WhimsySeasons: June 2012

6/30/12

6/29/12

My friend Matthew once took a picture outside the Quito, Ecuador airport of a man walking in front of a car, with an airplane taking off above them. It was fantastic. I have never quite captured the same kind of city bustle as he did in that picture. But this photograph is one of my attempts, with the train above the pedestrians above the water taxi.

6/28/12

Cloud Reflections

The Cloud Gate Bridge is not the only beautiful reflective surface in Chicago. Sunday I was captivated by the reflections in some of the buildings downtown.

6/27/12

Trump Towers

6/26/12

Zero Balancing

Sunday my Aunt Deanna graduated with her certificate in Zero Balancing. Congratulations, Deanna! If you've never had a Zero Balancing session (a body-mind system of hands-on therapy), you should. It's great. Anyway, so Deanna was graduating and I planned to take the Metra to graduation. Turns out, the train I needed left from the Ogilvie Transportation Center, not Union Station, as I assumed. This should have been an easy distinction for me, these buildings are nothing alike. Alas. I missed the train and the graduation. Here, for your information, is the difference between the two stations so that this never happens to you.

Union Station. Old and Beautiful. Marble and Wood.

Ogilvie Transportation Center. New and Modern. Glass and Steel.

6/25/12

Hospital

So, Grandpa is in the hospital recovering from the open-heart surgery he had Tuesday. He contracted pneumonia post surgery. The good news is that his heart is doing well, and he has not had a stroke. Twice a day when the nurses take down his sedation he is able to follow commands-wiggle your toes, open your eyes. The other 23 hours a day he is in an induced coma. It is going to be a long haul, a good fight, before he is back to breathing on his own, or swallowing, or being awake more than half an hour, or, really, anything. He's fighting hard, and while he fights I want to be at the hospital with him to let him know that lots of people are pulling for him. That he has three sons and lots of extra family and friends who cheer for him. So, for now, I will stay in Chicago and see what happens.
Selfishly, postponing leaving Chicago will allow me to get unemployment more easily. And there is no better time to be in Chicago with some time on my hands than summer, right? I still want to go hiking, but first, life is happening. So, thank you to all who have recommended books for me to read, because I have several hours a day to read now. Currently I am working my way through Studs Terkel's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" It is a collection of interviews and reflections on death. I recommend it.
Today I spent the morning walking the river at Wacker Drive and taking pictures, I'll share those soon.
I also took pictures of Grandpa in the hospital, because he loves photographs; and someday I'll show these to him. But I think it would be barbaric to post them here. So instead here is a photo to illustrate the immense complexity of the care he is receiving. Each of these bags is a medication being given to him through his IV drip. Each one of the tubes coming off the right of the stand is connected to his body.

6/24/12

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad, in his favorite place in the world, on the boat. (Although here it is, admittedly, still on land!) My brother is the handsome guy on the right!

6/22/12

Lisa's Pineapple

One of Lisa's dreams in life is to carve fruit for a living. Here is a pineapple creation.

6/21/12

Night Bean

6/20/12

Puzzle Ball

Years ago I got this puzzle ball for a quarter out of a vending machine. I really like it. I played with it a lot, and it has survived many moves with me from apartment to apartment.

When Grandpa stayed with me we went to Millennium Park and saw sculptures, and this one, a 13 foot tall yellow sphere, The Tabachin Ribbon, by Mexican artist Yvonne Domenge, was intriguing and comforting to me. I even went back several weeks later by myself just to sit on the sidewalk and admire it. And I finally figured out that partly I like it because it is the shape of the puzzle ball, so it felt familiar. It drew me in.

Change of Plans

Hello, all. I feel strange publishing this for public consumption, but I have said repeatedly that this blog would be the place to find information about my Trail hiking adventure, so here goes.

Before today I sold my car last Wednesday, had my last day at work on Friday, moved all of my belongings to Joel's basement and had a friend buzz my hair to a 1/4 inch on Sunday, in preperation to leave for the trail.

So here is today's update...Grandpa had surgery today at Loyola in Maywood, near Chicago. It did not go as hoped. He is still being sedated through tonight and into tomorrow. He had to have open heart surgery and will have a longer than anticipated recovery time. Tonight it is still unknown if he had a stroke or kidney damage during the surgery. Tomorrow we will learn more.

I am at my parents' home in Indiana for today and tomorrow. I had planned to leave for the Trail on Thursday morning, to start hiking on Sunday. Now I plan to wait at my parents' house tomorrow and maybe Thursday. Then, I think that I will go to Chicago and stay while Grandpa is in the hospital for his recovery time. Each of his three sons will be working, and none live near to Loyola, so I don't want him to be alone there. And I feel more comfortable being with him than going ahead to the trail, at least for now. This could take a few weeks, or something else. We'll learn more tomorrow. I still plan to go hiking when Grandpa is feeling better, when it is more clear what his impact from the surgery is going to be. But for now, I wait and I hope.

Thank you for checking in.

6/19/12

Orange Butterfly Milkweed

6/18/12

Drum Beats

Without the sound of the drumbeats these pictures lose a lot of their impact. Imagine 20 or more highly skilled, enthusiastic drummers in a circle near the 63rd Street Beach. The womyn dancing were also very talented. And in the last two pictures you can see the woman playing a flute, she was the only female musician out that night.

6/17/12

Clematis Flower

6/16/12

Calla Lilly

6/15/12

Today

Today is my last day of work. I have no image for that. I don't know what the future will bring. I am sad to leave my co-workers. But I am ready to have a change of pace. And I am glad that I will no longer be doing death investigations. I am tired of thinking about dead children and their caretakers every day. That said, I will very much miss being a part of the work of this office. Soon I will be leaving to hike the Appalachian Trail, one step at a time.

6/14/12

River Walk

6/13/12

The deer

Last Saturday I went on a 'hike' with my friend, Craig. Here is a series of pictures of him encountering a deer.

Craig in the woods, walking quietly.

Craig, moving off the trail, quietly.

Sneaking closer, being quiet.

The deer, noticing Craig.

Watching each other.

Getting bored with each other.

6/12/12

Weirdly Inspired

Once a month or so a group of fascinating, talented, beautiful, strong young womyn gather together for dinner. We talk, swap stories, eat good food and laugh. We met on Friday night and talked about husbands, jobs, moving, surgery, kids, current events, pregnancy, and breast-feeding. We also talked a lot about the Appalachian Trail and my preparations for hiking it. As we were leaving one woman told me that I had "weirdly inspired" her. I echo that sentiment back to these wonderful womyn. They inspire me with their intelligence, faith and kindness. Thank you!

Cool Womyn

6/11/12

Welcome

One of my best friends and her husband welcomed a new baby into the world yesterday. Welcome, little one. My wish for you is that we treat you gently. That we notice and nurture your uniqueness. That we care for the earth you will inherit so that it can sustain you.

6/10/12

Ashland Bridge

When you drive across the bridge on Ashland, just North of the Chicago Sun Times, it feels like a scuddzy place. But if you park and walk west down the River Walk it is nice.

6/9/12

Demolition 2

A continuation of yesterday's observations...

I don't know what purpose this tower served, but next to the two windows and a door I think it is fascinating.

I couldn't get near the rubble. Everything is surrounded in fencing and barbwire. The right side you see here was the exterior. The left side was the interior.

I don't remember if these two pieces of building used to be connected, or were distinct buildings. I like seeing the stories of the building. This side would have been the inside.

2ND FLOOR SOUTH ELEATOR

6/8/12

Demolition 1

There is a place between Ashland Ave. and the river, near the Orange Line train stop where part of a building was torn down. And I find it fascinating. I think it is beautiful. So much so that I took 50 pictures on my way home from work last night, mostly trying to determine what about it so much captures my curiosity. I think it is the stairs and ladders. But also the layers and stories. Or maybe it is the doors and windows. Then again, I like that you can see the outside and inside of the brick building at the same time. And of course, I am intensely drawn to the bright colors. Today I'll post a few pictures, and tomorrow a few more.

Check out the Rebar in the foreground here

Notice the door at the top that now opens into air

Look at the rebar ladder in the wall

6/7/12

Thistle

I thought the detail on this thistle flower bloom was intricate and delicate, but I couldn't get the camera lens to focus on something so small with all of the background distraction of the other grasses. Also, it was just windy enough to make the picture incredibly fuzzy. After taking about 50 pictures that were frustrating, then putting down the camera to just enjoy it with my eyes, since I thought the best picture I could get would be in my memory, I saw this Styrofoam plate of trash nearby. Wha-La, an instant backdrop that took away the visual distraction and allowed the camera to capture that tiny detail. Or maybe I want a better camera. Oh, well. Enjoy!