Papa!

L.A.T.E. Ride 2007

Wow. I can't believe this is my TENTH year doing the LATE Ride. I mean, is there a certificate for such a feat? So, this had to of been one of the coolest rides yet. Temperatures were in the low 60s and ideal for a long evening ride. Brian "booty bumped" me towards the end of the ride and I ended up in a sandy ditch and almost lost total control of my bike but I recovered. Below are a few pics I took. Enjoy.

Me directing Brian on taking my picture before the ride begins (1:30am).
A view of sunrise over the lake as we after just having completed the ride (5:10am).
Fellow LATE Riders (10,000+) having breakfast around Buckingham Fountain.
Brian striking a pose and quite happy after completing the 25 mile ride.

A Day At The Taste

Yesterday I took a day off from work and headed into the city to graze it up at the Taste of Chicago and to see CSI-The Experience and the recently updated U-505 Submarine Exhibit at The Museum of Science and Industry. The exhibits were pretty cool and the food at "the taste" was pure gluttony! We tore it up from the floor up and we almost threw up! While grazing I ran into Scarlett, a co-worker from Mexico City who I haven't seen in like over 2 years. She was in town visiting her boyfriend. What a small world! Below are some of the pics from yesterday. You can see the whole set by clicking here. -----> Touch Me

Brian points to the amount of poo a cow produces every day.
Me standing in front of the U-505.
Scarlett from Mexico City and her boyfriend Frank who I ran into at the Taste of Chicago.
This angel came up from behind and put these horns on my head. He scurred the crap out of me!
Brian eating some Puerto Rican Jibarito (Plantain Sandwich w/ Steak).
Luis showing his blue tongue from eating some blue rasberry Italian Ice.
Some ghetto birds hanging out and waiting for a free meal that someone might accidentally drop.

Garden Pic Of The Week

I found this little guy wondering around the flowers in the patio yesterday morning.

Night Out With The Boys

Last night I met up with my BFF Mark and some of his friends to celebrate Anthony's birthday! It was a lot of fun. Anthony was obsessed with this rubber ducky hanging on the wall which he managed to get and is seen above in all the pictures. LOL Good times! Happy 4th ya'll!

iPhone for the iFreak

Just another iFreak with his new iPhone.

Cicada Life Cycle Video

Okay okay, one last piece of info on Cicadas. I found this very informative video on the Cicada lifestyle. Very cool vid set to music by Enya. That's it. No more Cicadas for 17 years!

What Cicadas Have Taught Us

I'm sorry to say that the Cicadas are pretty much gone now. For me, the great Cicada invasion of 2007 was truly an amazing event to witness and experience. Who knows where I'll be in 17 years but if I'm not in the Chicago area, I will make it a point to come and party with these these amazing creatures. Anyway, I also wanted to share this interesting article I found in the Chicago Tribune on what the Cicadas have taught or can teach us humans on life lessons. Enjoy.

LIFE LESSONS: What The Cicadas Have Taught Us
10 bits of wisdom by Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel

• Savor every moment. Good times can be farther apart than you know.
• Whether you consider it clean or dirty, you still don't want to get too close to a dog's mouth.
• It doesn't matter that you fly badly. Only that you fly.
• Be patient. Even bottom feeders get their day in the sun.
• It's amazing how little you really need to throw a good party.
• Stupidity and ineptitude are not insurmountable when you have numbers on your side.
• Make all the noise you want, but it's common decency to quiet down during bedtime.
• Beware excessive pickiness. Spend too much time looking for your perfect match, and life will pass you by.
• Persistence pays off.
• It can seem like forever, but 17 years can come and go in a hurry.

When Cats Attack

Cicada Sounds

Brian and I took our bikes out for a spin yesterday. We wanted to go see the Cicadas one last time before they all died. We started heading east along the Great Western Trail towards the heavily infested areas of Lombard and Elmhurst, IL. Once we got to Lombard we were, or least I was, in awe. Surrounding us were hundreds if not thousands of Cicadas singing in the bushes and trees. At the same time there was also this eerie high pitched "hissing" sound in the background coming from the little Cicadas as well. It sounded like a bunch of flying saucers from those old Lost In Space episodes. It was a very surreal experience. Above are two clips I recorded during our bike ride. You can hear the "hissing" sound of thousands of Cicadas in the above left video (Notice the wave of singing Cicadas at second 17 coming into full force). The above right video shows a close up of a few hundred singing Cicadas on a small tree in Elmhurst, IL.

Juliano - Switched At Birth

Can you tell which person above starred in the 1970 children's classic, "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town"?

Hiking On Kelleys Island

I finally got a chance to go through my pics I took on Kelleys Island last weekend. Renee from Didymops invited Brian and I to come along on a nature hike with her and friends from The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Despite the extreme heat and humidity it turned out to be a very fun hike! We did a bit of bird banding, searched for fossils, and got to see Kelleys Island's famous Glacial Grooves. Afterwards, Jay, Larry, Judy, Brian, and I headed over to the Village Pump for some brewskies. That was a hoot! Below are a few pics of the things I saw during the hike. More pics can be found at the following link: Click Here . Enjoy.

Cliff overlooking Lake Erie.

Some yellow bird about to be tagged.Me releasing a grackle. (Photo by Jay Cossey)A random butterfly.

Hunting for fossils on Kelleys Island.

A fossil I found.

Glacial Grooves of Kelleys Island.

Renee's Birthday Party

Lui5 wants to send some birthday lurve to Renene. Happy Birthday Renee! Below are some pics of her exclusive BBQ party which I was invited to this past weekend. Enjoy!

Can Anyone Spot The Real Monkey In This Pic?

Brian and Renee Befriend A Homeless Person

Brian and Renee befriended a poor homeless man and offered him a free brat at the West Side Market.

Cicadas Invade Elmhurst

As promised, below are some pictures of the periodical cicadas Joe, Samantha, Tyler, Isabelle and I chased down in the streets of Elmhurst . Thanks go to Sue Campbell for being so kind in inviting us over her home to take pictures of the little buggers. I'm planning on going back in a few days to see if I can get some video of them singing in the trees. You can see more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lui5/sets/72157600263413699/ .

Cicada Nymphs emerging from their burrows.

Cicada Nymph climbing up a tree.

Me holding a newly emerged cicada nymph.
A cicada molting and leaving behind its shell or exuviae if you will.

I don't know why but I found myself helping many cicadas make the journey from the ground up into the trees. Just being a good sumaritan.

Here is a pair of cicadas making the long climb up the trees by themselves.

Another picture of a cicada with its wings fully dry.

Cicada Nymphs molting and empty exuviae.

Joe eating a cicada.

Portrait of a Cicada

Cicadas Emerging In Elmhurst

Yesterday after work I got a call from Samantha and Joe telling me about some cicadas emerging from the ground in Elmhurst. Being the enthusiastic Cicada Chaser that I am, I grabbed my camera and drove to Sam and Joe's house. From there we drove into the southern part of town and the above is what I captured. The video on the left is a newly emerged Cicada Nymph crawling up the bark of a tree. The video on the right is a video of a Cicada that has just moulted. I will post more pics later.

Welcome Back Cicada

Yes, the Periodical Cicadas are back after 17 years in the ground. I have not seen one in my area yet but this is supposedly the day they start coming out of the ground by the thousands. Lui5.com is on Cicada Alert. I do not want to miss this great insect like I did back in 1990. For some reason the Cicadas did not emerge no where near my home in Waukegan. Anyway, I will keep you posted if and when I start seeing those darn little critters.

Las Vegas - Day 4

Our last couple of days in Vegas was spent gambling the rest of our savings away up and down the strip. I was $60 under after everything was done. We also visited old Las Vegas and to our surprise the Pride Parade was going on. Below are some of the pics of our last two days in Vegas. You can see more pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lui5/sets/ .

Las Vegas - Day 3

Today we decided to drive to Red Rock Canyon which is just 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas. The park is famous for its huge red sandstone peaks. Paul, Rick and I did a little hiking and rock climbing while we were there. We were able to spot an endangered desert tortoise as well as an Uinta Chipmunk trying to keep cool in the near 100 degree heat by laying its belly on the cool shaded sand. Below are some of the pictures I took in and around Red Rock Canyon.