Happy Holidays

I hope everyone is enjoying the moment. The blog will likely be limited in updates for the next week while I change some things (moving be a big change).

Enjoy...
and when I get settled, I'll post.

Ridge Historical Society

There is a Chicago organization, Ridge Historical Society, dedicated to preserving the history and architecture of the Beverly, Morgan Park, and Washington Heights neighborhoods.



Driscoll From the Front


And From the Back

Sandra and I visited the Society as its location in the Driscoll House, built in 1922. We stopped by on a Tuesday, one of the hottest days in August, and discovered that the building is architectural throwback (without air conditioning). Still, it was interesting learning about the neighborhood and some of the early settlers. The main display at the time was an exhibit about the Civil War and local residents who served.



Pieces of the Past

One of the revelations about the old mansion, Driscoll House, is that by today's standards, it's not that large. I'm guessing about 2000 square feet, though it has a history and a perch which not many local places can compete.



From the Front Porch

I strongly recommend visiting local organizations like Ridge Historical Society and discover a little history.

Tour of the Neighborhood in August, Part Two

The photo tour continues:



Green, Light, and Shade


Life Along the Fence


In the Midst of the City


An Influence from the Orient?


Landscape


By the Side of the Road

Tour of the Neighborhood in August, Part One

Sandra and I lived in a one of the prettier locales in Chicago. Lots of mature trees shade the streets and sidewalks. Plus, large well-maintained homes, many of which were architect-designed and date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, dot the area, particulaly on Longwood Avenue. Attractive gardens add another nice touch. All this offers a certain mixture of nostaglia and beauty to our occassional walks throughout the neighborhood. In many ways, this area doesn't feel like the rest of the city.

The following is an image tour taken on a warm sunny day in Chicago:



View of the Local Metra Stop


Sidewalk Up the Ridge


House on the Ridge


Bright Bloom


Trees and Homes


Tower Without the Parapet?


Facing the Lawn


A Colonial Touch

Getting Ready (or Soon to be Getting Ready)

I will be moving soon, but before that, I'd like to catch up on all (or at least most of them) the photos that I haven't posted yet. I have some images from August taken in Chicago and Wisconsin (it's a definite contrast to the current snow) and few other miscellaneous snapshots which I'd like to upload and show on the blog. The first I think will be a little (actually it's more than a few) image tour of the neighborhood.

National Geographic Photography Contest Winners

National Geographic have released the winners for the 2010 Photo Contest. Check it out. The link goes to the Nature winners, but you can browse the other categories. The photo I mentioned in a recent post won a honorable mention in Nature.

Discovery!!!

Keeping the Warmth Inside

Last weekend I put some plastic around the windows in one of the rooms to help protect against drafts. We have large windows with just screens in the bottom, so I'm sure large amounts of heat are lost through the glass.



Extra Care Along the Bottom Edge

With great amount of care, I sealed around the edges, particularly around the above window since I didn't give myself much extra slack.



And Look What's Inside

It was such a masterful job. During the past week, I admired my handiwork and discovered that I quite nicely sealed one of my screwdrivers too.

Warm, Sunny, and Indoors

While some of the plants that Sandra and I are growing (or not growing now) haven't fared well, a few weeks ago, our little rose bush bloomed. Here's a pic:



Roses in the Light

What the Season Brings

Discovery

The snow and cold of the past weekend brought a discovery on the front door--Ice! It was thick on the panes of glass. I didn't have a chance to photograph it in the light until yesterday morning. Unfortunately, the ice had diminished quite a bit, but still enough remained to create fascinating patterns.



On Glass

Settling for the Night

The next day on the 5th, I noticed the sky and photographed the moment as the sun settled below the horizon, outlining the edges of the clouds brilliantly.



Images in the Sky

And to my surprise, I also found a flock of birds circling, readying themselves for the night.



Settling at Sunset

A Change of Season

Winter really hit over the weekend. Snow fell overnight Saturday and into Sunday and then cold temps followed. Though back on the 1st, a little bit of the white stuff flurried, but the first significant accumulation of the season occurred later that week on the 4th. Here's some shots of that snowstorm's effects (it wasn't quite the gusty bluster that the past Sunday brought, but still...):



Outlined in Snow


Snow Finds a Perch

House of Plants, Part Nine: A Final Study in Yellow

I highly recommend visiting the Garfield Park Conservatory if you're in Chicago. It's an unusual treasure, perhaps even a bit startling during the winter. You can click here or at the link in the Sites to Visit and find out more about the Conservatory.

In closing, there was one particular group of flowers which caught my eye in the late afternoon sun. The scene offered a brilliant contrast of green and yellow and streams of light across darker backdrops that I found and still find simply gorgeous.



First Sighting


Sunlit


Gathering


Here and There


One Last Look

House of Plants, Part Eight: Returning to Palms

After leaving the Fern House, we wandered and gazed through the southern end of the Palm House.



Color of Life

The mystique of the moment only seems to be amplified in the weeks that have passed. Perhaps it has something to staring at palms and recollecting...



A Palm Through the Blinds

...while outside, the wind rushes and the temperature nears the single digits if it hasn't already found the mark. Somehow other life is living--something very different from the day to day of my existence.



With More Shades of Hue

There is something to that color.

House of Plants, Part Seven: Ferns, Ferns, Ferns

After passing through sugar, we made our way back into the Palm House to enter the center Fern House.



Ferns

It feels like entering the past. According to the Wikipedia entry, ferns appeared in the fossil record about 360 million years ago, but many of the current families didn't appear until about 145 million years ago. Perhaps it's that timing, but I see ferns and think of some warm, wet land, dominated by dinosaurs. Still while my conception might not be entirely accurate, looking at ferns does make feel connected to a larger history.



Leaves Spreading

Warm, humid, moss growing, ferns seem to thrive in some of most marginal environments, including swamps, on the planet. While vascular, ferns differ from other plants, like seed-bearing and flowering, in that they reproduce through the use of spores.



In the Light of Their Niche


Roots of the Matter

Sandra and I paused, sitting down on a bench, to enjoy the moment. Particularly with everything else going on in a life, it's nice to enjoy the moment.



At the Edge and Reflecting

House of Plants: Part Six: Sugar

Leaving the cool (in more ways than one) home of the desert plants, we quickly passed through the Children's Garden and entered Sugar from the Sun.



Bananas!

The room is meant to be a learning environment, particularly for younger people. Part of the displays were under reconstruction, but there still was a sense of being in another world as the wide leaves spread.



Sandra Looks Back


And More Bananas!

And in one little nook, which could easily be passed unnoticed...



Flowering Color

House of Plants, Part Five: The Agave Blooms

Look

The centerpiece of the Desert House was an agave that was in full...



Sprouting Tall

...bloom.

Agave tends to grow steadily, and when it matures, a large stalk grows from the center.



Single Stalk

In this case, the stalk kept growing and the Conservatory had to open up the upper glass to give the agave some space.



Through the Roof

From that single stalk, shoots spread out and flowers grow. Bats pollinate the agave in its native habitat.



Flowering


Cropping Tighter

Here, it's a Conservatory wonder. If you get a chance to see a agave in full bloom, it's stunning partly due to the fact that it's an once in a lifetime event. The plant expends so much energy in producing the stalk and flowers that shortly afterwards, it dies. Though for an agave of this size, the Conservatory staff mentioned that it could be flowering for at least six months--seems like a fitting close.