Hello all,

Greetings from the Chicago monsoons. The last couple days have been dry, but we've had nothing but rain, rain, rain for weeks. Combine that with a good amount of heat and our back yard looks like the Amazon rain forests. I'm expecting to do battle with jaguars and anacondas any day.

I've had a pleasant Sunday afternoon. I've been watching recorded shows, reading the Sunday Trib, chatting online with a high school friend, and playing online Scrabble with her at the same time. Nice to have the down time.

Yesterday, Sue and I spent some time in the basement making it less of a mess (getting organized would be too grand of a term). I found my workshop from under the crud. Then we both did some work on the general pile of stuff that had accumulated in the cellar. Took an old door and lamp to the curb, old boxes to recycling, that kind of stuff. Looks a bit better. With the shop found, maybe next week I can start creating the toy box for now 6-month-old grandnephew Max.

On the techie side of life, about a month ago I was finally delivered my new Google Android Incredible phone (back-ordered for several weeks). You all may have friends with an iPhone.....this one is intended to compete head-to-head, but is available through Verizon, our wireless provider. iPhones are strictly AT&T, at least for now.

Every time I use this phone, I remember Sue's Dad. He was amazed with pocket calculators before he died some 25 years ago. He thought the calculating power was truly remarkable. His thoughts were from his time in the Navy at the end of WWII...when a slide-rule was high tech. I can hardly imagine what he'd think of everybody having a mobile phone, of the internet, my ability to use GPS navigation at will, of being able to call anyone I want without toll charges evenings and weekends....and other Verizon customers at anytime. It's truly amazing stuff.

And then there's this Facebook stuff. Most of the stuff there is time-wasting fluff, but I have surely had fun getting reconnected with old, old friends. Amazing that those people I knew 40 years ago are still enjoyable to know even with the decades of gap in our acquaintances. Also a reminder of fleeting time and my own mortality, I guess.....how is it possible that I have known someone for 40 years? that I have a grandchild? all that stuff.


Sue and I have vacation scheduled for October. We will drive to the Great Smokey Mountains to be tourists. We are only beginning to plan the trip, so haven't any specific plans just yet. We will take lots of pictures and share online during our travels.....should be really pretty as long as we don't arrive during a rainy period.

We are all well. Everyone has work. In these times, that could change, but why buy trouble worrying about tomorrow? Rob and Amanda have a happy healthy 1-year-old son. Laura has her physicist boyfriend who is a pleasant young fellow who tries to explain quantum physics in English with remarkable patience. (He's also OK because he will get his PhD from Iowa State).

Greetings to one and all. Don't be strangers. Coming to Chicagoland?????drop on by.