Chicago, Sublime and Ridiculous
October 2, 2022
When my daughter and daughter-in-law picked us up in Chicago for the drive to their home in Madison in August, we made a brief stop at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Having gotten next to no sleep the night before (we got up at 3:15 the morning to catch the train), David and I didn’t last long. But we were there long enough for me to catch a few photographs. On the reverse trip, we were able to spend a little time in downtown Chicago. Be prepared: the last photo is scary.
1 The garden included many kinds of lotus plants, with variously colored flowers. I didn’t catch the name of this one.
2 The garden had at least as many waterlilies. Again, I didn’t get the name.
3 I got the name of another water lily but, alas, no photograph of the lily, which is a reddish color according to what I found online. The dragonfly appears to be our old friend Blue Dasher.
4 I really failed at noting plant names at the garden; I’ll blame it on sleep deprivation. I wish I knew the name of this water plant. I’d never seen square leaves before. Update of October 3, 2022: Take a look at the suggestions offered by Gabi Weinert and nannus in the comments section. Either plant mentioned seems to me like a possible match.
5 The main visitor building at the garden featured dried plants and flowers hanging from the ceiling.
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8 I probably wouldn’t be comfortable living in downtown Chicago, despite that being my childhood dream.
9 But I do like visiting and photographing there. Given more time, I’d have gathered many more images.
10 Seeing this building made me feel as if I were in a science fiction movie. It was all the more frightening knowing that it was not fiction.
Romancing Reality 