Chinese Lanterns, Bernie, & Jazz Trio

We Were Promised Sticky Fingers

We pulled into Chicago around 7pm, CST, unpacked quick and headed straight out to Ribfest! And why not?

THe place was still jumping, for a Sunday night. But this is Chicago now. Yuula even caught her first live rock show. We Were Promised Jetpacks were closing out the whole shebang and was decent musical accompaniment to sticky fingers.

Yuula is checking the Uncles off the list, as far as riding the shoulders is concerned.

We had 3 full racks and a pulled lamb sandwich. It was the first time Yuula's eaten ribs. Mine too.

Ribs on the corner. Welcome to the city. Gonna be a good week.

What The Founders Found Us For

Well, first we got ice cream. But on the way there we passed a huge antique barn we always think of stopping at but never think is open when we pass by. This time we saw some buzzing so we checked it out, and while we have no photos to prove it, it was quite the joint. Young bearded fellow ran the place and had lots of reclaimed unfinished gems. He told us how he owned 8 buildings on the property including a rustic old closed down restaurant, a barn and a mine. He's trying tfix up the place and get some festivals and such going on next year so I think I may have just found a new friend. He talked about how he'd been cleaning out the Penn Hills Resort on 191. What a job. Pretty cool. But ice cream was waiting. We bought some small glass bottles and a nice heavy duty wooden crate.

Once we got downtown and finally found a parking spot Yuula got anxious for some 4th of July festival-ing. We found the Trunks almost immediately and cautiously headed into the slow-moving sea of scantily clad Stroudsburgians to see what we could see.

Yuula had no idea what she was looking at, but she knew she liked it.

Laura and Dunja did the firetruck watergun race to try and win their daughters a toy.

Any guess who won?

Yuula chose the "ornie fisss" as a prize and held on for dear life.

Jordan and I scoped out some new shades to go with our newly formed John Cusack fan club.

After a hectic brouhaha at the gyro stand we finally claimed our spots on the lawn to wait out the air show. We devoured some pretty decent sloptruck gyros and Yuula got medieval with her hotdog.

Norman Bates-y.

She didn't mind sharing her lemonade.

We had to withstand some pretty terrible live music, including but not limited to punk covers of Billie Jean, another band whose leader wore a large top hat (think Abe Lincoln) and played the trumpet like his tonsils were on fire, and then some geriatric karaoke of Can't Help Falling In Love that made UB40's version sound like Jethro Tull. We had our own entertainment tho. Yuula and Isabella tore around that crown like they were qualifying for the baby Olympic relay race using the "ornie fisss" and Bunny as a baton.

Just before te fireworks started the girls left for some funnel cake and came back with instead with Bluth Bananas. They are not as good as George Michael would have you believe.

Fireworks at 9:15.

Kielbasa Baby

I passed thru Wyoming the other day. There's a Wyoming in Pennsylvania. I know it doesn't seem big enough, right? I assure you, it is. But more to the point, in Wyoming they have the Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Fest every summer, and this year it falls on August 27th & 28th. It's a two day affair. The only reason I mention this is that it's the weekend before our little girls due date. People are already hanging banners. It must be close. If we're lucky, we'll have a kielbasa baby.