Chicago Weekend

My niece, Jennifer lives and works in Chicago.  Recently I was looking at a blog that talked about the Randolph Street Fleamarket in Chicago.  It is the last week of each month during the summer.  So I wrote my niece to tell her about it.  I'm not sure if she invited me or I asked to come for a visit but we decided on this weekend. First I borrowed a GPS which I love, love, love.  No keeping track of maps and ramp numbers, just let the little voices when to get over to the right or left and then a little dinging sound that tells you that you did good.  I've got to get me one of these.

I got to Chicago quite quickly, 4 hours, but I didn't know that Jennifer had to work until 7:30, so that gave me about 4 hours.  So she called and told me how to get to the salon where she works.  So I walked there and got to see quite a bit of the neighborhood where she lives and works, Andersonville/Ravenswood.  After dropping in to say hi, she gave me the keys to her apartment, but told me that the shops in the neighborhood were worth checking out.  So here are a few of the shops.

Brimfield was a great shop that has antiques and specialized upholstery with wool blankets and other interesting fabrics.

Foursided was a cool shop.  Framing, art work and paper ephemera like old classroom charts and maps.

Andersonville Galleria had a lot of wonderful artistic items.

So after grabbing a little lunch I walked back to the apartment to wait for Jennifer to get home.

I love her building as it reminds me a lot of my last apartment in downtown Lansing with hardwood floors, glass doorknobs, terrazo floors in the bathroom.

Saturday morning Jennifer had go to into work for a couple of hours.   When she got home we went to the flea market.  There were vendors outside and then in the Plumbers has in the auditorium there were more higher end vendors set up.  Although not as big as I hoped, it was lots of fun.  And we both got a little sunburnt.

When we got back from the flea market Jennifer asked me to show her some of the features on the sewing maching that I have picked up at an estate sale for her.  She wanted to try her hand at sewing curtains for in their new apartment. So we had fun going through all the features and helping her figure them out.

Saturday night I treated to dinner at a restaurant of Jennifer and Lief's choice.  Jennifer chose a mexican restaurant.  We were surprised when we got there that they take reservations but they did have 1 table for walk-ins so we were lucky.  Jennifer had scallops, Lief  mahy mahy and I had pulled pork with black beans.  All the meals were wonderful, service outstanding.  Definitely on the top of the list.

 Sunday morning after breakfast I showed her how to straighten up her fabric and how to start by finishing the edges of her fabric.  Her boyfriend became an uncle this morning at 6 am so he was anxious to head off to Michigan to see his new nephew so  we started out by noon.

Traffic was pretty slow coming home but since it was earlier than I had thought of leaving it was easy to be patient and just enjoy the sights.

So tomorrow it's back to work, with the start of the 2nd week of classes.  Well, I think a good time was had by all.  Thanks for the good time Jennifer and Lief.

Tomatoes & Quilt block

Something else we got out of the garden on Sunday were some unique tomatoes.  My mom bought the plants from a neighbor of my brother and his wife.  They are about the size of a golf ball but are almost black in color.  They are nice and sweet.

Tonight is the Variable Star group meeting.  We just started a block exchange.  Two months ago we couldn't decide just what we wanted to do next, round robin, mystery quilt, block exchange, etc.  So we threw everything in a hat and ended up drawing out a block exchange.  This is the first month that blocks are due.  I started with Melanie's block which is pictured below.

We will also have our quilt for Dian who just moved to Florida.  So people are supposed to sign their blocks tonight.

Peaches, Sweet Peaches

Friday my mom got a card from our favorite U-pick farm, Hanulcik Farm in Ionia.  Peaches were ready for picking on the weekends, so we immediately made plans to go pick at least a few on Sunday afternoon. Over the years my mother and I have always enjoyed picking whatever was in season.  Hanulcik's have strawberries, peaches, plums, necatrines, and 5 or 6 varities of apples.  The peach varities that were ready to pick were, Red Havens and Paul Fridays, so we each picked a peck of peaches.  Jo Lange, a close friend, went along too and she picked a half bushel.  We all picked  Red Havens and then just to try the Paul Friday variety we picked just a peck of those and split them between us.

I can't think of many things better than spending time in an orchard.  The dropped fruit that has started to ferment adds a lovely sweet smell to the air, and the trees look just lovely laden down with fruit.  By the time we drove from the orchard to the barn to pay and opened the trunk, all that peachy wonderfulness rushed out at you.  Although beautifully colored, the peaches were a little hard, but a day or two in storage should ripen them quickly.

I think mom is was going to make a cobbler to take to hospice this week.  Today she was busy putting up corn relish before the racoons get any more of her sweet corn.   I sliced up a few to go on sponge cake at the Charm group potluck tonight. And think I may do that to the rest  and just freeze them.  Although I'm toying with the thought of trying to make peach butter.  I picked up cherry butter and pear butter at Shipshewana a few weeks go, and am going to look for a recipe to make peach butter, is there is such a thing.

Peaches, plums and nectarines should be ready next week.  Applies in September or October although a frost really hurt the apple crop there in Michigan this year.

Ann Arbor quilt show

Saturday started out with water aerobics  at 9 and then mowing the lawn after I got home.  Yesterday was the Ann Arbor quilt show.  So after mowing the lawn I was once again on the road by myself.  The show was very nice.  Here are a few of my pics.

Possible idea for hand dyeds we are going in October.

Quilty by Carol Harris.

Art Deco Engineer made by Sandy Aasgaard.

Jo, this one is for you.

It was a nice show with quite a few vendors.  Bought a few fat quarters for a polka dot quilt I'm planning and some black on black for a red, white and black quilt that's coming.

I tried tried to find the Trader Joe's market in Ann Arbor but didn't have much luck finding it.  So instead I went to the Home Goods store in Brighton.  Got turned on to this store by a couple of blogs I check.  I think spent a couple of hours looking and looking.  If I didn't have the bed of the truck still full of garage sale left overs I would have bought a black leacher arm chair that wsa on clearance.  Picked up a nice frame for a scherenschnitte that I picked up at the quilt show, along with some drawer sachets and some really nice soaps for Christmas.

So it ended up being an enjoyable day.