Tag: lake michigan

… And One More Splash Of Summer!

Yesterday, before I left for the airport, I walked to the beach and realized that if I wasn’t in a rush and didn’t put away all the beach things, I could still go! It was nice and warm and calm. Several people were walking in the shallow water, likely regretting having put their swimsuits into storage.

I rolled up my jeans and followed their example:).

The Last Week Of Summer?

I think that the last week was truly the last week of summer, and that today was truly the last beach day. I was so nice and warm, all week long, and the weekend was as perfect as it could be.

I went for a long bike ride in the morning and to the beach in the early afternoon.

Each time I am at the beach, I think about how blessed I am to have this treasure so close to home. I am forever thankful for this gift from the universe, and I will never take it for granted!

A New Life Formular

I’ve changed the way I speak about time and the lack of it. For the longest time, I used to say: “God does not give me more than 24 hours a day, even though I absolutely deserve at least 30!!!” On Friday, when I was talking to one of my fellow escorts, I came up with the follow-up: “However, God does give me 24 hours, and I am determined to use every minute of it!”

The early morning Friday shift was unusually intense; five antis were out, and there were just three of us, so we didn’t have enough bodies to escort patients and shield them. And that was the first time I was the shift lead (why am I taking on more responsibilities – don’t ask!). But while there is a need in the morning shifts, and while it’s warm enough for me to survive these morning shifts, I will be there. That’s one of the meaningful ways to use these minutes :).

And summer in Chicago continues! It was the upper 80s today! I was finally able to meet with my friend Y; we had been trying to meet since June, and had to cancel for either her or my reasons. I was sad that she didn’t have a chance to visit me in the summer, but we got a summer day in October! We went to the beach, and sat there in the lounge chairs, and I swam in the lake (she didn’t). This time, it almost didn’t happen again because she was afraid to be out while the ICE agents were terrorising the city, but then she decided she would make it, and I am glad she did.

I do not know a single person who would be happy with what’s going on in the city these days. My hairstylist came to do my hair on Friday, and with all her being “neutral” and “not wanting to talk about politics,” she couldn’t keep it to herself.

And on the ICE/Trump topic, there was another shooting, although this time not lethal, and also, Trump quietly deployed 300 National Guards, and now the whole city is mad that police is not protecting the citizen from ICE, and they also mad at the Governor, although it’s hard to tell what he could do in the current situation (except for there are multiple lawsuits filed). Also, he froze the Red Line extension money, but to be honest, I had no doubts it would happen.

Keeping fighting, and keeping doing good whenever I can.

Sunday Sunrise

It’s Beach Time!

The warm weather finally returned, but two stretches of cold days definitely brought the water temperature down, although it was still warmer than in June. Still, I was surprised when my Kenyan friend M. expressed enthusiasm for going to the beach; I thought she would find the Michigan water unacceptably cold. Still, she put the beach high in her list of priorities, and I didn’t mind at all! In fact, even if she won’t be visiting, I would take Friday afternoon off, because it was perfect beach weather!

I cant even describe how much we both enjoyed this outing!

And my old swimsuit found a new home. 😀

Going (almost) All The Way South

Today, Boris and I did what I wanted to do for a very long time: biked from our house all the way south, almost to the end of the Lake Front Trail. “Almost” was because of imperfect planning and our local problem of the absence of public bathrooms everywhere, especially in city parks, and specifically on the Lake Front Trail. Moreover, there were several portables sitting around during summer, but someone decided that summer was already over 🤷🏻‍♀️.

We planned for the worst-case bathroom scenario, so it was not a complete showstopper, but another thing I didn’t know was how many interesting things we would discover along the way. We should have planned a day trip to have time to stop by each overpass and look down, or cross the Lake Shore Drive and look at the small pond with swans, or stop at the wildlife sanctuary.

Also, for some reason, I thought that the Lake Front Trail ends by the Museum of Science and Industry, but it turns out that it doesn’t. I was determined to reach the very end, but there was a big traffic crossing very close to the abovementioned end, and I knew it was just a mile and a half left, so I made an executive decision to turn back.

In total, we covered 39.6 miles, and I was planning for 41 miles, but I decided not to focus on these small details 🙂

I took way fewer pictures than I planned, but it is definitely not the last time. Next time, we will plan for at least six hours on the road.

Continue reading “Going (almost) All The Way South” →

Last Day of Summer (sort of)

Last Saturday, I went for the longest non-stop bike ride I have ever done (28.1 miles), and then I went to the beach. I knew that a sharp temperature drop was in the forecast (and it happened, on the clock!), so I wanted to seize the moment. I know that’s not the “real” end of summer, and there will be more warm days, but it was definitely the end of an unconditional, abundant warmth – the default warmth with not a thought of an extra layer. So I soaked in the lake, saying numerous thanks to him, and then sat in my beach chair, and then lay down on the sand, and then sat in the chair a little bit more. As long as time allowed. And a little bit more 🙂

Glenwood Art Fest

More pictures from the Glenwood Art Fest, shared by my friends.

And the very last pictures: saying good-bye to our Great Sea:

The Lake In Many Different Ways

Before I sat down to work on my presentations last Sunday, I went for what turned out to be my longest non-stop bike ride so far (total distance 27 miles). I keep exploring the Lake Front Trail, going more and more South with the hope of finally reaching the Museum of Science and Industry. I already did it twice during Bike the Drive events, but it’s a shorter distance when going by the Drive, and also, there are stops.

I posted some pictures from my newly found lands 😀 here.

Here are more pictures from the shorter rides this week.

Very early in the morning on Monday
Very stormy weather on Tuesday
Today was equally stormy, but warmer, and I could not resist breaking the rules

The Longest So Far…

Exploring new territories (and new angles)