Pasha (at Windsor & Duncan) by Rob

What we love about Pasha: Babaganush, humus, lamb, and
SAGANAKI (fried cheese):



What we don't: belly dancers "shaking it" in our faces while we try to converse and eat.
You guilt us into tipping you, ladies!


Pasha is our new favorite "take you there" place. Next time you come to visit, we'll go out for mediterranean food. It's delicious and fun - even if there is "junk in the trunk" in your face.

Where are MN Pics? (by Rob)

You have no idea how great digital cameras are until you go old-school. On our trip to Minnesota, Mary brought her old 35mm camera.
It was cool, but:
a) It's frustrating taking pictures and not knowing how they're going to turn out!
b) You have to drive somewhere, drop off the film, and pay for someone to develop the pictures (only to find out half of them are crap).
c) You can't drop off the film until all the pictures are taken.

We still need to take about 8 shots until the roll is full. So, coming soon, we're going to feature a timeline of my toenail growth, with pitcures in chronological order.

First Golf of the Year (by Rob)

I went golfing with Steve the other day - first time out all season. When I opened my bag, I found out I only had one ball... which I lost on the first hole. Luckily, the first hole runs along the driving range, so I stole a range ball and played with it...for three holes - it got wet on hole 4. Steve lent me a ball I immediately sent into the same pond as the last. The next loner got wet on hole 5. The third loner lasted the rest of the round.

9 holes - 4 balls lost. Thank God I wasn't keeping score :)

The Weekend That Was Taken Advantage Of (by Mary)

As you can see from Rob's posts yesterday, we had a fun-filled weekend! In addition to seeing The Dark Knight on Friday, and going to The Champaign County Fair on Sunday, we also went to the Showcase of Homes and saw Candy Foster at Alto Vineyards. After the tasting, I have decided my favorite Alto wine is the Weiner Dog White.

What more could you ask for from a weekend? I wasn't exactly willing to get out of bed this morning, but I feel like I took full advantage of the weekend. I even got some laundry done, and we went to 5:00pm mass on Saturday.

Champaign County Fair (by Rob)

Some winners were going to drive Mini-Monster Trucks at the fair today and I needed them to sign a release form. 92 degree heat. Humidity. It's no wonder two people didn't show up.

Mary came along. I was going to win her an awkwarly large suffed animal, but spent the money on lemon shake-ups, corn dogs, and fries instead. The heat balanced any weight gain from the food; I think we sweat off three pounds just standing around.

We did learn a lesson (for our own future reference): At noon on Sunday, the fair is mostly empty. It's probably the best time to take kids.

The Dark Knight (by Rob)

I think Mary wanted to see the movie more than I did! We went Friday night; fought the crowds and the lines, sat through 25 minutes worth of trailers, and held our pee for the entire movie.

Heath Ledger Rules! But the last 30 minutes got complex and boring. I just wanted it to be over. Actually, the movie up until the last 30 mins is 90% Joker. Then,in the last 30 minutes, the story becomes 40% Joker.

Overall, I give it a B+. And the popcorn a B.

Fours (by Mary)

This questionnaire was in my friend Kelly's blog:

A) Four places I go to over and over: work, Crystal Lake Pool (I've been to water aerobics everyday this week), hot tub, and the bathroom

B) Four people that email me regularly: Rob and Jill are the only people that email me regularly (sad, right?). About a dozen people email me occasionally.

C) Four favorite places to eat: El Torero, Penn Station, Green Jade, Chipotle

D) Four places I would rather be right now: Escanaba, anywhere if my whole family was together, New Zealand, on a boat on any lake

E) Four TV shows I watch all the time: I watch more than four tv shows all the time, so these are the four that I've been watching this summer: Kathy Griffin Life on the D-List, Battlestar Galactica via Netflix, Design Star, and House Hunters reruns

Things We Miss About MN (by Rob)

1. Pink sunsets at 10:30pm.
2. Sleeping in.
3. Wildlife. We saw deer, a skunk, lots of loons, turtles, a couple of cranes, and some fish. And a beaver dam.
4. Cool temperatures; cool breezes with the covers pulled up.
5. Being on vacation.

Minnesota Wildlife (by Rob)

Some baby loons, fifteen feet from the cabin.

Spiders. Everywhere else.

Back From Minnesota (by Rob)

Mary and I spent 5 days at the Anderson Cabin on 8th Crow Wing Lake (pic) in Minnesota. We kicked it off with a bang...literally! On July 4th, we watched fireworks shot over Leech Lake and enjoyed an excellent fish fry and live music to boot. There must have been 150 boats on the lake watching the fireworks too. Small town, good fireworks, terrible traffic cops. It took us an hour to get out of the parking lot!

So many stories (and pics) to come!

Never a Dull Day in the Anderson Household (by Mary)

Sigh...being a homeowner! On Sunday, we arrived home to find that one of our neighborhood cats dug in my flower pot again. One of many items on Rob's "honey do" list is to add mulch to the bottom of the pot, hoping that the cat does not feel as comfortable when it needs to litter next time.



While we're living upstairs, I've been using the closet in the Cinnamon Rose room for my clothes. Tonight after work, while I went to hang up a shirt, I heard chirping birds that sounded as if they were in our attic. After much recon, Rob found several nests between our vertical siding and the attic. The nests almost filled one garbage bag!



Two birdies didn't make make it, but we're hoping the mother will return to the rest of them. Hopefully the neighborhood cats won't get to them either!



We're also working with landscapers to prevent water from leaking into our foundation again. After much research, we've learned that we first need to ensure that the ground next to our foundation slopes away from the foundation, not towards it. This picture shows that this could be a serious problem for us.



We are hoping that between fixing the slope of the ground and replacing our gutters, water will not find a way into our house again. Replacing the laminate flooring in our bedroom and family room is on hold until we are more certain.

This is all happening while our siding is being replaced. Hopefully the birds will find a better home that isn't in our new siding. And, maybe, just someday, there won't be anything to do on Rob's honey do list :)

Congratulations, Amanda!

We had a fabulous weekend at the Pankau's in Murphysboro, celebrating with Master Amanda, who defended her thesis on Friday. On Friday night, we went to the Pinch Penny Pub in Carbondale and witnessed Amanda have the "biggest day of her life." A picture says a thousand words:

On Saturday, we camped at Trail of Tears State Forest, cooked out on the fire for dinner, and mingled a bit. Rob was exhausted from a long few days, so we went to bed in the tent before 11:00. I don't think I fell asleep until 1:00am or so. Either way, the trip reminded me that camping is fun, and showering afterward is even better!