Paris

Cely, Alexis and I are in Paris for the finish to the Tour de France. I am using a French computer so will try to update this but it will be short.

Jim & Maria Cross Came Up To Visit

Jim and Maria drove up this weekend to visit. They got in Friday night so we just had time to sit around the house on our back 3 season room. It was still pretty pleasant out there. That room has heated up some now that the temps here are up around the 90s. Saturday morning we stopped by the farmers market. The strawberry season has started around here and the vegetables are becoming more varied. For the first time I was able to buy some shitake mushrooms there. I can't wait to cook those up. After picking up a couple of things we headed up to Bloomer for breakfast. We ate at the Bohemian Ovens, a restaurant that I heard had pretty breakfasts. I had some oatmeal pancakes for the first time. They were pretty good but such a different taste; one I wasn't expecting.

In the afternoon we took a walk along the Chippewa River on a bike/walking path that goes through town. The river was full of people drifting downstream on rafts, inner tubes and even inflatable beds.

Pictures from Ropes Course

Recently I wrote about the Eagles View ropes course on the UW Eau Claire campus. I didn't have pictures of me at that time. Recently, Becky Seelen from the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce sent me some pictures she took of the event. Here they are.

That's me up on the wires with Ted Okrzesik one of the members of my group. We were pretty high up there.

Springtime in Eau Claire

Our Spring blooms were all out in full glory for the last few weeks. I took some pictures before they all faded away. This has been a cold Spring here. I wonder if that has helped.

UW Eau Claire Ropes Course

Last week I went to the last meeting of the 2009 Leadership Eau Claire group. Each of these days, dedicated to allowing our groups to know themselves and the community, have included something terrific. The last meeting did not disappoint. In the afternoon we went to the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Eagles View Challenge Ropes Course. I was thinking that there would be no way that I could get up in the air and complete some of these challenges but I was able to conquer my fears. I was thrilled that I could face my fear of heights. Lisa Schuetz took pictures of the event and has the proof that I actually went up on the "Pamper Pole" and swung by cables over the bluff above the Chippewa River. Below are some pictures from the universities site that show the ropes course.

The first picture shows the cable swing that shoots you out over the river valley. The second shows the "vines course". I didn't make it all the way to the other telephone pole (it was just out of reach when I pooped out) on this exercise. My balance was so bad that I ended up hanging from the vines for the most part. The bottom picture is of someone up about 25 feet in the air getting ready to jump off the pole and try to catch a trapeze bar. I made it to the top of the pole and jumped off but missed the bar. It was exhilarating!

Our Quick Visit to Chicago

It seems like all of our traveling seems to center around eating. On Saturday morning before leaving for Eau Claire Cely and I took Adrienne and Alexis out for breakfast. This time we went to the Original Pancake House in the Gold Coast area. The Original Pancake House is a typical pancake house that started in Portland, OR. We never ate at that one but have eaten in franchizes in Milwaukee, Madison and now Chicago. This one in Chicago had a little extra with these seats outside. The weather was perfect and the people watching was great. After we ate Cely and I headed back to Eau Claire so that we could get some things done around the house. Weeds and the garden are anxious for my touch. The yard has been looking spectacular lately with everything in bloom. I need to make sure it stays that way.

Feeling Like We Were on the A List

Tonight we are in Chicago for a quick visit with the girls. As soon as we got in everyone was ready to eat. Cely and the girls wanted to go to Piece Pizza, a restaurant on North Ave. in Wicker Park. When I walked up to the host to put our name on the waiting list I heard them tell the person in front of me that there would be a two hour wait. Yikes, we were all starving. Then the coolest thing happened, this guy who was working the host stand walked up to Alexis said hi and that he would get us right in. Alexis knew him, so he walked us past everyone in line and seated us immediately. It was very cool.

In The Evening After Needed Storm

The apple trees looked particularly pretty this evening and the birds were possitively shouting with joy for having made it through another rain storm. They were all trying to see who could sing the prettiest song.

The yard looks so nice after I mow it. Too bad I hate mowing. Then there is the Creeping Charlie that adds that lovely purple tone to the green grass.

This for my sister in DC. Its cherry blossom time in Eau Claire!

Chicago

Chicago has really made their main streets look nice with flowers.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

The McIntyre Library Ultimate Frisbee Team

Tonight I went and cheered for the Library Ultimate Frisbee team. It was their last game of this season. They scored their most goals for the year during this season. Congratulations team!

So I loaded this video of the team that I took. Well, I was actually trying to take a picture of the team but I haven't figured out my phone camera yet.

Easter weekend with June

Cely & I am in the QC to visit June. We decided to try and fly. We also met up with the girls in Chi. So we are all here hanging with June.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Inauguration Day 2008

I spent the day at work but we had the CNN coverage on a monitor in the library.

John H. Pollitz
Director of Libraries
UW Eau Claire
Eau Claire WI
715-836-4827
--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry

New Years Eve

It looks like another quiet New Years Eve for Cely and I. That's just how I like it though. I can remember some crashingly boring New Years Eve when expectations were high but never reached. Not even close. Like the one time we went to an actual nightclub and were the only ones there over 30, no make that 23. That night ended early.

Tonight we are doing Italian traditions, at least as reported on Rick Steve's NPR travel show. For good luck we are eating lentils (soup) and grapes (separate from the soup). To ensure travel in the new year we plan on touching suitcase handles as the new year arrives.

Adrienne has already celebrated New Years Eve. Her's happened at 8am CST. She worked a flight to Hong Kong. E-mails from her say that this has been one of her best trips. December was a good month for her, a trip to Paris, then Sao Paulo and now Hong Kong.

Easier blogging

It looks like I can now post to this Blog from my blackberry.

John H. Pollitz
Director of Libraries
UW Eau Claire
Eau Claire WI
715-836-4827
--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry

I am trying a new thing now as a way to keep my Blog up to date. This should allow me to send messages to my Blog from my Blackberry.


John H. Pollitz
Director of Libraries
UW Eau Claire
Eau Claire WI
715-836-4827
--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry