Category: Animals

Crazy geese and chocolate cake

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Yesterday we had to make a run to the Market Day store to get more of our favorite chicken, so we decided first to visit a little farm that is connected to a nature center we used to frequent. I was surprised to see three fat geese hanging out. They were aggressive, trying to nip at our shoes through a fence! I got some nice photos of them, so there, geese! We also saw some pretty horses, cows, and not-so-pretty pigs. You can check them all out here.

This morning we went to Ikea since we know they carry cheap desk lamps and I needed two for the lightbox Joe built me. First order of business, however, was breakfast. Ikea’s is surprisingly good, and only $2 for scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, and french toast sticks. The potatoes are my favorite ever since they got rid of the weird seasoning they used to put on them. The french toast tastes like elephant ears to me because they are deep fried. I usually give some of mine to Joe because they’re too greasy.

One of our finds today was a square grill pan for only $14.99. We were just discussing how one would be more convenient than the heavy two-burner grill plate we own, and there it was! I tried it out for dinner, grilling chicken breast, and it was perfect. After grilling, I put ham and swiss on top and stuck the chicken under the broiler, making little chicken cordon bleus. I made roasted broccoli and cauliflower to go along with it. Very tasty! Oh, and we topped off our meal with a slice of chocolate cake from Portillo’s. We had picked it up yesterday and had forgotten about it. I realized as we were eating it why it’s so damn good – it tastes almost exactly like a Hostess cupcake which I love but don’t buy anymore.

As I’ve already written, I can’t avoid the Christmas stuff anymore. The stores just won’t let me! I saw the cutest stocking stuffer at Target today, although I couldn’t justify the $7 price. I’ll do my best to explain it. First, take a look at this. Ok, so now picture a bigger globe with a tree as the piece that spins around inside. Then think of those white balls that are inside a bean bag chair. Now imagine when you push the button and the tree starts spinning, all the balls swirl around like snow. Very cute!

Museum of Science and Industry

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We made our visit to the museum today and while some things have changed, we still made it through all the exhibits we were interested in seeing in under four hours. The first one we hit was the special Star Wars exhibit. It was interesting, but I’m not so sure it was worth a special $10 fee per person. I was also peeved that they placed Darth Vader at the end under bright lights making it impossible to get a decent photo without tons of unwanted reflections. Boo on you, MSI!

Millennium Falcon

After the exhibit we went on the Millennium Falcon “ride” which was really just a simulator with a five minute show about the universe as told by C-3PO. Only 5-6 people can go at a time so we were with a family with this nine year old boy who had a total anxiety attack and didn’t want to go on the “ride”. I think he left before it started and then the younger girl started whining so the family left early.

We didn’t cheap out (for once) and ate in their cafeteria. As we were walking toward it Joe sniffed the air and said “I smell food” and I replied, “I smell $20”. It wasn’t quite that much – more like $13 for a chicken caesar salad and a sandwich. Still a total ripoff but I was so hungry I didn’t care.

One thing that blew my mind was the U-505 Submarine exhibit. The museum has owned the sub for a very long time – I recall visiting as a child – but I could have sworn it used to be outside. Sure enough, I was correct. In April 2004 the museum moved the submarine and then built a new wing around the massive vessel. It was a great idea because the new setup lures more visitors. Plus they make more money by charging a fee to go inside the sub which I don’t think they used to do before. We didn’t go inside, however, because I’m claustrophobic. Speaking of, I can’t tell you how ridiculously anxious I felt just sitting in the real 727 they have on display. I don’t know how I’m ever going to kick my fear of flying if that made me nervous. But I digress…

I was disappointed that the prenatal development exhibit was closed for refurbishment because it’s one of my favorite exhibits. Morbid, I know, but fascinating. Luckily the chick hatchery was still there because it’s always a must-see when I visit the museum.

Since we spent more time at the museum than we originally estimated, we skipped the Planetarium. We toyed with the idea of hitting Lincoln Park Zoo to check out the expanded lion house but the weather was starting to turn ugly so we discarded that idea too.

I think I’m set for at least another five years in regards to the museum now unless they have another special exhibit worth venturing into the city to see.

Museum of Science and Industry set at Flickr

Scarecrow Festival

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St. Charles’ Scarecrow Festival is by far the best festival I’ve been to this year. It’s also enormous! We lucked out and found street parking 20 minutes after the festival opened and headed to the park where we checked out some craft booths to pass the time before the first Skydogz show of the day. I scoped out the location ahead of time so we scored seating with a good vantage point, including having the sun at our backs for optimal shooting. I’m really pleased with how my photos came out too, particularly considering my lack of experience with action photography. The dogs were so energetic and entertaining, we’ll definitely see them again next year.

Skydogz

After the show we took the pedestrian bridge over Fox River to check out all the scarecrows on display. What a madhouse! It was difficult to stop and get photos without being run down by all the people. Plus it was nearly 90° and we were tired from all the walking. We were hungry but man are the concession prices outrageous! We did try some roasted corn, however, and it was good. Then as we walked back to Joe’s truck we stumbled upon a booth selling homemade root boor and deep fried Snickers bars. We shared both and wow, they were yummy!

Full photo sets:
Skydogz
Scarecrows

Kelly Miller Circus

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The circus came to town last week and I decided we needed to check it out. The last time I remember going to a circus was when my grandparents took me. I was about 10 years old and I got to ride an elephant which was the highlight of my week. I also got a blow-up elephant to take home that I loved until the day my cousin sat on it and it popped. I was so pissed off sad. But I digress.

This circus wasn’t too shabby. Not that I have much to compare it to. The tickets were reasonable and the show was longer than I expected – nearly 2 hours (longer if you count the intermission). The first round of gymnasts, I guess you would call them, was a group of Asian guys. They reminded me of that guy in Ocean’s 11. If you’ve seen the movie you know what I’m talking about. They are very flexible and were jumping all over the place, through hoops, etc. There were also some acrobats that climbed a pole another acrobat was balancing on his shoulders or forehead. No nets either! There were horses, dogs, camels and elephants that performed too. And only one clown, whew! Not a big fan of clowns. I liked the juggler, however. He was near the end of the show.

Now the not so great stuff. It felt a little claustrophobic inside the tent and it was hard to breathe. They took every opportunity to try and make more money by selling tons of concessions, toys, coloring books, elephant rides, etc. I felt bad for the people sitting behind the kids who won these monster balloons. It was a gimmick to sell bags of peanuts – some bags had a tag inside saying you won a balloon. Like they couldn’t wait until the end of the show to do that? It was packed in there as it was.

But in all, I enjoyed the show and I managed to get a few decent photos too. I had my camera on the fastest shutter speed and ISO I could get away with. Of course I ran out of memory just as the elephants came out and had to switch to my Powershot which sucks in low-light situations but what can you do? It was still an interesting experience.

I heart nature

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A little earlier today Joe was on the phone with his sister when he motioned to me to look out the window. Lying on a tree branch was a squirrel. We weren’t quite sure if it was our squirrel since it’s been a month and half since we’ve last seen her. We had started to think she may have ended up as roadkill.

All doubt was erased, however, when I opened the patio door and she jumped down and bounded toward me. I threw some unsalted peanuts out for her to munch on. She was a little more hesitant and smaller than the last time we saw her. I think maybe her absence was because she had babies! The neighbors came outside, spooking her, so she ran back to the tree and laid down on the branch, looking toward the peanuts sadly. I went upstairs to take a shower and when I came back the peanuts were gone and so was she. Hopefully she’ll be around again soon.

Oh and as I looked outside I saw a beautiful Eastern Tiger Swallowtail flutter by. Too bad I couldn’t get a photo of that; they seem to be so rare around here. Here’s a photo I took of one last year.