Just Fun – Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3

Hot Dogging It

Fun times in the city

Yesterday I took a stroll through the neighborhood to once again visit the Windy City Hot Dog Fest. It’s an annual weekend event for hot dog lovers and street fair aficionados, blocking off Milwaukee Avenue for a few blocks in front of the under renovation Portage Theatre.

Of course visitors can order up a typical Chicago hot dog, but that’s not the point. There are also a few exotic creations available. I mean, you can get a typical Chicago hot dog any day of the year, but ordering up a rattlesnake and rabbit sausage is something else entirely. I did order up one of those, along with a snapper and alligator sausage as well. Both were excellent.

In addition to the hot dogs there’s a variety of beers available as well as the other street or county fair staples like funnel cakes and of course corn dogs.

There’s even choices for those not looking for hot dogs.

You can also find all of the usual civic and social organizations with booths and information, as well as a variety of merchants selling their non-edible wares.

What impressed me the most this year was the large number of families with small children enjoying the day, the food, and the fun. I’m sure they’ve been there in past years, but this year I was struck that so many chose to take a break from all of whatever we’re living through to enjoy fun, food and the day together on a few blocks in a very wonderfully diverse city.

More shots in the gallery below.

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End Of A Crazy Wonderful Week

Too much fun was had

Well we survived. At least I think we did. We’ve spent the last week with the grandkids and to quote their father, “these two will run you into the ground.”

A side-by-side composite of two outdoor photos taken on a wooden deck.
In the photo on the left, an older man with short gray-brown hair, a beard, and a gray t-shirt smiles warmly while giving a young child a shoulder ride. The child, with shoulder-length light brown hair and a tank top, grins down at the camera while holding onto the man's head. The background shows the back of a house with large sliding glass doors and a hanging basket of pink flowers.
In the photo on the right, a young toddler with blonde, wavy hair smiles widely while sitting on a colorful toy ride-on scooter. The toddler is wearing a pink, sparkly Disney Princess dress. The front of the toy scooter features bright purple, green, and yellow buttons on the handlebars.

We met some ground. That’s for sure. But it was a delightful time that I wouldn’t trade for any other as bonds get stronger, laughs got louder, and they keep figuring out all my grandpa tricks.

Rare Moments of Stillness

Contemplating next moves

My two grandkids are usually in constant motion, so it’s rare when I have a camera ready when they aren’t.

A side-by-side composite image features two separate photographs of two young children with light brown hair, appearing pensive or downcast in different outdoor settings.

Somehow I’m more anxious when they’re still and thinking.

It’s been quite a week so far, and it is no way close to over.

Spring Nights In The City

Weird meteorological magic

Sometimes the city calls to you and begs you to pay attention.

A wide-angle, low-light shot captures a busy urban intersection at twilight in Chicago. In the foreground, a prominent black traffic light pole features a glowing green light and a "One Way" sign pointing left, heavily adorned with stickers. A black metal trash can sits on the brick sidewalk nearby.

Certainly on some early Spring evenings, when the air is clear, and there can still be a chill in the air.

You may want to escape a jacket during the day, but it brings comfort as the sky darkens. You may curse the morning chill, but not that of the early evening.

Because you know as the weather warms, the city works its weird meteorological magic and the air warms up with the setting sun as the heat of the day escapes the streets and the buildings.

In the Spring, in the early evening, the city calls to you, and says enjoy it while you can.

Things You Run Across On A Walk

Put a fork in it

With the weather finally warming I’m getting back into the habit of taking a good long walk each day through the neighborhoods surrounding my digs. I have to admit I got out of that habit during this past winter with family travels and other things on the agenda.

Occasionally I stumble across something new, or at least something I don’t remember. This wooden sculpture of a sausage skewered on a fork in a local dog park is one of those things. A clever bit of whimsy on a nice afternoon.

We can all use a bit more whimsy these days.

Sometimes Nature Stares Back At You

Sometimes Mother Nature stares back at you with a face of her own.

A detailed close-up shot of a single pansy flower, centered within a bed of its own green leaves. The flower has two large deep-purple upper petals, while the lower central petal features a vibrant yellow patch with a dark violet or maroon mask pattern that has radiating lines. A white, slightly textured brick wall is in the background.

Best not to look away.

Home Again

Grandparent duty

Whew. We’re back home after a week helping out with the grandkids. Good times. Good fun. Crazy exhausted.

Catching them for extended periods about a month in between each tour of grandparent duty, it’s astounding to see how fast they grow. Most of my grandpa tricks don’t work any more. So, I’ll have to pull out a few new ones for the next visit.

The Evil Eye

We’re bird sitting the newphew’s bird this weekend. Don’t ask. Long story. The little sucker doesn’t like me much and keeps giving me the evil eye.

Poisson D’Avril

Choking jokes

April 1 last year I posted about how much I miss the good old days when April Fools’ Day was a fun day. Memories of those days were fading then. I’m afraid they are only shadows now.

P.12 poisson davril 470x376.

As I said a year ago:

I guess the negative reactions started to take over when the Internet, home of more copycats than original copy, made the proliferation of pranks available to all including those who would do so for malicious reasons. Call it Internet gluttony. That joke is always on us, because while humans do enjoy a good laugh, we also seem to enjoy overdoing just about anything to the point of pointlessness.

Some would say we’ve grown and matured in the face of an overabundance and overuse of prepubescent humor. I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate.

I think it takes maturity, a sense of humility, and humor to face the challenges every day presents. Certainly in these dark times. It also takes strength, and increasingly, courage. It’s easy to shut down and turn away. That doesn’t diminish the darkness, nor does it brighten the day.

Perhaps last year’s post was an unintended start of a new April 1 tradition.

Last Night with the Kiddos

We’re heading back home in the morning after spending a few days helping my daughter out with her kids while our son-in-law is away on work. Damn, they grow up fast and furious.

Lots of big hugs and kisses after family movie night tonight watching How To Train Your Dragon.

We’ll be back at it again soon, but it never feels like it’s soon enough.