Dunked

Anyone who reads this blog probably knows by now that I'm engaged. He/she may also know that my betrothed is a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. On a recent visit to the fraternity house, I was introduced to a local ritual of Ohio Wesleyan University Greek life when a brother makes a romantic commitment (called lavaliering). As recognition/punishment for the act of giving one's fraternity letters to one's significant other, the brother is traditionally kidnapped, tied up, carried across campus and dunked in Ohio Wesleyan's (in)famous sulfur spring. I can safely say that I have never witnessed anything like this before and it's hard to say how I felt about the whole thing. It was hilarious, yet disturbing to watch as the entire fraternity pounced on Chris, tied his hands and feet, put a hood over his head and hauled him like a sack of potatoes from one side of campus to the other, singing and generally making a scene, before finally lowering him into a stagnant pool of putrid sulfurous water. The grand finale was Chris, having cut himself free of his bonds, dashing after the brothers, in true Swamp Thing form, barefoot and dripping with rancid spring water.

Here is my documentation of this event. Enjoy, Chris.

Walking the Lakefront trail

This has been a summer of walking. Indeed, outside of work, walking is how I spend the majority of my time. I walk to buy groceries, to various coffee shops, to the park, I walk aimlessly while talking on the phone. The proximity of my apartment to a huge stretch of walking/jogging/biking path perpetuates my walking habit - at least while the warm weather holds out. The 26-mile Lakefront Trail is public and maintained by the Chicago Park District and is conducive to joggers, bikers, roller-bladers, dog walkers, and anyone simply out for a stroll.


From my neighborhood the trail takes me past Diversey Harbor, a big public soccer field, and North Avenue Beach, where I have to dodge bikes and watch for stray volleyballs.





The beach is on the east side of Lake Shore Drive, so you have to cross a bridge over the 8+ lanes of traffic to get there. That bridge is my least favorite part of my run along this trail.

Missing him

This photo was taken at the lake, the last time Chris was in Chicago, at the end of May. Once he finds a parking spot (an often daunting task in Lincoln Park) he's a pretty happy camper.

We're surrounded by hippies

My little brother recently sacrificed a whole weekend of slacking off (summer vacation) to visit me in Chicago - I was most honored. That weekend happened to be the same as the Chicago Peace Fest, a three-day festival of music, activism and general frolicking in Lincoln Park. We spent one afternoon sitting on the grass, listening to a very jovial group of musicians dressed in (among other things) spandex and rabbit ears, while a number of stoners and flower children danced/hoola-hooped barefoot in a mud puddle in front of the stage.
















We also made the acquaintance of a friendly, albeit somewhat pathetic, basset hound whose owner asked us to watch her while she went to the restroom. The poor thing looked a bit embarrassed to be out in public. Hopefully we cheered her up some.

Let's try this again

I'm ending my long hiatus from photographing and restarting this blog with the hope of keeping a more comprehensive and consistent log of my time in Chicago. Let's see if I can keep up with more regular posting. As the weather here improves, I find myself spending more time outdoors giving me ample opportunity to go through as many rolls of film as my bank account will allow.


Finding green in the city...













My most recent and fruitful photo outing was two weeks ago while my boyfriend was visiting. The sun was out long enough to inspire us to walk to the Lincoln Park Zoo. The zoo and its surrounding area have become one of my favorite places to walk. The zoo itself is open seven days a week and it's free. Just adjacent to the zoo is the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond, a small secluded walking path ensconced in trees and greenery and encircling a lily-covered pond. In the warmer months, when everything is in bloom, it's a wonderful spot to sit and read. Rocks form various lounging options and a rather zen-looking shelter sits at the edge of the pond.















You can pick up the path from the street and it will lead you into the zoo. We walked through the zoo and found ourselves at the Lincoln Park Conservatory which houses hundreds of exotic plants from all over the world. The conservatory itself is a beautiful glass building, constructed between 1890 and 1895. It contains a succession of rooms to wander through, including palm, fern, orchid and showcase houses. Upon entering, I was agog at the amazing lushness that immediately surrounded me and was so glad I had my camera on me. I became lost in the amazing variety of shapes and colors. I don't think I took my face out of the lens the entire time - causing a few innocuous collisions with other visitors. One of my favorite things I saw that day was the pitcher plant. This is a carnivorous plant that uses deep pitcher-shaped leaves filled with water and enzymes to trap and digest insect prey.


Click here to see the rest of my images from the conservatory.