I haven't been to an Urban Sketchers' workshop in Chicago since before COVID, but this year I decided to make the trip... mostly hoping to get out of the non-stop rain we've been having in Colorado. I didn't sign up for any classes, but instead attended the sketchwalks they held every day. It really was a nice setup. We would meet every day at a park and then walk a few blocks north, south, east, or west to 3 or 4 different sketch spots. Since we now live in the suburbs, it was a real treat to sketch historic buildings once again.
Courtney signed up for 4 classes - 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Since the weather was so great, all but one of hers was held outside.
We would meet for lunch in between our sessions. On Saturday we went to my favorite restaurant, Velvet Taco. This is the place that serves the non-traditional (somewhat weird) combinations of taco flavors. Only I was disappointed, because they no longer carry my favorite shrimp & grits taco. I did get a shrimp taco, but I think they are making their flavors more Mexican. Bummer.
In the evening, we went to a Drink & Draw session at Hopsmith Tavern, though I think most people did more drinking and eating than drawing. I did manage to make a rough sketch of my hamburger, but I never put any paint on it. It was just so nice to sit down and relax for a bit after a very long day.
Courtney showed me one of her engineering projects that she's working on. It's a high-rise building that is going to be turned into residential apartments. Her company is adding an elevator to the side of the building between the two towers.
In dog news, our puppy is 2 weeks old and growing like a weed. The puppies almost look like little piglets, rather than dogs. But what do you expect when all they do is eat and sleep. Most of the time, they all look like they're in a food coma.
So this week's photo of Bruce is him sitting in the Firestone lobby waiting to see if I needed a ride home. At least this job was a lot easier than hauling 3 tons of cobblestones.
But in my opinion, my bad luck should be over, because I've had 3 issues with vehicles in the last month - the wind broke the trim on my headlight, my bike chain wore out my gear hub and is being replaced, and now the flat tire. That's 3 and I always believe that bad luck comes in 3's.
And I guess my logic is sound, because I got a jury duty summons, but when I called to see what time I was supposed to report, they said they didn't need me. Thank goodness!
