Settling in

In honor of today's bone chilling, nostril sticking, eye watering, feet numbing, 0 degree weather we have in Chicago this morning, I thought it only appropriate to post some soothing blue, green hued beach scenes that beg the question; Why do we live here again? Why do we put ourselves through this misery?  Isn't life too short? Why am I not driving around in a convertible today beneath sunny skies and palm trees?

A similar subject came up the other week when out to dinner with some good friends. With bellies full of warm appetizers and heads full of spirits, someone asked whether we felt settled in Chicago. There are so many reasons to answer yes to that question, (good friends, jobs, schools, home, city, etc...) but I could not say it. There is definitely a nesting side to me; sticks and twigs as my friend Nathan call it. But I also crave the new, the unknown, the exploration, the voice deep inside that says don't get to comfortable; there is so much more to see. I guess for now I will take comfort in the Midwest belief that this weather makes us stronger, heartier, better people.

Looking Skyward

Do you have a favorite place in the world?  Well this is one of mine.  It's Carl Milles Garden in Stockholm, Sweden and every time we visit I drag my family here for a couple of hours so I can wander alone around the grounds.  Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor who spent most of his adult life teaching at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  His home and studio in Sweden were converted into a public museum after his death and they are located up on a high bluff overlooking the sea and Stockholm. The buildings and grounds are done in the Italian Renaissance style but his sculptures range from angels and Gods to animals and sea creatures.  It is beautiful and tranquil and something new to discover and view around every corner.  Go there.