some point evening started to set in… and there was still more food to be had…

Part of the Carnival Midway was traditional games. Plastic rings on plastic pop bottles. Ping-pong balls into goldfish bowls. Squirt guns into clown mouths to inflate balloons. But I had never seen THIS one before…

Be afraid… be very afraid…
And yes, that is a REAL mouse being tossed onto a spinning roulette wheel. Whichever hole the mouse decides to disappear through indicates the roulette winner. Yes, a REAL mouse!!! The real concerning part was the crate of mice under the wheel. They said they bring about 60-80 mice with them for the five-day fair. So the question is why?… because the mice get smart and run away?… or die? Neither option is a good one.

But the highlight of any County Fair is always the food.
And I was more than ready to indulge… had had skipped lunch in preparation!!!

And ya’ gotta love a good typo…

So, what did we eat ???.. and by “we” I mean mostly ME…

We started out with Corn Dogs and Lemon Shake-Ups.
Followed by a cinnamon-sugar dusted Elephant Ear.
And then a deep-fried Onion Blossom, deep-fried Pickles and deep-fried Green Beans.
Then I couldn’t make up my mind…

So I had them all…
a deep-fried Twinkie, a deep-fried Snickers AND some deep-fried Bacon with Chocolate.

Washed down with the Vanilla & Strawberry shakes that Cory & Deni couldn’t finish.

And since we still had more fun at the Fair… eventually I was ready for more food. Sure, I might have been in some sort of a sugar-coma-haze, but LOVING every minute of it!!! So we kept the train running on the tracks…

And followed up with deep-fried Cookie Dough.
Never heard of it, but let’s just say YUM!!!

Night had settled in. The carnival was spinning full speed. And we were nearing the end of our time at the Sandwich Fair. We had had a long day, and it was still a “school-night” for Deni… and a late night for her new bunny!!!

As we were leaving… we needed one last treat for the road…
Everyone said that the Cream Puffs were spectacular… but they don’t have chocolate in them…
so I went for the Chocolate Eclair instead… wrapped up to take home.

Let’s just say… it didn’t quite make it home.                 

 

                                                                                                                          burp!

 

It’s always a dark & early start on Triathlon morning. Everyone starts loading into the Transition Area around 4:30am. Finding a place to put your bike, shows, helmet, running clothes, shoes, water, and EVERYTHING else you’ll need for the next three events!!! You kind of set-up a little mini campsite with all of your gear. You and the 9,000 other people out there doing the same thing!!! Luckily, they separate & label the racks by Wave number. So they’re a “little” easier to find later. At 5:45am they kick everyone out of the Transition Area as the race begins at 6:00am with the Elite Pro athletes!!!… which is definitely not me!

With wetsuit and goggles in hand, we made our way down towards the Swim Start. Still a dark & cloudy morning… sadly, no sunrise! Just a lot of anxious athletes waiting to get started.

Unfortunately, you also need to pack away your stuff at Gear Check – so I had no phone for pictures. And my camera was back in the Transition Area with my running belt. So… the race itself is always picture-free. Just me swimming, biking, running & sweating!!!

The Swim portion of the race is about a mile and a half. We start in Monroe Harbor across from Buckingham Fountain. Your wave jumps in, and at the starting horn swims south to the Field Museum, turns around and then swims all the way north to the Chicago Yacht Club. Today the water was a bit choppy and there was a LOT more seaweed to swim through than previous years?! The second half of the swim got even choppier… with waves so big that you sometimes couldn’t even see the people swimming next to you. And trust me… it’s such an incredible feeling to finally see the floating orange pylon at the end that indicates you’ve made it to the end. Whew… and yes, I swallowed a LOT of lake water today!!!

Then you exit the lake and run a quarter mile to the Transition Area. You’re barefoot and still in your wetsuit “running” on some slippery carpet. In the Transition Area, we were greeted by mud, mud & more mud!!! It was s sloppy transition into my biking gear, grabbing my bike & helmet, then out the other end the Bike Start.

This year the bike route was different. We started the first half on Lake Shore Drive riding north up to Hollywood and back. Then we turned in towards the City and rode on mid-Wacker Drive & lower-Wacker Drive all the way down to McCormick Place and back. The first half seemed pretty normal on Lake Shore Drive – including the headwinds as we were headed south. Once on Wacker Drive, it was fun to be on the new route and riding somewhat underground through the “tunnels” of lower Wacker Drive. Very fun… and nice to have a different route for a change!!! There was however a bad bike accident in one of the tunnels down south by McCormick Place. It must have just happened before I got there as they were quickly trying to slow down all riders and divert the flow of traffic around the guys & bikes still laying on the road. Chris & Pam saw the same accident a little while later and they were on flatboards being placed in to ambulances. Hopefully they both came out of it okay with just some scraps, roadrash & stories to tell.

Then it’s back into the Transition Area again when you ditch your bike & bike gear, switching everything to running gear.  A bit more mud, another swig of water and it was time to start running south towards Museum Campus. By now the temps were going up and the humidity was getting a bit crazy. The run continued around & through Museum Campus down to 31st Street Beach and then back in to Grant Park for the Finish Line!!!

Did I mention the humidity?… and the SWEAT?!!!

So it was great to turn that final corner and see the Finish Line ahead. One last kick and your done!!! And my fourth Chicago Triathlon is once again history. All that was left was waiting for some friends, some more Gatorade, a little recovery “fun” and then a walk back to the Transition Area to reclaim all of our stuff.

Crossing the Finish Line shortly after me was my friend Chris… still looking pretty fresh & happy! And apparently thrilled to be done!!!

Next up was my college friend Pammy who was still in fine shape at the end. And she better be… she’s in training for her first Ironman race. Crazy Pam!!!

With the sun, heat & humidity, it was great to be greeted at the finish Line with some ice-soaked towels to cool off with. And always fun to get your Triathlon Finisher Medals!!!

Chris and a few of her training friends…

Pam and her husband Jeff who was also celebrating his birthday today!!!

After the Finish Line, there’s a lot of water, Gatorades, bananas, vendors, t-shirts and more. We found this wonderful tent that had some crazy sort of recovery system. It was free… so why not give it a try?!

So uyou sit in this reclining chair, put your legs completely in these zipped-on legs. And then the operator hooks you up to a compressor and control unit. The legs inflate, pulsate and pressurize all around your legs. Hitting all of the right points and it felt great!!! We did it for about 10 minutes… and it may have been the best 10 minutes ever?!

And then of course, “someone” had to make the joke about them inflating TOO much!!!

On our way back to the Transition Area, Chris and I stopped for one last photo-op in front of Buckingham Fountain. The day started out gray & cloudy, some sort of wind & clouds passed through while I was biking, and then the sun & humidity came out. All in all, I think it was a beautiful day for a swim, bike & run through the City!!!

So here’s what you’ve been waiting for… MY RESULTS.

SWIM – 1 mile – 49 minutes, 17 seconds… one minute faster than last year.
BIKE – 25 miles -one hour, 14 minutes, 26 seconds… 40 seconds longer than last year...
which I “blame” on the accident down in the Wacker Drive tunnels that slowed us all down!
RUN – 6.2 miles – one hour, 15 minutes, 11 seconds… 5-1/2 minutes faster than last year!!!

So my 2014 Chicago Triathlon “official” race time was 3:29:48.
Not quite my “personal best”, but still over 5 minutes faster than last year’s race. I’ll take that. And only 2 minutes longer than my “personal best” which was back in 2012. So there it is for another year… my fourth Chicago Triathlon!!!

And let me just say one last thing… I FEEL GREAT.
No soreness. No tender joints. I feel surprisingly great right now. Hungry, but good.
So either I’m in better shape than I though this year…
or that inflatable leg recovery system REALLY works?!!! … or could it be both???

Checked-in. Carbed-up. Tattoos on.
And ready for “three kinds of fun” tomorrow. Gotta sleep fast.
I’m in Wave #8 which starts at 6:38am.
Looks like I’ll be making an early splash. Yikes!!!

Yesterday we all “played hookie” and spent the day at Six Flags Great America. A wonderful day of roller coasters, ear-piercing screams and theme park food. This was our third “annual” excursion with my niece Taylor. Each year she gets a free ticket for reading a certain number of books in school. And with the new school year right around the corner, we needed to squeeze this in quickly. So Monday was the day!!!

Taylor is now tall enough to go on EVERYTHING!!! Once she was measured and given the coveted red wristband, she was ready to tackle everything… first up, the “Superman” roller coaster. They hook you into you seat and then rotate it forward so you’re “flying” face down just like Superman. So yes, the track is above you so you can’t really see it while you’re riding it. And yes, Taylor was quite the trooper… a few hysterical ear-piercing screams along the way… but all smiles at the end.

Then we calmed it down a bit with a spinning, rotating “lobster” ride. The perfect time for a quick photo shoot of Taylor and her mom Jen… my sister. But once the ride got started, my cousin Kim wasn’t quite so calm any more?!!!

Sure, who am I to pass up a foolish photo-op?!!!

Next up it was the “Batman” roller coaster. Taylor started out a bit more determined… kind of enjoying the fact that this is a regular sitting roller coaster. Okay, sure there’s no floor and your feet kinda dangle over nothing, but still better than flying face down!!!

Whew… made it… bottom lip still quivering just a little…

Next a quiet ride along a lazy river in the “Logger’s Run” boat ride. We got a little wet when we made the big splash – and it felt great as the day was warming up as the sun kept popping out more & more.

And then “Goliath.” The newest roller coaster at Six Flags Great America. Hyped as the tallest, steepest & faster wooden roller coaster. I’d say it was good, but not great. Always fun the first time, but I doubt it will hold up to the test of time. And I must admit… I expected taller. I expected steeper. I expected faster. What I DIDN’T expect was so many upside-down flips!!! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE flipping upside-down. I just didn’t expect it.

Then we tackled a few more rides like “The Revolution” and “American Eagle.” Taylor conquered The Eagle two years ago, so this time it was no big deal. A little more rickety than any of us remember, but still a lot of fun. Followed by lunch and a little relaxed time eating in the Pavilion.

Next up was “The Viper” – another older wooden roller coaster wit a lot of pop-out-of-your-seat-hills. Which I love. And quickly enough, “The Viper” became Taylor’s favorite roller coaster of the day!!!

Mom & Taylor both enjoyed their trip on “The Viper”… a little exhausted, but fun.

A little post-ride selfie with my cousin Kim.

Looming on the horizon was my FAVORITE – “The Raging Bull.”

Locked in and ready to go… clickety-clacking up that first big hill approaching the big drop. It was at this point that we saw Taylor having a little melt-down. A little anxiety kicking in as she was trapped, go upwards and not too pleased with it… as a single tear ran down her cheek. We were all concerned that maybe we had taken her one step too far??? But she knew it was “may favorite” and I think she knew that she just “had to” go on it!!!

Soon enough the ear-piercing screeches began again… shrieking over every hill & twist…

Relieved that she made it to the end…

Whew…

Thumbs up if you liked the ride!!!

And yet “The Viper” was still Taylor’s favorite… so why not do it again?…

This time she was ready. She knew what to expect. She was ready…

And then the screaming kicked in once again…

But still lovin’ “The Viper.”

Our last ride was “The Condor” as our day was all too quickly drawing to a close. We all assumed the park was open until 10:00pm. We were all surprised to find out it closed at 7:00pm. So a fond farewell from Kim…

And some “glamour shots” of the park as the sun was hitting everything just right.

And there it is, another year under out belts. Another great trip to Six Flags Great America. And Taylor was a trooper… as was her Mom. The deal was that Jen would go on any roller coaster that Taylor went on. And I think this was probably the most roller coasters that Jen has EVER done in one day!!! It was a great day for everyone.

So Taylor… keep reading so we can go again next summer!!!

 

Tonight was the annual “Elvis Is Alive” 5K Race down in Lincoln Park. It was my first time doing it. I love Elvis… and I need to get some more miles in… so why not combine them for a night of fun?! The park  in front of The Nature Museum was set up for the race, and started to fill in with a lot of people dressed for the occasion – adults & kids alike!!!

A little less conversation… and a little pre-race music by Elvis himself!!!

It’s a quick 5K race… so it’s more about fun, and less about endurance. Can’t wait to see those hairdos running down the path!!!

The starting “wave” of the race is the All-Elvis Wave!!! Instead of the professional “Elite” runners starting it off… it’s all about ELVIS!!!

My friend Tracy was in full stride AND full costume… including her very own version of her “Blue Suede Shoes.”

At the Finish Line, it was still fun to seem more & more Elvises… or would that be Elvii?!

Another Finish Line delicacy… Elvis’ favorite Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches!!!

After the race, I had some time to hangout with my “favorite” Elvis… and me with my gold sunglasses and Elvis sideburns!!!

Another Elvis sighting… and a fun Concert Encore with Elvis in the park.
A fun race… with a fun theme… with fun friends… and fun music!!!

The weather was perfect this morning for a quick run downtown as Chris and I tackled the Chicago 10K.  A good, sweaty run for both of us. We started in Grant Park, then ran along the lakefront through Museum Campus south to 31st Street Beach. A quick turn-around and back to Grant Park for the Finish Line.

Ironically, they seemed to be “celebrating” National S’mores Day with some of the recovery snacks after the race… or at least in my mind they were “celebrating.” I know I will be later!!!

Yes, MY special day is finally here!!! Who knew???
It’s National S’mores Day… a special day to celebrate a very special treat.
What could be better that toasted marshmallows squished between graham crackers & chocolate?! Not much, right?!

Unfortunately, we who live in the City don’t always have access to a good campfire. And I’m not sure my neighbors would appreciate me lighting up one on the back deck of the condo building?! So while I still hope to “celebrate” with some toasted gooieness later today (even if it is in my fireplace?)… I did find a couple other “options” just in case. Can’t let the holiday go un-celebrated now can I?!

We’re at T-Minus three weeks…
gotta get some swimming practice in… and QUICK!!!