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It's been quiet here.
The past two weeks have been a little overwhelming. My grandfather passed away last Wednesday. While it was hard to lose him, I am thankful for the memories I have and that he was a part of my life for so long.
After the service, my grandmother unearthed boxes of photographs from their lives. This is one of the best of the two of them and it means a lot to me to have a copy of it.
I will miss you Grandpa.
I woke up early this morning and couldn't fall back asleep. Usually when this happens I lie staring at the clock, angry that everyone else in the world is peacefully asleep and I am not (not logical or reasonable I know, but I know better than to argue with my mind when it has not gotten enough sleep). When I can no longer pretend that I am going to fall asleep for more than five minutes at a stretch, I get up and start the day grumbling and frustrated.
This morning though, as I watched the sky turn from dark blue to blue to daylight I decided to go out and take a long walk. I loaded up my ipod, threw on some shoes and headed out. The first mile was a slog of grumpiness, but as I kept going, my mood began to lighten and I began to walk through the stresses and problems that caused me to wake up so early in the first place.
And then the sun came out over the lake just as I was turning around to head for home and it was magical.
I think I may make a habit of this.
Sidenote: I also had one of those divine inspirational moments when making my playlist. After just throwing a bunch of songs together, I started it the moment I left my building and had JUST the right amount of music so that the last song was ending as I walked back in. WIN!
We've been waiting f o r e v e r for even the tiniest inkling of summer (or spring...I will take anything that's not frozen and cloudy at this point) to show up in Chicago. I've unpacked and re-packed my winter clothes so many times it's laughable (or cry-able because that's what I do now every time I have to pull my #$%& sweaters out from under the bed and cast sad puppy eyes towards all the summer dresses patiently lined up in my closet).
But Monday.
Oh, Monday.
Monday was beautiful. And warm. So very warm. It was weather that required, nay, demanded a picnic. And winter in Chicago has turned us into quite dutiful soldiers when it comes to obeying the weather.
So we picnicked. The following photos were rather hastily taken as the art direction of lunch quickly fell victim to the eating of lunch. I have no regrets.
Black bean, corn and jicama (apparently the 'j' is silent??) salad which was delectable.
Two kinds of cheese from the odds-and-ends 'little cheeses' basket at Whole Foods. Humbolt Fog is amazing for the record.
And of course a Parisian starch to act as a vessel for the above accouterments.
A little discovery: Cas Cal is a soda with a terribly boring and nondescript name but a GREAT taste. They make 4 flavors and since the soda is fermented in a process similar to beer it has a much more interesting flavor than most other sodas. It is excellent and I would highly recommend trying it out.
Cherries are about to be in season. The world rejoices.
Laziness. Also, happiness.
Cheers to relaxing sunny days.
Here's the second batch of photos from Architectural Artifacts - artsy black and white version.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we spent numerous hours combing through the treasures at Architectural Artifacts this past weekend. As we walked through the space, I was compulsively photographing, desperate not to miss any of the interesting things that were packed into every available square inch.
I often leave my camera behind when I go out as it frustrates me to realize I've spent an entire meaningful event frantically looking through the viewfinder for the best shots. Times like these mean that I come away with nice frameable images, but very little memory of the actual event. In high school I photographed everything, in college next to nothing. Now I am working to find a balance. Consider this post a step towards that goal.
And now I give you...old stuff!
The walls of the entryway are covered in drafting and architectural drawings. I got so drawn into the lovely minutiae of the work that I almost forgot there was an entire warehouse space left to be explored.
There was a whole bathtub filled with vintage slides. I love how slide film is like a little window into a moment in time.
Lots of vintage agricultural paraphernalia from Argentina (?!) of all places.
Am I ever a sucker for antique glass doorknobs. It's a good thing that all our doors already have the standard issues don't-change-a-thing-or-you-lose-your-security-deposit door handles or I would have been shelling out some serious cash for door bling.
Want want want want want.
Old litho printing plate. I've been trying and failing to figure out why thousands of firemen needed to be printed.
Had I been in possession of the thousands of dollars of disposable income which I am sure this sign costs, then I would have had the coolest bathroom in the history of bathrooms. Alas. It was not so.
And of course it could not be a true vintage emporium without selling a plethora of vintage seltzer bottles that cruelly no longer work. Ah well.
Tomorrow I'll share the rest of the photos along with what we
were able to affiord
bought!