Cassius Play

We have a dog.

Cassius Play (AKA "Cash") was rescued from a kill shelter in Kentucky and brought to Illinois by Wright Way Animal Rescue.  Aimee and I have been looking at dogs for some time, and talking about it even longer.  We especially wanted to rescue a dog vs support a corporate chain pet store.  Not that I believe that buying a dog from Petland is in and of itself always a bad thing, it's just that there are so many neglected and unwanted dogs in the U.S. that have nowhere else to go.  Three to four million dogs are euthanized each year in the U.S., and that statistic isn't just due to pet stores but mostly to people who don't spay or neuter their dogs.  I could go on and on about this but I won't do that here - I just wanted to introduce you to Cash.  He is an approximately one-year-old Schnauzer mix who is like an angel in a dog suit.  I plan on posting updates on Cash as his antics and idiosyncrasies come to life.  For now, he is relaxing and adjusting to his new life here with us.

Snappy Service System

I was made aware of the unveiling, if you will, of the former facade of this small building through an online discussion at the Forgotten Chicago Facebook page.  This building, on Ashland just south of Division, was last a La Pasadita Mexican fast-food restaurant.  Just like all other La Pasaditas in Chicago (there are in fact two right across the street -can anyone say oversaturation?), this one had been painted bright yellow.  For some reason or another, workers were seen removing the paint and other external furnishings.  Here are the photos that motivated me to photograph them myself - the first photo is from Google Street View, and below is a photo (I did not take) from yesterday.



I decided to head there myself to document the vintage facade myself.  It was hard to get any decent photos due to the timing (a lot of traffic that kept me from backing up for a wide shot) as well as a big tour trolley parked right in front of it.  This building oozes character.  It will very likely soon be all redone.