Hotel room windows.

With only a couple exceptions Hotel rooms always have a window. The view out of that window can vary greatly. Sometimes it can be very lovely but most of the time it is not. I have often had good luck with windows in my room in Italy. This trip was no exception. Here is the view out of the window in Sienna.



The famous tower in PIsa.

Back in Italy

I was invited to an Integrase meeting in Siena, Italy. Neat Medieval town. The city hall and tower were built in the 1300. Amazing! The plaza is also known for a horse race called the Palio. Its a big competition between the different neighborhoods in Siena.



This is our friend Cristina having dinner on the piazza in Siena.


This is the domo (or cathredral) in Siena. I like the striped pattern.


After the meeting I went to Pisa and had a chance to go fishing in the mediterranean sea with a new friend Mario. His boat was on the Arno river. Unfortunately, we couldn't get out into the mediterranean because of rough seas. But we were able to fish in the brackish water near the sea.



Mario caught 4 nice little sea bass which he returned to the water to get bigger. I lost two lures. Guess I will have to come back when the seas are calm to try again.



I also visited the piazza in Pisa. This panorama give a nice sense of the area. So beautiful on a sunny day.



This is a nice view of the tower.


This is our friend Andrea with some of his algae cultures. He is working on an exciting new biofuel project.


We went out to two wonderful restaurants in Pisa. This is Mario at IL Granaio (the barn) with a famous tuscan dessert where you dip biscotti into a liquor. Actually very tasty. And you have to drink the liquor after you run out of biscotti. Ciao. Hope I get to return to Italy soon.

Bears WIN!

It was a beautiful fall day at Soldier Field. Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers. It was a crazy game and the Bears defense was a bit disappointing. But the Bears won 34-29. This is a picture of Patrick and I after a interception for a TD by the Bears. What fun.

Shed Aquarium - JELLIE'S

My sister Connie was in town and was spending the weekend with us. We decided to go to the Shedd Aquarium. I was excited to see the jelly fish exhibit. We had seen something similar at the Monterey Aquarium. They were amazing and I was disappointed that I had not brought my good camera to the Monterey Aquarium. This was my second chance to take pictures of the Jelly fish and so I brought my good camera. Glad I did. Took a bunch of interesting images and show a few below.















We wandered throughout the whole aquarium Here is a picture of everyone in front of the Beluga Whale exhibit.


Then we went to the Dolphin show. It was pretty good. They can really jump!


The last area we visited included a reef exhibit. Very colorful fish. Reminded me of Heron Island.





Chicago does have a beautiful skyline.


Then we made a quick visit to the Field Museum. Alex loves to emerge from the cicada shells.


Diane and a Giant Sloth Fossil.


Connie, Bart, and Alex near a representation of the diversity of life on earth.

Homecoming York HS, 2011

Its fall and time for the annual High School ritual of the Homecoming dance. Bart and Katie do make a cute couple.

Bangkok, Thailand

Tom had to go to Bangkok Thailand for the AIDS Vaccine 2011 meeting. This was his first visit to real Asia. Japan is to westernized to count. The people were friendly and wonderful. The dollar was worth something so everything is reasonably cheep (except in the hotel). This is a Buddhist temple along the river called Wat Rakhang.


Tom in a Tuk Tuk. A traditional vehicle in thailand which is essentially a motor cycle taxi. Not much headroom, but lots of fun.


Here you can see us next to out Tuk Tuk. Pretty small, but all three of us could cram ourselves in for a ride. I will admit it struggled a bit on uphill stretches.


The giant swing at Wat Suthat.


We visited a marble buddhist that was under renovation. As we arrived, there was a ceremony taking place. Very interesting. Then we took a tour of site.


This was one of the residences where the monks live. I love the bright colors.


Here you can see a part of the temple where restoration is complete. It looks great.


Here I am with some of the hosts at the meeting banquet. I felt very tall in Bangkok. Kept having to duck to avoid hitting my head.


The streets of Bangkok we always pretty busy, day and night.


This is the view of Bangkok out of my hotel room window. Bangkok is a large city with an interesting mix of the old and new. The locals were amazingly friendly and the city seemed very safe.


This picture may seem out of place but it makes perfect sense. This is the future location of a Hope lab microscope that will be involved in a study in Thailand. Very exciting and I will have to return to make sure that everything is working efficiently.

Another year of Fantasy Football

Just finished the drafts for my 2 2011 fantasy football teams, Bear Down and Fluorescent Woodchuck. Logos for each team are below. Always a crap shoot, but lots of fun. Maybe I will will win one of my leagues. Probably not. Like so many things in life, history will decide.