In the Shadow of the Evening Trees

We’re back after a brief hiatus, and we’re kicking things off with some firsts! This week, we share stories from our recent trip to Savannah and Hilton Head—our first time visiting both! We made the journey for a truly special occasion: a surprise birthday party for Jenn’s great aunt (and Godmother) who turned 95!  Back home, we experienced another “first”: a block party on our street! While most...

It’s been a busy few weeks, but we’re back after a brief hiatus. This week, we talk about what we’ve been up to lately, including a whirlwind weekend that included a cookout with friends, our second screening of the documentary, Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between (produced and directed by our dear friend Claire Jeffreys), and a fantastic Sunday day marching in the Chicago Pride Parade with o...

In this week’s episode of In the Shadow of the Evening Trees , we talk about how it’s kinda, sorta, maybe, finally summer in the Chicago area.  We also talk about: Our oldest daughter’s exciting engagement news! How we’re loving our backyard pool (finally!) The ups and downs of living way up north of downtown Chicago And a bit about Pride Month and why it matters to us As always, thank you fo...

In this week’s episode of In the Shadow of the Evening Trees , we cover a little bit of everything—because that’s how life goes! Jenn shares stories from her recent work trip to San Francisco, while Dave takes a stroll down memory lane to his own high school visit to the Bay Area. With warmer days ahead, we’re opening the pool and prepping for summer—though Dave may not have realized that Jenn’s w...

We’re back after a short break and we hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day. On this week’s episode, we cover a little bit of everything—from a gala to family legacies, and even a saintly surprise. We start by recapping the Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration, an annual fundraising event for Lambda Legal ’s Midwest Region, which was held in the stunning Modern Wing of the Art Institute. It was a...

We’re back with a new episode, and this week we’re diving into a little bit of everything, from our ongoing support of Lambda Legal, to a delicious neighborhood discovery, and yes… some eyebrow-raising political developments. First up, we’re so excited to share more about our fundraising efforts leading up to the Bon Foster Gala on May 9th . It’s such an important cause, and we’re grateful to ever...

We begin this week’s episode with a reminder that we are raising money for Lambda Legal’s critical work in defending the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and people living with HIV. As Lambda Legal’s CEO Kevin Jennings often says, this is our “What did you do during the War” moment, and we hope everyone rises to the occasion.  For more information on Lambda Legal’s work and their recent successes ag...

In this episode of In The Shadow of the Evening Trees, we talk about our fundraising efforts for Lambda Legal and the Midwest Region’s annual Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration, which takes place on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Art Institute of Chicago. You can buy tickets to the event here , or donate any amount on our fundraising page .     The money raised helps with lega...

On this week’s episode, we continue our conversation about our recent trip to Cozumel to celebrate our 30th anniversary, and we talk about challenging yourself to do new things. Jennifer talks about going snorkeling for the first time, and, in particular, snorkeling in open water. We also talk about striking the right balance between scheduling enough things to do to keep a vacation interesting bu...

We’re back after a two week hiatus, one of which we spent celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in Cozumel, Mexico. On this episode, we talk about that trip, from making a rookie mistake (you might be able to guess what it was!) to snorkeling, off-roading, tequila tasting, and hanging out with (or trying to avoid) midwestern rednecks!  Yes, midwestern rednecks are a thing.  But it was...