Posted in Lake Michigan

Quiet Moment

I woke up before the sun did today.

Which is not really all that impressive since sunrise is around 7am these days but it is Sunday, after all.

With nothing to do and nowhere to go, I curled up with my favorite big, cushy blanket, a cup of my favorite tea and watched the most quiet Lake Michigan and Lakefront path I have ever seen.  Usually, there are tons of sailboats out, runners getting their jog on, bikers getting their pedal on and traffic for Luna Bell to watch on Lakeshore Drive.

This morning: quiet.

Still water, a lone jogger, a ball of fire slowly rising out of the lake.  Quiet in my apartment, quiet in the little world outside my window.

I know the rest of Chicago i s waking up right now too but, for now, I am relishing in my quiet moment.

I’m On A Boat

Somehow, Chicago has lucked out on yet another week of unseasonably warm temperatures.   It was perfect timing for me yesterday because 1) I got out of work early, 2) I had a Groupon for the Tall Ship Windy that was expiring exactly yesterday and 3) the weather was perfect for a little fall sailing.  Off to Navy Pier I went.

(Are you familiar with Groupon.com?  It’s my go-to for when I want to try something new and try it on the cheap.  It’s a deal-of-the-day website where if enough people purchase said Groupon for the day, the deal is on for everyone.  I’ve tried The Counter, Jazzin’ at the Shedd, Spa Chakra at the Palmer House, and Paint, all for a fraction of the cost I would have paid.  Pretty sweet.)

Back to the sailing.

“Rum Runners” was the theme of the sail so in addition to AMAZING views of the city with the wind in my hair and sun in my face, I heard all about how tall ships were used to smuggle alcohol into 1920s “dry” Chicago.  Apparently, “Grandmas that made brownies were now making bourbon.”  The docent telling the story was fantastic and I learned a lot of cool things about booze and Chicago.

These days are the kind I store in my pocket and bring out when it’s Februry and freezing and I haven’t seen the sun in weeks.  When winter’s frigid winds roll into town, I am going to be able to remember that, at one point, the wind was soft, warm and propelled Tall Ship Windy through Lake Michigan on a lovely October day.