We were supposed to have a new stove delivered today. Of course today was the worst weather day so far this winter. We had icy roads, blowing snow, bitter cold, etc. All the things that make winter so enjoyable. Our stove was on its way to us inside a large tractor trailer. The driver of the tractor trailer decided to let a small electronic box known as a GPS tell him which way to get to our house. He had the choice of three roads which go south off Rt 16 and lead to our house. Two of the roads are level with Rt 16 and one has a sizable hill with a sharp turn near the top. Despite the fact that the roads were badly iced, the driver turned his brain over to the GPS, which told him to take the hilly road. He (and our stove) spent the rest of the afternoon nicely stuck halfway around the bend in the hilly road. By the time he got unstuck (with the help of a very large wrecker), it was dark and even nastier. Our neighborhood entrance is just barely over the crest of another large hill which was also very icy. This time the driver used his brain and decided against trying to turn into our neighborhood as there was a good chance he’d slide in the turn and then slide on down the hill. I don’t blame him for not wanting to try it. But that meant our new stove got within 100 yds of our house and no closer. Maybe next week we’ll get to cook again.

In preparation for moving the new stove in, I had to empty Sarah’s doll case and set the dolls on the dining room table. As I had nothing to do but wait for the stove, I decided to try some portrait shots. The doll generously agreed to strike a pose. The depth of field is a bit shallow, but I like the way they came out. The doll was impressed.

Ups and Downs of the Week

Weather – Weird, but very welcome.

Weird

Bruins – Looking like another Stanley Cup winning team.

Ups and Downs of the Week

St. Louis Cardinals – 2011 World Series Champs. Well done. They fought at every at bat and it paid off when their backs were against the wall. The entire World Series was great (except for the bozos at Faux Sports). I watched much of the games with the mute on.

Racing World Tragedies – Two top-tier professional racers lost this month. Dan Wheldon was killed in an IndyCar Race in Las Vegas and Marco Simoncelli from the MotoGP motorcycle series died in a crash in Sepang. Racing is immeasurably safer than it was just a couple of decades ago, and perhaps that makes losses like this all the more shocking.

Weather – Alright, it’s cold and you can feel winter coming. But this morning there was sunshine and a cold fog rising off the fields. Made for some nice pictures.

The rain shield was moving out today and behind it the sun and clouds made for some cool skies.

Last week and the beginning of this week we have seen some of the best weather ever. We’ve had beautiful clear skies and sunshine and perfect temps. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to grab some more shots of the fields.

Ups and Downs of the Week

Steve Jobs dies – We need someone with his vision and intellect to discover a cure for the disease that killed him.

MLB Playoffs – The small, low payroll teams are showing that high priced talent will be trumped by desire every time. Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies are all done for the year.

Patriots – Better. Not great, but better.

Weather – Spectacular autumn weather this week and it’s supposed to continue into next week. I love it.

I was up at our remote office on the north side of the university and decided since it was such a nice day (serious understatement) that I’d take a leisurely stroll back to my office and shoot some pics along the way.

Siebel Center for Computer Science

Beckman Institute

Altgeld Hall

The Quad in the center of university.

Follinger Auditorium

I think I’ll be putting lots of miles on the Z4 and taking lots of photos. I hope this forecast holds.

The Week Ahead

Here a contractor is laying drainage hoses through a field. It’s called “tiling.” According to the contractor, the tiling can pay for itself in 7-8 years through higher crop yields. The trenching machine has GPS and a computer on board to record exactly where the tiling hoses are put in. Fancy stuff.