HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM GF

MORE FOOL IN CHICAGO

another site we enjoyed in our homecoming visit was the bahai temple in wilmette. one of only seven bahai temples in the world, this one can be seen for miles in relatively flat illinois. if you look it up in google earth, you can see the star shaped gardens surrounding the temple.  intricate and impressive on the outside, in comparison the inside seems small and plain.chicago is famous for its outdoor art. the pieces shown below are all in small, a walkable area. here is a portion of a dubuffet statue, framing a church steeple. 
this fountain was dyed for halloween. note the large picasso sculpture in the background.
"hey mom, they are roasting pigeons!" my daugther exclaimed when she saw the pigeons huddling for warmth around the soldiers' eternal flame.
a serenity seeker, perhaps, at the chagall mosaic.
the famous calder sculpture, with a wonderfully contrasting background.

SHAKESPEARE GARDEN @ NU

nestled behind the new ford engineering design center at northwestern university is one of my favorite old haunts - the historical shakespeare garden.  i haunted it 30 years ago, but the garden predates my last haunt by 60 years! hidden from view by 2 rows of tall hedges and design by Jens Jensen, the garden is truly a buried treasure! unfortunately, we arrived at the garden as the sun was setting...view across the garden looking south toward the chapel...
an old rose and a crabapple illuminated by the failing light...
looking east the sun reflected by leaves of a tree...
i'm so glad the university has preserved this gem! more information about the garden can be found here:  http://www.northwestern.edu/observer/issues/2004-10-07/garden.

MORE MILLENIUM PARK

millenium park is a jewel in chicago's crown. in addition to the fantastic cloud gate, the park boasts a curved bridge,  ampitheater and skyline.

there is a large garden in the park, which looks oudolf-inspired, and a little bit tired this time of year.

one of the two tower fountain sculptures, with the fountain off. the towers are made of transparent bricks with an lcd image behind them. the image moves to blink, smile, etc.

leaving the park one sees fantastic displays of annuals. in fact, most of the loop area and lakeside drive was festooned with orange, purple and green floral displays.

CHICAGO'S CLOUD GATE

this past week we visited chicago's millenium park, with its famous cloud gate sculpture, affectionately called 'the bean' by locals. here is the north side of the bean reflecting the buildings like a warped cartoon city...

the east, or lake side, of the sculpture explains the name

people interacting with the south side of the bean. i have never before seen a sculpture getting this much interest from people and photogs. the surrounding gardens were impressive, but fodder for a later post.

MOM'S LILY PAD SKY

congrats to mom for taking these photos at old westbury gardens on long island! great shots mom!

MORE PURPLE & WHITE

after planning for a year, homecoming week has finally arrived. since i'll be travelling, and not blogging, here's an extra long post celebrating my school colors, purple and white (and everything is blooming purple and white right now anyway.)  here is luna's reaction to "treat!"

echinacea seed head framed by mum - looks like the death star?

i'm a bit surprised this montana daisy is reblooming!

fall blooming alliums explode! (well, you get the idea.)

ok, so you know i've been working really hard and gardening not so much.  i decided to let wild asters take over the south border to "fill in." who knew i would get such a lovely lavendar froth around my japanese stewartia tree!

water lily colchicum have been battered by the rain, but are still startling in the front shade garden. 

japanese anemone continue to bloom in their delightfully imperfect way.

fuzzy bright purple aster! go wildcats go!  ( i'll try to get some pictures at northwestern.)

FOOLISH VIEWS

views from around gf's place... the shade garden with water lily colchicum and caladium...
snoopy on the deck with a particularly endearing look...
the mums are blooming...
i am harvesting the northern sea oats, so they don't spread...
late sun piercing the japanese blood grass (amsonia in the background)...

BRUGMANSIA STUDY

'pink beauty' is loving the cool weather and hamming it up for the camera...