2 Things @ Once

The Lakefront at Loyola on a Chilly Friday Afternoon

The ice between the rocks and the waves is where the lake had frozen. It will probably all be melted by Friday, when we have a bit of a warm up.

Windchill on the Water

Lake Michigan at Lawrence Avenue

This Video Does Not Convey How Bitterly Cold It Was

I shot this video on Saturday afternoon, as the pink of the setting sunset was fading and the wind chill was about 5 degrees. Lake Michigan was gorgeous and the waves at Lawrence Avenue were pretty cool, rolling in from the east and then buffeting back into the lake from the retaining wall on the shore. The water coming from two directions created the neat effect of a steep peak of waves rolling horizontally to the shore like a sea serpent.

In the minute that I took to shoot this (I've edited it down slightly) I nearly froze my fingers off holding the iPhone. Serious pain.

At the beginning of the clip you can see, way off on the horizon, the water intake crib that was often our destination marker for sailing over the summer.

There was a flock of birds surfing and diving in the frigid water. (Portions of the lake had frozen along the shore and there was ice floating out in the middle.) In this clip you can see them just off the embankment. These are common goldeneyes who are wintering here. Brrr. But considering they came in from Alaska, this is a warm up for them.

Saturday 3 p.m. ~ Heading East Across the River

CSO Tales From Tchaikovsky

If you're looking for something festive to do this weekend--well as festive as listening to music from a pair of tragic love stories can be--I'd suggest the Tales from Tchaikovsky program the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is running through the weekend.

I saw it last night as part of my Afterworks Masterworks series and was pleasantly surprised to see it was in collaboration with Redmoon Theater. Incidental music from the The Snow Maiden included narration which greatly added to the emotional impact of the music.

The second work was Swan Lake, which, beautiful as it is, has become so cliche in my mind that I thought I never needed to hear it again. Wrong. Hearing it live was quite amazing. In addition, Redmoom has created a shadowplay presentation using overhead projectors and paper cutouts to dramatize the story with cinematic touches reminiscent of silent film. Two teams of puppeteers on either side of the stage and behind the orchestra, worked in time with the music. A large screen over the stage used video cameras trained on each projector's screen to combine the images in real-time. It was a unique and entertaining way to tell the story. 

Mother Nature Is Sure Making Nice

NaBloPoMo, Day 22

Twenty two days into November and we're still enjoying temperatures in the fifties. Unheard of. It certainly doesn't do much for your productivity when you keep jumping outdoors to enjoy what surely must be the last of the nice weather before we hunker down for the bitter cold of winter. Or so we've been telling ourselves for the last two weeks. Not that I'm complaining. I'm thrilled that I have yet to take out my winter coat.

Temps take a bit of a dip come Thanksgiving with the first chance for snow showers. I'll be in San Diego for the holiday and like anyone from the Midwest who travels anywhere warm and sunny between Nov and May, I'm hoping for a gripping cold spell here while I'm away.

Just a Moment Down by the Lake

NaBloPoMo, Day 19

Winter's coming.

Chicago Olympics 2016...Not

I don't know that I ever talked about it here, but I wasn't in favor of Chicago's Olympic bid. This city and Illinois are already besieged by enough financial problems, we didn't need to exponentially add to the money woes by hosting a huge international bash and getting stuck with the tab.

I was away from the Chicago media hype, having lunch in a dive bar in Wisconsin, when the IOC vote came down last Friday. When the bartender answered a fellow diner's question about whether or not "we" got the Olympics, I actually cheered.

Schadenfreude.net has posted a pretty funny take on Mayor Daley's reaction to the loss. Those familiar with Chicago politics--and especially the recent parking meter fiasco--should appreciate the humor.

Out With Wrigley Field and In With Orchestra Hall: Changing Venues With the Changing of the Seasons

Exchanging Wrigley Field and baseball with Orchestra Hall, the CSO and Lyric Opera--a sure sign that winter is coming.

Tonight's program was a great way to kick off my classical music season. Joshua Bell performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1; about as close as I'll ever come to really liking a piece centered around solo violin. The highlight of the concert for me was the second piece of the night, Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 (Organ). Wow, is this ever a jolt of energy and a real crowd pleaser. It's got everything: a full orchestra, crashing cymbals, four hands at the piano, rousing brass, and of course the full-on pipe organ that you feel as well as hear. (That's organist Henry McDowell in the photo warming up before the concert.)

You've probably heard the Organ Symphony even if you're not familiar with it by name; portions of his have been used in TV and movies. It's lush and jolting and full of repeating layers. Very cinematic, which I love. To hear it live was a truly thrilling way to kick off my season.

Time to Put Away the Pool Toys

There's a thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch in effect right now, so I best get off the computer and will make this post a brief one. (Not to mention, it's past my bedtime and I'm dead tired.)

Today was absolutely gorgeous--warm and very windy--and I spent the better part of the day outside helping to dismantle the boat in preparation for sending it up the river and taking it out of the water. No more fooling ourselves; summer is finally over.

Mother Nature is driving the point home here tonight. Thunderstorms are on the leading edge of a front sweeping down from Canada, bringing Fall with it. Today's 78-degree temp will be replaced with a high of 59. Brrrrrr.