Murals

I always like a beautiful mural. This one is in the 1800 block of east 71st Street. It is one of several on the ABJ Community Services building.

After the Ornaments

What do you do with the Christmas Tree after the ornaments, lights, and tinsel are removed? Recycle it! Chicago encourages people to take their trees to recycling centers to keep the trees out of land fills. The trees are chopped up into mulch that is thmade available to residents.

Park Bench: Winter and Autumn

More from the early January blizzard - WHY I didn't post these back then is unclear to me. Anyway. I was walking around in the Grant Park/Millennium Park area and I suddenly remembered I had taken an Autumn picture of this park bench that I had not posted. It isn't a perfect replica photo but you get the picture.

Tracks in The Snow

Sorry this isn't as timely as it should be. This picture is from a few weeks ago when North Pond was frozen over. I'm pretty sure these are the tracks of an adventurous rabbit that dashed over the snow-covered North Pond.

Thinking about Spring

Yes, I know Spring is a few long months away but it is nice to think about it - especially after a long stretch of photos that are primarily white, gray and icy blue.

These beautiful murals line a stretch of Commercial Avenue in the South Chicago Neighborhood. According to notes on one of the murals, they were created by students of the South Chicago Art Center. The SCAC blog states that "The hope is that the paintings improve the aesthetics of the neighborhood."

I think they accomplish that goal and also provide a nice pop of color on these monochromatic winter days.

Winter Sunset

I loved how the sunset turned the horizon and the smoke from the buildings a delicate shade of pink.

Icy Shore

I have a few more photos from the snow and freeze period in earlier January. This is from North Avenue Beach. In nice weather, this is the bike/walking path. But, on the second weekend in January, it was a bumpy and very slippery glaze of ice. It forms such an interesting pattern.

Different in the Winter

At first, I didn't recognize what these were. Then I realized they were the pylons that ring North Avenue Beach. The ice accumulates around the pylons, creating little shapes that look like floating tree stumps.

Tree Illusion

The sun created this shadow of a tree on a mostly-frozen and snow covered North Pond.

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.

Crystal Blue

It is cold here. Monroe Harbor is starting to ice over.

Picture Frame

I thought the large gazebo in the Bloch Cancer Survivor Park created a nice picture frame effect for the snow dusted trees in the park.

Somebody Likes Snow

Whoever wrote this must be very happy. It snowed all day today and the forecast is for more of the same tomorrow. Something I noticed while strolling around today is that people seem to see a blanket of snow as another opportunity to say what's on their mind in even fewer than 140 characters.

New Year, New Statue

A new monument was put up recently in Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue. This one, shown below, honors Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable. DuSable opened the first trading post in the area (in the 1770s) and is recognized as the founder of Chicago. According to the monument, his home was located in the area. (Also in the area is the marina that is named after him.)

Signs of Ice

This is a "leftover" photo from the end of December when an ice storm came through Chicago and interrupted holiday travel. I can see why travel was so messed up. Everything - street signs, trees, plants, stairway railings - was coated with a layer of ice.

Blue Moon in a Blue Sky

This is actually the day after the Blue Moon (second full moon in a calendar month). The moon was setting at this point but still bright enough to see clearly in the morning sky.