Dinner tonight was…pancakes. Normal pancakes get a quarter-cup of batter, but I couldn’t find a clean measuring cup of the right size: these got a third of a cup, hence were a bit larger (took longer to cook, etc.).

They were very tasty.

In the summer of 1986, some fraternity guys pushed a keg – an empty one – from St. Louis to Carbondale:

When they arrived in Carbondale, Vince & I happened to be nearby; he called out, “Hey! There’s a camera over here!” So they did their victory poses, and I snapped a few pictures.

(As I recall, there was nobody there to greet them. I still feel bad about that.)

It occurs to me that these fellas are old enough now they could be grandfathers. I find that mildly disturbing.

Four years later, and four hundred miles northward:

In 1990, I was living in Prairie View, Illinois (a suburb in which prairie was last sighted sometime during the Kennedy Administration, I imagine). I had a lot of time on my hands (since my friends were all living in Champaign, except for the ones who were living in Austin), but not a lot of money (since the insurance company job didn’t pay nearly as much as I’d hoped it would); so mostly I just drove around & took pictures. I’m pretty sure this one was taken in Illinois Beach State Park. I liked how the incoming waves crashed into their predecessors’ reflections off the seawall, and used up a lot of film trying to get a good one.

Twelve years later, and back at the southern end of the state:

In May of 2002, I went on an overnight genealogy trip to Carmi. I spent some time in the courthouse, I visited a few cemetaries.

I spent the night at the Carmi Motel. It was a clean, diligently maintained place: clearly, the proprietor cared about his motel, and put a lot of effort into it. Nevertheless, it was the shabbiest, most decrepit motel I’ve ever stayed in (with the possible exception of the Montana Horror where Jennifer & I spent the night in 1996, on our way to Seattle).

The next morning, I was up early for another round of cemetery visits. South of Carmi – a mile or so down the highway from Big Prairie Cemetery, where my great-grandmother Dorothy Sturm (née Dean) is buried – I found what had until quite recently been a farmhouse. Somebody had knocked it down, bulldozed the debris into a hole (the basement?) & set fire to it.

There was nobody around when I arrived, and no sign that the fire department had been there. Just a large pile of rubble, burning merrily in the May sunshine. It was hot, too: I could feel it against my face & hands, as I walked around with the camera.

(The mailbox was still there. I took a picture of it, so I know the exact address: 1111N County Road 1450E.)

…some fella with the rather uninformative name of NikonlessRob has added me to his contacts (inexplicably under ‘Friends & Family’), commented on a bunch of my pictures, and invited me to contribute to a couple of his groups.

Um. Who is this guy?

It bothers me that this fella’s real name is nowhere to be found on his Flickr page. It bothers me that he has thousands of contacts and hundreds of ‘Friends & Family’. I don’t recognize any of the people in his photos.

I believe I will block him now. Goodbye, Rob.

This year, we’re starting our garden from seeds:

Jake: Pumpkins

Jennifer: Lavender

Pat: Sage and Sunflowers.

(I think I’ve left out a few of Jake’s & Jennifer’s choices….)

Jake & Sam had a great time spreading the soil and planting the seeds. (Sam is a bit unclear on the idea that seeds need to be planted to specific depths. Sam’s method: all seeds are planted one finger-length down. "Well, it might work….")

The finished seed beds (or whatever they’re called) are out on the back porch. If all goes well, in a few weeks we’ll have seedlings. A few weeks after that, we’ll begin the (rather involved) process of moving the seedlings outdoors.

Jake & Sam had the day off today, so I invited Jake to ride the bus with me to work. (The idea of taking Sam on a bus ride is still a bit scary. Maybe next year.)

We took the 9A, which goes through downtown and campus before circling back around toward Wolfram Research. I think Jake enjoyed the scenery.

At work, I made some cocoa for Jake and let him play with my geomag set.

Jennifer & Sam came to pick him up. Sam had a good time looking out the window. "There’s the ice cream!" he said, pointing at Custard Cup.

Tomorrow it’s back to school for Mr. Jake. I hope he enjoyed his adventure with Papa.

One of the WRIfolk – no, not me; I don’t know who – was heard to grumble, "That better not be this year’s bonus."

Went for a walk last night, with vague plans to walk down to County Market to pick up some coffee (having run out of decaf yesterday afternoon).

Somehow it escaped my notice that it had been raining heavily all day long (sputnik recorded four inches of rain yesterday), and that my preferred route to County Market crosses a small creek.

The creek wasn’t so small last night. No coffee for me, alas.

Every few years, the external surface of Wolfram Research World HQ needs extensive repairs.

Just to make it abundantly clear: JAKE IS NOT SICK. This picture was taken SIX MONTHS AGO.