Reuniting with Ashley and Davide

Among our recent visitors are Ashley and Davide, Joe's sister and brother-in-law. They live in Milan, and it's been over a year since they were stateside to visit. Davide arrived first for work training, staying for the weekend before the conference began. Joe's been enjoying a little time alone with him while I've been working like a crazy. It's really the first time they've been able to hang out on their own, since travel circumstances usually have them together in a group. One of the first steps was food, naturally. I managed to join them at Garcia's for burritos before my bar shift. When his massive roll of meat and tortilla arrived, Davide's eyes lit up. “I forgot I was in America! I love this country!”

I first met Davide a couple years ago when Joe and I went to Italy for their wedding. He grew up in Turin, making him an amazing tour guide for our caravan of family and friends. We spent a few weeks touring the country, staying with Davide's family before the wedding which took place in an incredible castle-turned-hotel overlooking the countryside. The highlight of my trip (I think) was the rehearsal dinner. Avid diners that we are (as you might have noticed), Joe and I were thrilled to learn it would be at an agriturismo, a completely self-sustained restaurant. Everything served was raised on the premises, from the risotto to the lamb to the wine. While this was impressive enough a fact, it was compounded by the fact that it was probably the best meal of my life. It took hours (as did most of our meals), but it was such a sublime experience, with amazing food and love in the air.

 When Ashley finally arrived this past weekend, I was working again, but managed to join them for brunch the following morning before they left for southern Illinois to meet with Ashley's parents. We went back to Lulu Belle's so Joe could finally give it a try (he tried to stay cynical about it, but couldn't deny the appeal of his fluffy omelet and perfectly seasoned hash browns). We didn't notice until we reached the restaurant, but the guys were perfectly matched in yellow, while we were in pale pink. We looked very precious on our double date. The guys didn't care, but I broke up the party by changing before Ashley and I went for pedicures. While our visit was short before they left to spend time with Ashley's parents, we'll be reunited next week when I join them in Michigan for a week at the lake.

Mourning

If you see this bike, please throw a brick
 at the asshole who's riding it.

I was going to post about seeing Moonrise Kingdom yesterday, and the many ways it was reminiscent of my childhood romance (spoiler alert--mine ended in divorce). But that will have to wait because some ASSHOLE stole my bike Hector from behind my building last night! Where is the logic? It has little-to-no value. It was next to half a dozen much flashier bikes that were just asking for it. And yet, my sweet little work horse was taken against its will. I think the ASSHOLE must have realized I had some faith in humanity left, and decided to crush it. Also, I had a cable lock. That was dumb.

Sigh, there goes my transportation/exercise/tour guide for the summer.

Scrambling

It could use a little graffiti... 

One of the best parts about Chicago is that it's a big city next to a big beautiful lake. Would I swim in Lake Michigan? no, but it makes for a lovely bit of scenery for biking, jogging, picnicking and sailing. My activity of choice (given that I don't have a boat) is scrambling along the rocks. At least, I think that's what you call it. There are large boulders along the water's edge in certain areas, and it's a blast to climb, jump and crawl across the shoreline. It's a great way to get some exercise against a picturesque backdrop, but it also involves balance and a little problem solving, which keeps it from getting dull. My lower body is still a little sore from all the lunging and leaping yesterday, but a pristine afternoon on the lakefront was just what I needed after a couple dreary days of rain. We followed up our scramble with homemade strawberry-banana-mango smoothies when we got home. Game on, summer! 

This little guy popped out right beside us,
and we looked like paparazzi
 trying to get a good shot of him. 

Swinging From Umbrellas is Strictly Prohibited