Category Archives: Illinois

November gets cold

There were a few beautiful days at the beginning of November when every day’s walk was gorgeous. Springbrook, Herrick Lake, and Greene Valley forest preserves have been our regular stops. Whether it’s midday or sunset, we always find something beautiful or interesting or both. We saw a bald eagle at Greene Valley, then chatted withContinue reading “November gets cold”

October’s Bright Blue Weather

My title is from a poem I had to memorize in grade school, and it still comes into my mind almost every year when the light slants sharply in the late afternoon, and the trees change color. The month of October sped by. It’s always a month of transition, when we return to the USContinue reading “October’s Bright Blue Weather”

Spring turns into Summer

We’ve been in Lombard, IL for two and a half months, much longer than our normal stops. On June 1, when we should be flying from Athens to Vienna, we will be leaving Lombard, IL for Conneaut, OH, the last town before the PA border. Why? Lake Erie, for starters. We’ve never been there, andContinue reading “Spring turns into Summer”

Lombard’s Lustron Houses

Lombard, Illinois has a particularly interesting mix of housing from every period since its founding in 1833. We are staying in a house built from a kit purchased from Sears Roebuck in 1926, and there are several of these around town, but there is another experimental type, the Lustron House, that has more than aContinue reading “Lombard’s Lustron Houses”

Lilac Park, Lombard IL

Since the first day of spring, we’ve walking Lilac Park twice a week, watching the arrival of the flowers. At first there was snow that melted rapidly, then chilly wind that demanded layers, gloves, hats, and scarves that continued into April. Finally, warmer weather has crept in. Now that it’s mid-May, we’ve been through theContinue reading “Lilac Park, Lombard IL”

Spring begins in Lombard, IL

Spring began Mar. 19, 2020, the earliest date in a century, but the weather hasn’t impressed me. Gradually, the cold is abating and I am wearing fewer layers when we go for our daily stroll. The landscape is responding, front lawns turning green, daffodils sprouting, accompanied by a few crocuses and tiny blue flowers. We’veContinue reading “Spring begins in Lombard, IL”

Social Distancing in Lombard, IL

We are living in a lovely house in Lombard, IL until the end of April, when we may know something more about the current pandemic. Our month in Athens is off, and probably the rest of our travels this season, but we will check our options at the end of each month. We are fortunateContinue reading “Social Distancing in Lombard, IL”

It’s August. Why are we in the Midwest?

I always tell people that Chicago is a great place to visit spring and fall, but is to be avoided in the summer, when it’s too hot and humid, and in the winter, when it’s way too cold. Why am I not following my own advice? We spent the year until now visiting Australia–it wasContinue reading “It’s August. Why are we in the Midwest?”

Under the “Heat Dome”

Meteorologists must spend all their down time inventing terms for the next big climate moment. “Polar Vortex”, “Snowmageddon”, “El Diablo”, and now “Heat Dome”, are some of the more recent ones. I say this in admiration, as we all feel better when the weather changes and we know we’ve survived whatever-it-was. https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/how-a-heat-dome-happens-1.5216908 In the Midwest,Continue reading “Under the “Heat Dome””