Does the palette of winter appeal to you? I confess to liking the monochromatic color scheme that takes over on cloudy days, simplifying the views. I wandered around the other morning, visiting some of my favorite haunts, appreciating the beiges and greys, the patterns that pop out without being pretty. Across the expanse of Diversey Harbor, the blue door of a boathouse virtually screamed at me.
Along the edges of the harbor, the nervous energy of the sycamores was on exhibit.
What crazy trees! I love how their twigs grow out every which way in exuberant spurs, something that in the summer you cannot see. Though, with their spotted bark, they seem always to be having the come-aparts, these native trees are stylish and imposing; hardy, too.
A hard freeze has finally taken hold at the lagoon, where the water level must be at a historical low. With the snow, the precarious state of the lagoon’s walls can be appreciated fully. I marvel that elderly fishermen dare to cycle over this path all summer. Here, as with so much else in Chicago, it’s an open question whether the crooked shall prevail. . . . I try to imagine how we will ever fix these walls. . . .
Except for the distant high-rises, the park looked outright bucolic around the Nature Museum, the snow setting off every detail of the prairie natives and split-rails. Check out the dark rusty and gold colors of the resting prairie.
The North Pond‘s paths are deserted at last. Inhospitable conditions have temporarily discouraged all the runners, cyclists, power-walkers, dogs, stroller-pushers, and geese. I have seen coyotes on the frozen pond around here, but this morning I didn’t see any. I alone enjoyed the chiaroscuro of the gnarly old trees.
Leaving the park, I found myself back in “civilization,” my frozen tread accelerating past all the nice houses and high-rises that line the park along Lakeview. I had to stop to admire the beautiful Adler townhouses, though, with their peach and yellow columns and the reddish-grey twigs of the serviceberries setting them off, just so.
Click the images to enlarge.
Doug says
lovely pictorial tour…
Celia says
Thanks, Doug!
Lori D says
Wonderful photos. At a time when all of my relatives are complaining about the frigid conditions, your photos and words that follow, actually brighten those hazy day pictures. Thank you for giving me these views of the home I left many years ago, but always remains in my heart.
Celia says
Hi, Lori–Of the millions of people in Chicago, not one of them came here for the weather! I’m so glad that this post has given you a “taste of home.” Thanks for writing in, and take care,
Celia
Harley says
Interesting wintery photos of winter landscapes. I appreciate the adjectives you use to describe how the pictures capture what is in your thoughts.
Celia says
harley–the image coaxes me to figure out what i think of it. selecting a picture to post is usually an easier matter than collecting thoughts to go with it. of course, there is a reason i took the picture in the first place, but often that isn’t what i end up writing about, or what i find myself thinking about when i look at it later. often i end up thinking something new, which i suppose is why i like writing in tandem with imagery. . . . i am feeling my way along.
all the best,
celia