Blink and You Missed It

It snowed on Thursday.  If you blinked, you missed it.  A few minutes later the sun came out; then another snow shower; then the sun came out again.

I got confused!  I wasn't sure if it was a sign that Winter was coming or if it meant that today was the start of Baseball Season ;)

Freighter Day

This is blurrier than I would like it to be.  But given that it was dawn and the freighter wouldn't hold still for me, it's not too bad -- especially if you pretend it is an impressionist painting.  This freighter came by last week along with a few more -- it was almost like a parade.  I guess they were getting their last trips in before the weather makes it too dangerous to continue running.  

I'm posting this photo today because it is the anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald during a bad storm on Lake Superior.  So, find the Gordon Lightfoot song on iTunes and toast the "Fitz", the captain, and the crew.       

Exploring ... Stearns Quarry II

This is the fountain at the entrance to Palmisano Park (the old Stearns Quarry).  Although it was turned off for the season, it is quite impressive.  Apparently, the water is drawn from the Fishing Pond.  The fountain is connected to a chute that recirculates the water back down the park's sloping landscape to the pond.

The terraced landscape of the park

The Interpretive Sign about the park's fountain

Exploring ... Stearns Quarry I

Stearns Quarry was a limestone quarry in the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago.  It closed around 1970 and became a clean construction landfill.   The Chicago Park District turned it into a very scenic and welcoming park, named Palmisano Park, in 2009.   Here's the link for more information on this park.     

Information on the Fishing Pond (above) 

from one of the Interpretive signs in the park

Morning and Evening

I just love the interesting clouds and weather patterns that keep sliding through Chicago.  The top photo is from Thursday morning (around 9), the bottom photo is from the early evening (around 5:30).  The middle of the day was actually rather sunny.  

135 Years of Architecture

The church was completed in 1873.

The John Hancock Building (in back of the church) was completed in 1970.

The 900 Michigan Building (in back of the Elysian) was completed in 1989.

The Elysian was completed in 2008.

Dancing with Corkscrews

An interesting sculpture. And, yes, it is right outside a wine bar.