"Bloody Ham Fountain" is Too Awful a Pun

Grrr… I’m annoyed!! So annoyed I could turn this fountain to BLOOD!!

Okay, so I don’t have that kind of power.

Last night Knut and I took an impromptu drive downtown yesterday. Chicago is as beautiful as always.

There was a jam on Wabash and Washington. I was hoping it might be filming for Johnny Depp’s Dillinger movie, but alas it was just building construction, although it was pretty cool watching the giant cranes lift girders.

As we drove between the weaponless Indians, we saw the tableau before us. Buckingham Fountain (if you’re an out of towner but still feel you recognize it, it’s the fountain in the Married With Children intro) was lit up a brilliant red. We decided to take a little stroll around it.

It is a beautiful Art Nouveau fountain with big muscular seahorses that spit jets of water. The red lights were surprisingly ungory in person. They actually appeared jewel-like and really highlighted the strong lines of the decoration. Lovely!

We weren’t the only ones there. At some point, Knut and I argued about whether we were smelling skunk or Otto’s jacket, so recreation of some kind was clearly taking place. It’s a very romantic spot at night. It’s a shame I’m not trying to seduce anybody (besides Knut) because I know all the good spots now.

And to think we could have been home watching tv!

Daddy's Girl

I have a brother. He used to be 6 feet 7 inches of Rompin’ Stompin’ Rugby Playin’ Law Professing Power.

These days he’s 6 feet 7 inches of Rompin’ Stompin’ Rugby Playin’ Law Professing Daddy Power.

Fortunately, he and his wife are generous enough to share lots of pictures of their beautiful daughter and the adventures their little family takes. I just love the photos of teeny girlish Rosemary nestling snuggly against his giganto chest in her carrier. She looks so thoroughly delighted with the world and her place in it. It’s good to have a daddy. Very good.

Looking at these photos, I started thinking of other daddys. A certain one sprang to mind.

Voila!

If you’re not marine biologically inclined, there are certain species of seahorses where the male carries the female’s eggs in a special pouch. When the young hatch he contracts his pouch and the babies swim out into the open sea. As a result of this excellent daddy-ship, seahorse babies have a higher rate of survival compared to fish, where many eggs are eaten before the young hatch.

This design was sketched by me and then colored in Photoshop. The original was put onto a baby t-shirt for Rosemary, but I’m considering adding it to my etsy shop.

Here’s to you, James! And to Excellent Daddys Everywhere!