30 March 2015: Signs of Things to Come

A new paint job for the former Morse L/Bullhead Cantina

The former Bullhead Cantina looks like it is getting ready for its next incarnation. Workers were outside today giving it a fresh coat of paint. They didn't know what was going in the space but i'm still hoping that someone will finally have the good sense to open a breakfast spot there, preferably a place that serves breakfast until the wee small hours. 
Because bacon and waffles at 2AM.

15 March 2015: The Spirit of the Viaduct

Up until last night, i'd assumed that the reason the Red Line viaduct at Farwell Ave. is falling apart is because of the general collapse of the American infrastructure. So it was a great relief to discover a much more mythically awesome explanation. As this picture reveals, there is a guardian spirit living within the viaduct who just wants to break free and check out what's happening in Rogers Park. Some might question if this spirit is in fact a troll, what with the whole living under a bridge thing and all. But i feel relatively certain that this is not the case. Rogers Park has many, many trolls (If you doubt me, just check EveryBlock), but none of them have the placid and benign demeanor of this entity. 

For the sake of reference, here is a wider view of the crumbly bit of viaduct 

where the mystical being appeared.

13 March 2015: How Much Is that Beaver in the Window?

The window displays at Edgewater Antique Mall are always fabulous. 
but today's is one of the best i've seen. Even though i am not usually a big fan
of taxidermy, in this case i'll make an exception.

6 March 2015: And Now a Word from Tyrion Lannister

After months of ignoring the obvious, Tyrion Lannister today acknowledged
that the Starks had in fact been correct in warning that winter was coming.
However, he also pointed out that their prediction was both excessively gloomy
and short-sighted, since, just as winter must inevitably come,
it must also eventually go. 

28 February 2015, 2.0: Hunkering Down

I give up! I'm not leaving the house again until spring!
But at least i won't run out of things to read.

28 February 2015: Yet Another Picture of Snow

Thursday, the 76th of February …
or maybe it just felt that way.

7 February 2015: In the Ice Palace

The ice formations at the lakefront are spectacular. If you are in Chicago, do yourself a favor and take a little trip to the beaches in Rogers Park for an unforgettable view of winter in all it's brutal beauty.

The ice-hills along the edge of the lake look like foothills on the edge of a vast plain:

Looking towards downtown Chicago. The skyline is dimly visible in the background, but tall ice-cliffs line the edge of the lake.

The ice balls on the frozen surface of the lake aren't as huge as the ones seen during the polar vortex of 2014, but they're still an impressive sight. *

* Just a reminder: in less frigid times, this area that looks like a rock-covered field  
is actually part of Lake Michigan. 

July 2013

Ice cave at Farwell Pier:

The Farwell Pier lighthouse:
The fence along the edges of the pier is visible here, but the pier itself is buried under a hill of ice.