Eight Pictures
... And just a few words
A friend we’ve known since the early 1980’s came to visit us this week. We got to show them around our neighborhood, as well as many other places. It was fun and exhausting and has left little time for writing, so I am offering some of what I hope are the more interesting photos of this week.
I have been continuing to adapt to picture-taking with my vision - I’m certainly thankful for auto focus (at least when it works) and I’m especially grateful to my spouse, Pat, who responds willingly when I ask: “Can you hold my white cane for me?”
I’m old-school, having learned on 35mm film and getting to use the university’s darkroom when I was an undergraduate. I sometimes feel as if modern digital photography (and post-shot manipulation) blur the lines between photography as an art form, and graphic design. Or, perhaps, that’s just what an old person is going to say. Nonetheless, I will admit to a little tweaking of exposure once in a while, and a bit of straightening out the image by cropping. I suppose I’d be even more dogmatic if I could see the viewfinder or my cellphone screen a bit better. But regardless of my crankiness, here are some pictures from this past week.
First is a shot along a path in the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary (with the city skyline framed in the center).
On another day, we spent time in the Chicago Cultural Center. This is a room in the half of the building that used to be the Public Library. Peaking between the columns is a massive Tiffany dome.
Like most museums in the city, the Chicago History Museum is overwhelming. There are a few framed original posters on display for concerts, and I can only imagine what the experiences of attendees might have been like.
There was room after room of plants I knew of and those I’ve never heard of at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. One of the volunteers, who had been busily tending to the needs of the flora, stopped for a moment to talk with us. She said that she has a stressful job, but can find some peace “with my plants.” The first picture is of one of the rooms leading off to a separate climate zone, and the second is a large leaf that has captured some moisture.
This past week, the Chicago Transit Authority had its 78th anniversary! As a way of celebrating, they brought a couple of “L” cars out of retirement. The cars are over a hundred years old (made for a predecessor to the CTA) and are lovingly maintained by retirees and volunteers. The CTA ran these cars around the inner Loop over the lunch hour for anyone who wanted to ride on them. They were packed with enthusiastic riders.
Whenever we’ve visited the Nature Museum (which is a short walk from where we live), we’ve always found the young people who are there to be energized. Well, to be honest, that is true for a lot of the adults, as well. Just walk through the Butterfly Haven, and you’ll understand.
But all of this is only a small part of what we got to share about our new home.
