May 1, 2001 - September 30, 2005

[Tannerman]

Today Amy and I handed over the keys to our apartment, officially completing the transition to our new home. It was a sad moment, actually, because we have so many memories at that place. It was the first place we've ever had together since we got married.

Our old apartment building, no longer home

Amy actually moved in back in May 2001, while I didn't join her until February 2002, meaning she lived there 4 years & 5 months, while I lived there 3 years & 7 months. Our old place had character, that's for sure. It was a classic Chicago building with wood floors, nice dark wood trim, and a "cozy" feeling.

Living Room (and Steve's "office")

Of course, it also had just one bedroom, radiator heat, no water pressure, and general "oldness." While we had great times there, it was time to move on. I'm a sentimentalist by nature, so it's always hard for me to make a change, even if it's for the better in the end.

Hallway

Our landlord Karl was an 86-year-old German guy who was pretty nice. He asked to meet with us this morning to say good bye, return our security deposit, and just visit. He lives with his wife now in the suburbs at a retirement village. Over the years, he's always been really nice to us and has pretty much been there to meet our requests.

Kitchen

As we met with him this morning, he was in a storytelling mood. We learned some pretty amazing stuff about his history, specifically how he served in the military during World War II. It was almost the kind of stuff you'd see watching something like The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Bedroom

Apparently, he grew up in Yugoslavia, served in their military, got dragged into the German military, served in Greece, was about to be die from typhoid but bumped into the right folks and got healthy, later his life was again in danger and he ran into a high-ranking German officer and became his personal translator, etc. It was a pretty amazing story, that's for sure! We're going to miss Karl.

Beverage Review Tree(s)

One more thing about leaving our old apartment. We not only lose the memories there... we also lose the "Beverage Review Tree", the tree I typically shot as a background for my various beverage reviews. In reality, this "tree" was actually one of three trees that sat in front of our building. Depending on the time of day, location of the sun, and the season, I positioned the pop bottles accordingly.

Spring


Summer


Fall


Winter

The whole tradition started back in June 2004 when I reviewed Sprite Remix Berryclear. For some reason the outside lighting always seems to shoot better, thus after I found a bottle of the beverage, I thought I'd just shoot a photo of it next to the tree for the best effect. The rest is history. But no worries... I'll find a new place to shoot those bottles!

In any case, Amy and I are moving on... but it's still somewhat sad in an odd kind of way.

[Design Girl]

Oh, I think I need a tissue.

Memories............like the corner of my mind........
It takes me back to the first apartment I had right down the street from you. "Hello and farewell Sunnyside".

[TheProfessor101]

I'm really excited for both of you on this new transition in your life. Ah, the joy of memories...