May 2010 Indy 500

Met Tom Carnegie - the voice of the Indianapolis 500 - on Community Day at the Indianapolis 500 track. What a sweet guy !

This photo is me (looking particularly hefty...), Tom Carnegie, and good friend / travel buddy Peggy (PJ) Rose.

April 30, 2010

Graceland -must have been a mansion in it's day... but compared to the McMansions of today, it isn't so huge.

Jungle room - wow, the green shag carpet! Say no more.

Elvis loved the bling. I believe the order of the day was tacky. BUT - he sold a ton of records, has legions of fans, gave money money money to charity.

The tour was worth the $35'ish to get in - also to view the cars, airplanes, etc.

Bonus - here's the Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich recipe no one should be without:

2 large bananas

6 slices of white bread

1 stick (yep - a STICK) of butter

1 cup of peanut butter

Peel & mash bananas. Mix peanut butter with bananas thoroughly. Toast bread lightly and spread mix on bread. Melt butter in skillet and brown sandwiches on each side slowly until golden brown.

I might add - then call a good cardiologist, cause your arteries are gonna be cloggin' !!!

Memphis in May

Beale Streeet Music Festival - wash out.... can you say Tornado Sirens and Mud Boots? No matter... Memphis is a cool city. Picture on the bottom was taken at Sun Studio... the "Birthplace of Rock N' Roll"

Sun is where Elvis first recorded, as well as Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins (who recorded and made a hit out of Blue Suede Shoes before Elvis recorded it). Lots of musical legends recorded there in the past. More recently - U2, Paul Simon, Matchbox 20 & Maroon 5 (among others) have recorded there. Cool, tiny little place. The microphone in the picture on the left has been there since the studio opened.... hmm.... did Elvis sing into this mic???

Picture at the top is just a little guy I saw playing the trumpet on a street by a BBQ joint. The guy was great. Maybe a studio musician at some point? In a band? Don't know but he was sooo good.

April 2010 - Cincinnati

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park is located on the north / northwest side of Cincinnati. What a hidden gem. It's over 200 acres of beautifully landscaped rolling countryside, dotted with ponds. Placed around the property are 58 sculptures. Most are very large and most are contemporary - but not all.

Drive it, hike it or rent an "art cart" - a golf cart all dressed up in paint. Cost is $20 for the cart and $8 / each for entry. This would be an excellent place to take a picnic and spend a few hours.

Chicago 2010

Beautiful sunny, 80 degree day for a boat tour on the Chicago.

Super interesting to see the city by boat. At least 5 different types of architecture in the buildings around the city.

Chicago 2010

Awesome 2 day trip to Chicago. Did the Frank Lloyd Wright studio and home tour in Oak Park. Not cheap... I did the interior tour only - cost was about $27. There's also a walking / outside tour.... either self-guided or with a tour.

The home / studio is in a lovely area - street lined with gorgeous big homes sitting on expansive lawns. Ah... those were the days.

Most interesting was the drafting room - held together by a series of chains and pulleys.

From there it was a fairly short drive in to the city. Dinner at Rosebud - italian restaurant (yum).

February 2010

Do you see me smiling? Laid off 2/19/10 from Buztronics. What a crazy place. I need a job with a company that isn't filled with family members... anybody? Bueller?

First time to be laid off
First time navigating the world of the non-working and filing unemployment

Prefer to have slightly more upbeat "firsts" moving forward.