Finite environment?

Bonfire Night

We had a belated Bonfire Night.

The Bean in November

Cloud Gate, aka “The Bean”, is one of Chicago’s most popular sights.

Our maple

Spring vs Fall

Trip to an apple orchard

Delicious Mutsu apples (known as Crispin apples in the UK) in Indiana.

Morning Glory

This Morning Glory in our back yard will bloom until the first frost of Fall.

63rd Street Beach

Am I in the Caribbean or Tahiti? No....it's Reggie's on the Beach at 63rd Street beach in Chicago.

Wyoming cabin on Snake River

Had a relaxing few days at this cabin, midway between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. No TV, no internet, no cellphone service. Once we’d recovered from withdrawal symptoms, we enjoyed just sitting on the porch, smelling the pine trees, watching the sunset, gazing at the stars…

Old Faithful

No trip to Yellowstone is complete without seeing Old Faithful geyser and one of its frequent eruptions.

Cattails in Yellowstone

Art in Nature

Grand Prismatic Spring

Visited this Grand Prismatic hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.  Heat-loving bacteria create the colours in the spring.

 

Photos: Marge Ishmael

More info. at https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/geysers-hot-springs/grand-prismatic-midway-geyser-basin/

Little Free Libary

Little Free Library book exchanges are popping up all around us, encouraging passersby to take a book and leave a book. This mini telephone box is the cutest I’ve seen so far.  https://littlefreelibrary.org

 

Photos: Marge Ishmael

Coyote or fox?

 On our trophy cam:

 

Sitting on the St. Joseph River:

Pick-your-own lavender at Lavender Hill Farm

A serene time at Lavender Hill Farm, Michigan. I will have plenty of lavender for potpourri, sachets, culinary use.

Photos by Marge Ishmael

 

White-tailed deer fawn

White-tailed deer fawns are born April through July, with the majority of fawns born in June.This one appeared on the trophy cam this week:

 

 

Chesterton European Market

 Double bass player, French nuns patisserie, restrooms created from a renovated railway carriage.

 

Photos: Marge Ishmael

Coyote caught on trophy cam

We've been hoping to catch a nocturnal coyote on the trophy cam for over a year. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/coyote

Cooper's Hawk

 Juvenile Cooper's Hawk in our back garden this morning.

Photos: Marge Ishmael

Waiting for the #6

Waiting for the #6 bus on State Street.   I just realized the Franciscan friar looks as though he’s praying – it took 20 minutes for the bus to arrive so perhaps that's why.

Photo: Marge Ishmael

 

Deer on trophy cam

Thought we'd discovered a coyote den so we set up a trail cam for several weeks.  Only thing we caught were wild turkey, raccoons... and this cute deer. Disappointment is the gap between expectation and reality.

Morels

 Surprised to find wild morels in our back yard for the first time in 23 years of living here.

Photo: Marge Ishmael

Truth

 

Happy Earth Day

 

Cherry Blossom

160 cherry trees are in full bloom in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side.  In Japan, cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life....

Photos: Marge Ishmael

Michigan road trip

 

Signs of spring

 Signs of spring in my backyard.... at last!

Lake Michigan ice sheet breaks off

 Video from Chicago's Hancock Tower earlier this week:

Ten Thousand Ripples

Indira Johnson's Ten Thousand Ripples Buddha heads close to where I live.  http://www.indirajohnson.com/ten-thousand-ripples.html

 

Photos: Marge Ishmael

 

Playing for Change: All Along the Watchtower

Great version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," featuring Chicago blues harmonica player Billy Branch and Lakota Sioux singers... and many other artists.

All is Found

 Love this, apart from there's a loud and strange beep at the very beginning (for some reason):