My two weeks in Chicago flew by. I thought I would have oceans of time, but somehow, and I'm really not sure how, the time flew by! I tried counting up my days, to figure out what I had done with my time and couldn't do it. Some of it I spent at the Field Museum volunteering: cleaning skeletons, both fossil and bone; making labels; giving tours to friends. Some of it I spent babysitting or cat sitting. A lot of it I spent visiting with friends. I want to take a minute here, to say thank you to Charlotte and Andy for letting me live in their house while I stayed in Chicago. I was wonderful to have a "home" in my home town.I took two jaunts out to western Illinois while I was in Chicago. The first was to visit a good friend of mine in Monmouth, the second was to McNabb. The trip to Monmouth (birth place of Wyatt Earp -- for those who know who he was), was the continuation of my visits to all the points of my past. (The only one (that I can think of) that I have not made it back to this time in Maine, but I've been there fairly recently, so I'm not sure if that counts.) I went to High School (freshman and sophomore year) in Monmouth, and my friend Elke and her family have moved back there after many years away.
Monmouth is a small, quiet town. It has a town square where we spent one art class chasing chickens that had fallen off a truck the night before. And streets with no curbs. I can't explain how profound I find that. It is a town that is large enough to have sidewalks and green ways between the walk and the road, but small enough that no one has ever bothered to put in curbs. Big cities have both, small towns have neither (or maybe just a sidewalk with a curb). But Monmouth is somewhere in the middle. It was interesting to go back, to see the town again. And see how much it has (or has not) changed. I'm not sure if it is related to the change or not, but I had large gaps in my memory of what the town was like. There were somethings that had clearly changed: the college, for example, has expanded and taken over much more of the town; the library, too, has expanded and taken over one whole section of the square; and the movie theatre is gone. Some things were very much the same: the bank, my old house, the High School, and the house I was so proud of drawing in art class (it actually looked three-dimensional: sun and shadow on different planes, and bushes that had depth and looked cool and dark at the bottom and bright green and leafy at the top). And then there were things I had no memory of: like the blocks between the school and the library. I know I walked them every day, but I had absolutely no memory of them. Have they changed that much? They don't look like they have. But how could I not remember them so completely?
I had a wonderful time visiting with Elke, Tim, Stella, and Hollis. Elke, Stella, Hollis and I had an adventure on my last day there. We went out to an apple orchard and walked along the country roads for a little while. On the road we came across a little garder (or is it garter?) snake, warming itself on the pavement. (I almost stepped on it, but Elke saved its life, but grabbing me back from its fangs!) I never knew that garder snakes had fangs and would attack if threatened. Logically, it makes sense, (there aren't any vegetarian snakes as far as I know) but who knew that tiny, "cute" garder snakes would hiss and attack?!
My other trip out of the city was to McNabb. It is an even tiny-er town (no curbs here either) that is the home of Clear Creak Friends Meeting and Illinois Yearly Meeting. They are a very warm and welcoming meeting that has meant a lot to me over the years. I am very happy to be part of the meeting, even if I am not there physically. They have done a lot of work on the grounds in the past few years and it looks wonderful! It, too, is an interesting juxtaposition of the past and the present/future.Memories of childhood balanced against the changes and growth towards the future.The rest of this is some pictures of Chicago that I took and liked. Enjoy (or not). Also, I got a picture of a bendy bus and put it on the birthday entry, so check it out, if you so choose.
This one I took driving on LSD. Not the best idea, I realize, but traffic was actually very slow and, having a digital camera, all I had to do was aim in the general direction and click the shutter.
This is a turnstile (obviously). I find myself fascinated by decay and creation. I love looking at buildings and such that are in the process of being torn down (or are falling down), or in the process of being rehabbed. It is fascinating to look at the internal structure -- the skeleton -- and see how it works within the skin of the structure. Or things like this, where the turnstile continues to function, despite the obvious wear. It is all part of the creative process -- the old breaking down and becoming something else. I'm still working on how to express this idea.I think this one is more towards the decay end of things.
The lions are always wonderful! And iconic to Chicago. I actually fell off this one when I was in Jr. High. Oops. I'm sure that is part of why they don't want people climbing on them.
This is another view of LSD (also from a car). This is the intersection of LSD and 12th street. Hidden in the bank of fog to the left is the Field Museum. Believe it or not.Well, so much for keeping things short.
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