Ramp-a-liciously Spring

OK. Forget what the weather is like, now it is really Spring because Ramps are in season. Ramps are a wonderfully earthy cross between garlic and an onion and are the first green edible item to emerge after the long dark winter days of root vegetables (really, how many ways can you make potatoes, carrots, and onions). Seasonal eaters REJOICE!

Ramps may also be responsible for the name of this city. You see, the Potawatami word for wild onion (also skunk, but we choose to ignore that translation) is Checagou. Apparently the area had a lively crop of ramps "back in the day", giving the area a distinctive fragrance.

Happy Spring!

Moving

Guess you can only cross your fingers and snap the shutter when you're in a moving car and capturing a moving train.

All Heart

(Click to enlarge the photo)

Another really fun and informational public art display appeared on Michigan Avenue recently. Last Summer it was old refrigerators with energy saving messages. Now it is Hearts with heart healthy tips that decorate both sides of Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Chicago Avenue.

Officially titled Hearts-A-Bluhm, the hearts, sponsored by various civic and corporate groups,were created by Columbia College students and staff. Northwestern Hospital's Bluhm Cardiovascular Center came up with the idea to promote public awareness of heart issues.

The one little problem is that most of the heart healthy tips are on the base of the statues and currently covered with snow leftover from the Blizzard of 2011. That problem should be resolved by the end of this week, when temperatures are forecast to hit 50 degrees. Then the Blizzard of 2011 will melt into the Flood of 2011. (Forget the shovel, where is my rowboat?)

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

The Intersection of OOH and AAH

A Truck at an Intersection + A Line of People = The Cupcake Truck

Now followers of this blog already know that Chicago has some kind of obsession with cupcakes (see this post or this post). So when I was walking down Wabash and saw a truck with a line of people by it, I had a feeling it might be the cupcake truck I'd been hearing about. Apparently, they post on Facebook and Twitter where they will be and wait for the people to arrive.

If you bake, frost and tweet it, they will come

Cupcake Options

Devil in Disguise, No Plain Jane, PB&C,

Mocha Me Smile, The Curious George, The McDreamy,

CinnaHoneyStreusel, Smore Me Over, Great Pumpkin Patch

Tempting Treats

I guess I should have tried one to see what the fuss is about but I was already in the middle of a large pumpkin spice latte and was a little concerned about sugar overload.

Stand-Off

It was a stand-off. The traffic was stopped so the bridge could be raised so the Odyssey could sail up the Chicago River. But ...

The bridge wouldn't go up so the the Odyssey was stuck in place ... along with the traffic. I hope everyone involved at least noticed and enjoyed the pretty blue water (and the pretty blue sky) for a while why they were stuck.

Red, White, and Blue

A Red, White and Blue post for the 4th of July.

Have a Safe and Happy Independence Day

Red: A Summertime License Plate

Although I use 30 SPF religiously now, there was a time that I considered Johnson's Baby Oil perfectly sufficient (admit it - you did, too). And I put lemon juice in my hair for highlights. Really. I was THAT uninformed.

White: Pritzker Pavilion in a Blizzard

OK. Not a recent photo (thank goodness!). This was taken back in February during a blizzard. It was a day that I was wondering if Spring - let alone Summer - would EVER return

Blue: Spinning Lighted Hula Hoops

A recent Downtown Sound concert at Pritzker Pavilion brought out the Hula Hoop Spinners.

Sunset Competition

So after I commented about the sunsets and clouds on the east side of Lake Michigan, I guess Mother Nature was trying to show me that she could produce some interesting sunsets and cloud formations on the west side of Lake Michigan, too. This sunset and storm cloud was brought to you by yet another strong winded, sky-streaking lightning, cats-and-dogs raining storm that knocked down trees, flooded suburbs and generally created havoc in the Chicagoland area.

Feathered Friends: The Next Wave

The next wave of migrating (and some Summer residents) birds have arrived in Chicago.

Top row

Northern Flicker (top), Killdeer (bottom), Long Eared Owl, Dark-Eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker

Bottow row

Fox Sparrow (top), Hermit Thrush (bottom), Eastern Phoebe, Field Sparrow (top), Vesper Sparrow (bottom), Ruby Crested Kinglet (top), Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Song Sparrow, Hermit Thrush

Click on the photo to enlarge it

The individual photos will, over the next day or so, get to my Chicago Bird Watcher site, here.

Still Too Much Blue

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. This year, as in years before, the Fourth Presbyterian Church has tied blue ribbons on the trees by their North Michigan Avenue location to bring this issue to everyone's attention. In 2009, there were 29,688 confirmed cases of child abuse in Illinois.

As I wrote last year, that's way too many blue ribbons.

Ice Fishing: Chicago, IL vs. Madison, WI

Chicago
This ice fisherman on Wolf Lake was heading home for the day ...

Chicago
... but some of his fellow ice-fishing fans were still holding out
despite the frigid Sunday temperatures.

Madison
But Madison seems to have a much larger ice-fishing fan base
as this photo (from a short trip we took last weekend) shows.

Feathered Friends: A Long Way Down

This little Black and White Warbler was in Grant Park. It was scampering up and down the tree trunk looking for dinner. It seemed like it was thinking "Uh-Oh! How did I get way up here? It's a long way down" when it looked down from this branch. At least that's what I'd be thinking.

As usual on Feathered Friends Friday, there are a few more pictures of this Black and White Warbler at my birdwatching blog.

Riverwalk Extension

I've previously posted a photo of the city's project to extend the riverwalk. This is the view of the work they're doing from Michigan Avenue to Wabash.

May Theme Day: Shadows

Today is Theme Day and the theme, chosen by vote, is Shadows. ( Click here to view thumbnails for all participants )

I was walking along the Riverwalk in early April (shortly after the theme was selected) and noticed that the shadow in the Chicago River, created by the Columbus Street Bridge, was pretty interesting. It resembled a pool that is used for swimming races - the kind with the lane dividers. The shadows from cars, taxis, and trucks that drove over could be the racing swimmers.

Here's a side view of the shadow and the bridge that created the shadow. Plus there's some bonus shadows: the railings from the Riverwalk create some geometric shadows along the sidewalk.

Fountains that Spit

The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park has two large screens that display several different faces in rotation. At regular intervals during the Spring, Summer, and early Fall, the faces spit water into the plaza area. On really hot days, you'll see visitors, mostly children, getting cooled off. The mouths are lined up with the water spout to give the illusion of the faces spraying water. The faces are the artist's (Jaume Plensa) modern take on the gargoyles and mythical creatures that usually spray the water in fountains.

Northerly Island Birdhouses

Northerly Island, formerly Miegs Field, is quietly becoming quite the nature and recreation area. Nice bike/running/walking paths exist and it is starting to attract migratory and resident birds. Last Friday, a slightly clouded sunset really brightened up the birdhouses that are along the shore.

Above the Clouds

Fog rolled in again this morning, blanketing parts of the lakefront. I've always found it an interesting perspective when the fog only covers the bottom half of the skyline - making it look like the buildings rise higher than the clouds (or, that these phantom buildings are floating around). Yes, this is the Chicago Skyline - a segment of it that you don't often see. I guess you can call it the New South Loop skyline. A lot of high rise buildings - offices and residential - have sprung up in the south Loop in the last several years.

Drill, Baby, Drill ... in Millennium Park?

No, they aren't trying to fill in the city budget shortfall by looking for oil under Millennium Park. This, like the giant red T-Rex, is part of "The Big World: Recent Art From China" exhibit that is taking place in Millennium Park. This one is called "Kowtow Pump". There are three oil rigs created by artist Shen Shaomin. They're supposed to be caricatures of oil rigs so, instead of moving smoothly when activated, they will twitch erratically.

They remind me of giant ants from an old science fiction movie.

Lazy Morning Loon

Since it is still early in the boating season in Chicago, the water fowl still have the run of the harbors. This loon, in Montrose Harbor, is taking advantage of one of the last "boat-free"weekends.

Simply, Sunrise

Saturday, April 18, 2009, 6:05am