I love taking walks in winter. It’s still. Nobody is around. Everything is exposed down to the most basic level. And I love the cold, when I have a coat and gloves, anyway. Of course, gloves have to come off for taking photos, so for a number of these, so I lost the feeling in […]
Palm Trees of Bolingbrook 
November 27, 2012 by
Some developer had the idea to make one of our nearby playgrounds an “oasis” – complete with sand, palm trees, Adirondack chairs, and a giant pelican (see below). The sign calls it the “Bloomfield Oasis” – after the name of the subdivision. It’s. Very. Weird. Especially in November. Of course, it’s even better when there’s snow […]
Where Manhole Covers Come From
November 15, 2012 by
Ever wondered where your manhole covers come from? Probably not, huh? Well, that’s why you have me, a blogger obsessed with civic minutiae. All the manhole covers in our neighborhood say “Neenah, WI” and “Neenah Foundary.” I wanted to know who and where exactly that was. Here’s what I found out: William Aylward, Sr. began […]
Foreclosure 
November 9, 2012 by
This are two foreclosed homes on our block, down from three. Will County has had one of the highest rates of foreclosures in the state, and Bolingbrook has been one of the epicenters. Some foreclosed homes are kept up well, but this one was pretty neglected. The front door looked like something out of a […]
Woman in a Landscape
October 19, 2012 by
I took this shot and felt like there was something familiar about it. Was there some artist I was channeling? I don’t want to flatter myself here, just wondering about images of women’s faces – with houses or a bit dwarfed by their landscape. Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic. Here’s a few images that […]
Take 12, October
October 16, 2012 by
On the 12th of every month, I (try to) take pictures of the day, then choose 12 to post. It’s called Take 12. Here’s this month’s gallery: October isn’t a very pretty month in a garden. Here is my dead tomato/basil/pepper bed. Some marigolds still determined to hang on, but otherwise, everyone else is in […]
Book Review: Sea Room, by Adam Nicholson
October 6, 2012 by
I think we have relationships with places like we have relationships with people. Love, hate, complexity, history, baggage, emotion, confusion. This may be the first of some reviews I do of books that explore our relationships with place. Sea Room is a book about a man’s relationship with three islands he owns on the west coast […]
Farms I Have Loved
September 21, 2012 by
This is a farm right down the street from our house. Well, sort of. It’s a couple miles away. An island of agriculture in a sea of Naperville suburban boilerplate. The farm interns always seem to look appropriately scruffy and disinterested when I come to pick up my veggie share. There’s also a wind turbine, lots […]
