Water vs. Trees

Being on Lake Michigan may be my favorite thing about Chicago. I didn't realize it before we moved out here, but Michigan is the 5th largest lake in the world. My students call it "the ocean" sometimes by mistake, and they're wrong about that, but the real ocean is scary and not as fun to be in. (We also have the Chicago River, seen at left, and though there are lots of neat old bridges to go under, it is sadly polluted.) Patrick's dad gave us a kayak as a wedding gift, and we haven't hesitated to use it in advance of getting married. I'm really pleased with how it's working out; for an inflatable boat, it maneuvers well, keeps us reasonably dry, and packs up like a dream.

We've been out twice now, once up the North Branch of the Chicago River, through Evanston up to the Bahai Temple. And once in a delightfully bumpy Lake, around Promontory Point, right near our place. The weather has been pretty cooperative. The day we went to the temple, it was warm and sunny, feeling very spring-like, as you can see in the photo. It was much cooler the day we put into the lake--probably in the 50s--but actually very comfortable as long as we kept moving. (a bit chilly when we got out with our wet pants, though!)

We also went on a lake cruise last night. My school chartered a vessel for the 8th grade to celebrate their Moving Up; instead of going on an overnight trip this year, we opted to have a boat dance. The boat was really nice--leather sofas, clean carpet even on the decks, lots of food (and a juice bar). It was a gorgeous evening with clear views of the city, and the girls looked and acted fabulous. They also enjoyed meeting Patrick. One of them told me that he looked smart, and like the right man for me. I told her he'd probably love to hear that, so she walked right up to him, shook his hand, and repeated everything she'd just said.

We hit the Botanic Garden today, at the perfect time to catch the crabapples in bloom. Flowering trees are really beautiful. Many trees are even awesome. I don't think our street would feel nearly as livable if it weren't for the trees. I'm not really sure how I'd choose if I had to live without trees or without a significant natural body of water ... but something tells me I'm a water person. But it's a false choice anyway. Water and trees go together. All we need here are mountains.

We're staying in Chicago next year after all, by the way. Patrick will do a bunch of teaching at the university, and shorter research trips than we'd originally planned. I'm thinking about applying to grad school myself in the fall.

Non sequitur of the post: what's up with 3:10 to Yuma? I basically liked it until the ending. I guess the message is that people aren't consistent or even predictable. It was a bit much, though.

Over and out.