Goslings and Bloodroot at Volo Bog

This past weekend I talked my new walking buddy Vicky into going over to Volo Bog to see if anything was happening yet since we've been having sunny days and high temperatures.

The Bloodroot were plentiful in one spot but otherwise the wildflowers are still being shy.

It was International Bird Migration Day at the park, though we saw the usual cast of characters.

Red winged Black Bird

I did see a new one for me with my telephoto lens, and the chart in the visitor center helped me identify it as the male Northern Flicker.

The Great White Egrets were fishing and I know it's nesting time so I should try to scope out a rookery soon with my camera.

I see goslings every spring at the same spot on the Tamarack Trail, I don't know if it's the same parents or just a good spot to hang out! 

Unfortunately I had to shoot into the sun, but they were so cute I didn't want to walk away without trying!

Fuzzy!

I had a good laugh when they had to navigate one of the logs - the babies had an easier time of it than the parents, I'm sure this is one of the few times that is true.

Museum of Science and Industry

I don't want to give it all away, but there is lots to see at the Museum of Science and Industry if you've never been, including things which have a questionable scientific purpose like these penguins dressed up to go to the masked ball.

Every time Wayne goes he must pay extra to tour the submarine and experience how the crew lived and worked. 

The 252 foot long German submarine was captured in 1944 and there are exhibits which tell the thrilling tale and about the intelligence that was able to be learned from the vessel while keeping the news of its capture hidden.

Exhibits surrounding the submarine detail many of the artifacts, and the stories of the crew.

By 1946 the Navy no longer needed the sub and planned to use it for target practice.  But the retired captain of the ship that captured the sub, Dan Gallery, was a Chicago native and along with the Museum they lobbied to make Chicago its home.  The Navy finally agreed to let them have it, with the Museum, the City of Chicago and other private groups raising $250,000 to repair, move and install the sub as an exhibit.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to see the U505 towed by tugboat into Chicago? Or see it hauled up onto shore outside the Museum of Science and Industry?

Until 2004 the submarine exhibit was outdoors and millions of visitors, including Wayne and I, toured it there.  The new indoor exhibit is pretty amazing, and there is a video that does a time lapse of how they prepared and moved it to its new location.

There were also displays about the roles women played in the war, always nice to see.  Of course so much has changed since then and it's good to reflect on that and on what still needs to be accomplished.

Tom and Wayne try to experience sub maneuvers through a simulator exhibit

There is more to see than the submarine though, I was particularly moved by the information about the Doomsday Clock.  Not since the testing of nuclear bombs in the 1950's has this panel of scientists been so concerned about the fate of humanity on our planet.

From their website: In its two most recent annual announcements on the Clock, the Science and Security Board warned: “The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.” In 2017, we find the danger to be even greater, the need for action more urgent. It is two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms. Wise public officials should act immediately, guiding humanity away from the brink. If they do not, wise citizens must step forward and lead the way. 

I was also moved by the display on the 10 letters a day Obama read from citizens, and how they strengthened his resolve to act on issues.  Did you know that historians rate the U.S. Presidents? President Obama was ranked the 12th best president, due to his "moral authority", economic management and public persuasion, which was wonderful to hear.  He would have ranked higher if his relationship with Congress had not been so thorny.  A quick recap of the top ten:

1. Abraham Lincoln 

2. George Washington

3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

4. Teddy Roosevelt

5. Dwight Eisenhower

6. Harry Truman

7. Thomas Jefferson

8. John F. Kennedy

9. Ronald Reagan

10. Lyndon Johnson

President Clinton came in at #15 and George W. Bush at #33...I know where I would place Trump but we will have to wait and see what the historians have to say when the time comes.

Transportation is a big part of the MSI, with airplanes and actual trains on exhibit.

On May 26, 1934, a gleaming new train named for a Greek god of wind began a nonstop "Dawn to Dusk" speed run from Denver to Chicago. The Zephyr completed the trip in just over 13 hours, ushering in a new height of train travel and style. Its sleek Art Deco form was soon to be mirrored in everyday items from transportation to toasters.

 Every time we've been to the museum we didn't get to board the Zephyr and this time was no exception as the on-board portion of the exhibit was closed for remodeling.  Maybe someday!

All in the Details

While nephew Tom was here visiting we took a ride in to Chicago to see the Museum of Science & Industry.  I'll write more about some of the exhibits in my next post, but first I'll share some of the fine work that was done on "The Great Story" which tells the story of the importance of trains to our culture and economy in this case by a model railroad that whisks you from Chicago to Seattle along its rails.

Hey!  It's the 40 story tall Carbon & Carbide building on the left, you can't miss that dark beauty which I've talked about on my blog before.  On the far right is the London Guarantee building with the circular temple on top that I visited in January with my friend Andy.  So cool!

From the city streets of Chicago the 20 trains pass through the Rocky Mountains on their way west.

Seattle is actually someplace I've never been, though I hope to get there someday.

Informational boards are displayed which told me that in the center is King Street Station, which was built in 1906 and apparently underwent some massive remodeling just a few years back so I will definitely put that on my must-see list.

You couldn't drag the kids away.  Such a cliche, but the little boys were fascinated and a few parents told me they had been there over an hour.

The big boys were hard to drag away too.  Wayne was intent on every detail and was disappointed not to find a moose among all the animals in the countryside.

Wayne and his nephew Tom, just boys at heart

After they pointed out that I was missing out on the details I slowed down and took another look.  I was more interested in the tiny people than the animals.

From hanging out their laundry to walking their dogs they were busy.  No one was riding the mechanical pony outside of the storefront, but a fella was pushing along on his scooter.

Outside of Chicago city folk flocked to the Dunes in Indiana to get a break from the summer heat.  Remember when Sharon and I met there?  Look, maybe there's the train station, though not the Beverly Shores one that we visited.

We could spend all day dissecting the details of that exhibit, but let's move on and see some of the details on the actual city streets of Chicago.

There isn't much green space in a city of the kind of density Chicago has, but even in the fall folks make an effort to keep flower beds and window boxes full of interesting things.

We parked a few blocks from The Drake and walked, and though it was breezy and cool the fairly fresh air out by the lake was nice.

Inside The Drake there was more greenery, and pink blossoms too!

My mother goes to The Drake at least once a year for high tea but this was my first visit.  I've been inside much nicer hotel lobbies and restaurants in my opinion, but their floral arrangements sure did impress.

Back out on the street we went, making our way down Michigan Avenue to Water Tower Place.

It's the time of year that everywhere I go I see scarecrows.  These ones in front of Starbucks were done up like Cubs players.  I'd give more detail except I know absolutely nothing about any sports teams, however they were amusing to say the least.

Also fun was the life sized Lego man inside Water Tower Place. 

The storefront was a scene depicting Chicago's buildings, our second of the day!

And Wayne and Tom consented to a silly portrait with a Storm Trooper, I couldn't believe I talked them into it so easily!

As promised, more about the museum in another post!

Chicago Cultural Center

This is a flashback post from when I took the train down to Chicago last winter.

Turn of the century granite and limestone neo-classical gem

A building that was new to me when I wandered around downtown Chicago last winter was the Chicago Cultural Center.  Open to the public it hosts a variety of free musical events for kids and for kids from symphony to jazz and they also have art exhibits on display as well as screenings of films.  But I was there for the free building tour.

Preston Bradley Hall

Completed in 1897 as Chicago’s first central public library, the building was designed to impress and to prove that Chicago had grown into a sophisticated metropolis. It is home to the world’s largest stained glass Tiffany dome ― 38 feet in diameter with some 30,000 pieces of glass ― which was restored to its original splendor in 2008.  Photographs do not do it justice, you just have to see it.

Chicago Public Library monogram in mosaic

It's hard to imagine that room a hundred years ago.  It used to be the delivery room where I imagine you would pick up your book before going off to the gallery full of large windows to read.

During the renovation they removed the concrete and copper exterior dome, and replaced it with one that is translucent and energy-efficient. The reintroduction of natural light into Preston Bradley Hall reduces the need for artificial lighting, which reduces electrical costs.

Also onsite is the 45-foot by 50-foot Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Rotunda dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The ceiling is embossed with plaster carvings of swords, shields, helmets, and flags. The 40-foot-diameter stained-glass dome in shades of tan, beige, and ochre is now lighted electrically and the stained glass was made was by Healy & Millet of Chicago.   The room is currently undergoing renovation and we got a preview of what it will look like cleaned up!

It's not just the domed areas that amaze, even the white marble stairways and hallways are glamorous.

Bet you are thinking about how heavy all that marble is, right?   It took nearly a year for 70 men to drive 2,357 wooden piles 75 feet to the hardpan clay below Michigan Avenue’s sandy soil. The design is so stable that there has been no noticeable settlement of the building in more than 100 years.

Stairway added during Holabird and Root renovation work

From their website:  The white marble is Italian Carrara, from the same source as the marble used by Michelangelo for his sculpture. The Cosmati work throughout the interior is a technique in which marble is inlaid with a variety of materials, including lustrous Favrile glass, colored stone, mother-of-pearl, gold leaf, and mosaic. This technique makes walls appear jewel-like. Due to Chicago’s sooty air, the choice of glass and marble was practical as well as aesthetic because these materials last indefinitely and can be easily cleaned.  Besides having to be modernized during the 1970's by the firm of Holabird and Root it has stood the test of time.

Maybe someday I'll be there during a music event, wouldn't that be fine?