Why I Oughta...

Did the Bird ever have fun.  She was all over all the trucks, but mostly LOOOOVED the 'digger trucks' that the fine folks from the Elmhurst Park District put out at their annual "Touch-A-Truck" event at Berens Park in Elmhurst last weekend. Here's my post from 2013 showing how the Babe - at that time - was all over the trucks .  This year?  Her younger sister was doing the leading.  In 2013, we were able to get in a helicopter.  This year, we arrived about halfway through the event, so I'm not sure if there helicopter left before we got there or if they couldn't book it this year? This is a really great event and the kids all seem to love it.  So much in fact, that the Bird asked if her birthday party (#4 this year!) can be a "Touch-A-Truck Birthday"?!?  Hmmm...that might be hard to pull off, no?

Last week, there were electricians putting up Christmas lights on the trees along Randolph on the north side of the Daley Center in Chicago. The top photo was on my walk east in the am and the photo at the bottom is from my walk west after work. So, I'm torn.  Christmas creep?  Or is this just plain smart preparation by working when it is pleasant outside?

If you click on the photo of the building above you'll see the new sign above the door of this place that is *now* called "The Bainbridge Beverage Company".   You'll also notice the big dark(er) red Circle above the door that *used* to have the Grandpa's Cider Mill Logo.  You can see the circle Grandpa's logo here on their site . I covered Grandpa's Cider Mill before here on the blog, but we made a stop there yesterday when we were up in Coloma.  The Babe spoke up and said that she wanted to go to the 'Apple Cider Bar' where you can taste different flavors of cider.  We've done that trip a few times and always had a good time sidle'ing up to the bar where we can grab some stools and enjoy the experience. But...with the new name change to Bainbridge, it appears that they've expanded the bottling facility and moved the bar to a new location.  They've appeared to make this a much more professional facility with a lot of machine

A close up of the D23 Disney calendar for September is above .  This month marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort back in 1975. I've been to the Magic Kingdom a bunch of times, but I've *never* been on this ride.  Nat went on once...without me...and her purse went flying!  She lost her phone, sunglasses and purse.   No thanks, Mickey!

I was in the office on Friday and noticed that I needed to turn over the wall calendars.  On the right, the Disney D23 Calendar features the 40th anniversary of Space Mountain.  On the right is the University of Illinois Business Instructional Facility.  I have NO IDEA where or what that exactly is, but me thinks it wasn't there back in the '90's when I was bouncing around Green Street. So...September took 18 days on the calendars. August was just the 10th . July was bad. The 21st . In June, I nailed it. Turned on June 1st . Here's the post from May with the calendars . Took me until the 12th. March's post - where I turned them on the 11th. February post introducing the concept . On the 17th.

Tomorrow over by the Elmhurst History Museum there's what I *think* is the inaugural Elmhurst Craft Beer Fest being put on by the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation and the Rotary Club of Elmhurst.  $35 tickets for 18 tickets that are good for 3 oz samples.  18 x 3 = 54 ounces of beer.  That's 4.5 12 ounce beers for your $35.  Seems like a fair deal. I'd call this a nice addition to the event calendar in town.  Hoping it is a success and that it becomes a repeat event.   There's quite a few breweries represented.  No Solemn Oath, though?!?  But lots of big guys and some interesting ones like Nat's favorite Stone and Revolution from Chicago.  Good job by the organizers to get *so* many breweries/beers lined up.   From the Brew Fest's site: This is the current list logo's of participating breweries. Check back often! We continue to add to the list. Goose Island  Ommemgang  Boulevard Brewing Founders Brewing New Belguim Sam Adams Angry Orch

I spotted the coverings on the windows of the Elmhurst Uptown Shop a few days ago on my walk home from the train and feared they were gone. Turns out...they're NOT closing. Just moving around the corner up on York Street to the old Leonard's mens clothing store which is just north of the toy store and jewelry shop on the east side of the street.   Here's a post from October of last year showing the closing of Leonard's .  Seems like a better location traffic-wise, but a worse location parking-wise, right?  I always seemed to be able to nab a spot in the police lot or out on first.  York is a total crapshoot.  Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you end up circling down Addison a few times. The Uptown Shop's site says they're having a big moving sale today and should open soon around the corner: WE ARE MOVING our Elmhurst store   The MOVING SALE will be HUGE   We are closed starting Monday the 14th to prepare.   Sale is open to the public Thursda