artist

 all artists at work - practicing.  a beautiful sight.

 and an elephant being vacuumed.  just for fun.  

joy to you!

ferris wheel

 a kids'-ride made for everyone to enjoy.  

navy pier, chicago.

joy to you, and have a wonderful week.

field museum

the field museum in chicago is worth the trip just for the structure.  

beautiful architecture.

interior

feels welcoming.  you want to pull up a chair,

but the floor is what you get because these chairs are art.  note the cloth layered one that looks like a donut.  my chair at home looks like that when we do laundry.

this red one is simple and beautiful, but perhaps not very comfortable?  no data.

on the right, the ghostly white chair is just layers of fabric over some structure.  like the colored one above.  also note the spider fixture.  

lighting is also art.

the left one with the hook on top reaches back to the old hanging lantern days.  historical references.

slab of plastic with a video camera looking light, 

and neon.  
maria, at jamie says dream might know more about this.  she works at a museum in sweden, i believe.  what makes furniture and lighting art?  
found at the chicago art institute.
joy to you!

boy's dessert

10-year-old boy designed.  graeter's ice cream is in the center.  

purpose

come my friends,

tis not too late to seek a newer world,

push off and sitting well in order, smite

the sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

 to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths 

of all the western stars until i die.

it may be that the gulfs will wash us down;

it may be that we will touch the happy isles,

and see the great achilles whom we knew,

for though much is taken, much abides, and though

we are not now the strength that in old days

moved earth and heaven,

that which we are, we are -

one equal temper of heroic hearts,

made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.     tennyson 1842

my friend theresa, at inspiration cooperative, brought this topic up.  she's interested in life purpose, but prompted me to think about this blog's purpose.  

conclusions:

1.  beauty exists.  i did not create it, just as i do not alter the photos posted here.

2. in my life as a teacher and parent i pay attention to beauty in all forms.

3.  we often rush, and miss our beautiful moments.  or, instead of 10 positive things that happen, we notice the one negative.  

so

4.  the purpose of this blog is to capture the fleeting moments, and bring beauty to you, dear readers.  

may you find joy and rest and inspiration here.  

noreen

monks

this early 1800s danish painting by christoffer eckersberg hangs in the art institute of chicago.  the geometry of the ceiling caught my eye, 

and then the details.  

things in the distance are less clear.

and tiny details like the reflection of the incoming sunlight on the pillars are complete.  

joy to you.

first roses

do you have roses blooming where you live?

22

 knowing i had to run/walk 22 miles by myself was intimidating.  due to an all-day dyslexia training saturday, here i was at 7:30 with a water bottle and a sandwich bag of pretzels and cliff blocks (sticky sugar).  

 snapped this while still moving. 

i'd biked this far before, but not seen it on foot.  

statistics:

9 rabbits in the first 5 miles, none after.

uncounted birds - robins and cardinals mostly.

no water fountain at milford.  uh-oh.  

lots of music on the shuffle. 

4 hours 30 minutes 

you've heard that the best things in life aren't things?  agreed, they are people.  i'd turned around at mile 11, and by 13 the water bottle was almost empty.  here comes my sister, in the cold morning, on her bike.  a beautiful sight.  

chicago architecture boat tour

 the chicago river rambles through old buildings, 

 and modern skyscrapers.

 it goes under lots of bridges.

 this building is designed to reflect its neighbors.

 geometric reflections.

there was a building designed so that no one had a "corner office", and another 1920s structure built to resemble a bottle of champagne.  

the biggest topic was the 1871 fire in chicago, when its buildings were wood and so lost.  this sad event enabled city planners to rethink and build anew.  the 1909 chicago plan was a guide to development, and led to navy pier and its amusement park, the "magnificent mile" shopping district, and the lakefront parks.
urban beauty.  

healthy habits

dr. lester breslow, public health expert, died in los angeles last week.  he was 97.  

his best known work was a study of almost 7,000 people.  he examined their behavior over long periods of time.  dr. breslow used quantitative analysis to prove that a 45-year-old 

with at least 6 of 7 healthy habits had a life expectancy 11 years longer than someone with 3 or fewer.  

here are the healthy habits - 

1. get regular exercise and control your weight

2.  don't smoke or abuse drugs

3.  don't drink a lot of alcohol.  avoid alcohol completely if you have a history of alcoholism.

4.  eat a balanced and healthy diet.

5.  take care of your teeth.

6.  manage high blood pressure.

7.  follow good safety practices.

the link above has information about each habit.  

here is a link to his ny times obituary.  

how are you doing on these habits?  here we are always working on nutrition.  drinking chocolate shakes, but eating lots of veggies.  i also highly recommend chocolats latour.  after all, dark chocolate is a health food, right?    


joy and good health to you.

drawbridge

down the steps, over the water, the drawbridge is up.

back in ohio, but still enjoying the chicago river.  

joy to you!

lake michigan

 shedd aquarium.

 the lake and downtown chicago from the field museum. 

 chilly beauty.