Aug 22

Aug 22 Odds and Ends II

“In the lazy water meadow I lay me down
All around me golden sun flakes covering the ground
Basking in the sunshine of a bygone afternoon
Bringing sounds of yesterday into this city room

Hear the lark and harken to the barking of the dog fox
Gone to ground”

— Grantchester Meadows, Pink Floyd, from Ummagumma (1969)

The weather has been exceedingly hot as of late. No rain to speak of. Driving around the city and the burbs, I keep thinking, “Enjoy it because in three months we’ll be stuck indoors with no place to go.”

Today I headed up to Fort Sheridan, which was once a military base until it was decommissioned in 1993. Much of the land and many of the buildings were sold by the Department of Defense for development. Sixty-four of those buildings were designed by famed architectural firm Holabird & Roche. Those buildings, together with thirty more, now comprise a residential community that is characterized by cream-colored brick, single-family residences (presumably once occupied by base officers) and multi-family units. It is quite a tranquil community, occupying 110 acres, with a massive open space providing areas for touch football and picnics. Bikers clad in Italian-racing attire circle the parkway. To think that this was once a Nike site, protecting us from the Russians. Well, we still need protection from the Russians (and our President), as well as protection from the biological warfare that our President is waging against us through his malfeasance.

To the immediate north of the residential community is the Fort Sheridan Nature Preserve, which is a largely flat plain, bisected by a deep ravine, leading to cliffs overlooking Lake Michigan. When I have visited the beach before, it was devoid of people, but today the the sand was packed. As I left the beach, I heard the police or the Coast Guard sound a loud warning signal, and then a voice rising from below commanded those in the water to get our or be ticketed. It seems as if a record number of the dead bodies have been fished out of the lake this year, which is not surprising given the elevated water levels, rip tides, and the absence of lifeguards—many of the beaches lining Lake Michigan are closed due to Covid. Yet, people don’t take the warnings or closures seriously, so let your seven-year old swim offshore so that she can work off the frustrations that come with home confinement. You can die when you go to rescue her already lifeless body that the currents have pulled below the surface.

Speaking of the dead, the military cemetery serving the base is still open and operational. I must admit, it is not the nicest cemetery I have ever visited. It epitomizes the Chicago-area with its barren flatness. Clearly the wrong officer was in charge of the cemetery because the tombstones are not evenly spaced or bolt upright, which are characteristics that always impress me at Arlington National Cemetery and the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France.

On my journeys, I also stopped off at the Bahai Temple in Wilmette. Both times I visited it this week, the light was spectacular. No surprise here: Friday was a much more pleasant to visit than Saturday afternoon. On Saturdays, the grounds are overrun with wedding photographers and their clients. On Friday afternoon, the grounds were largely empty, except for three or four couples and a guy with a drone. Most people are overwhelmed by the main structure, as they should be. But many miss the former studio of Louis Bourgeois, the temple’s architect, which is to the immediate east of the temple on Sheridan Road.

As I made my way back to the city, I stopped off at the beach that is located at the east-end of Tower Road. I was interested in what I assume was once some sort of power station, but my visit did give me the opportunity to inspect the beach, which requires a pass for entry. I love the power station, but like many structures, its lines have been desecrated by the addition of cellphone relay stations.

I had parked my car on Lloyd Street, just to the west of Sheridan Road. Before returning to my car, I decided to pay my respects to Macaulay Calkin’s fictional residence, aka the Home Alone house. It is largely unchanged from 1990. The most notable change is the black, iron fence that limits public access by creating a clearly delineated boundary. It is also apparent that the house is monitored by cameras. If I lived there, I would do a “reverse” photo project, photographing the folks who like me who come for a souvenir snapshot. Next time I am in this neighborhood, I will pay my respects to Joel Goodson’s house of teenage prostitution in Glencoe.

Over the two days, I also stopped at the Chicago Botanic Garden, which interests me less with each visit. A little bit too manicured. And, drawn by the afternoon light, I also stopped off at Northwestern University.

Earlier this week, I spent a day wandering around Oak Street Beach and the Magnificent Mile. The looting spree occurred two weeks ago. Since then, some of the luxury stores have replaced drab plywood with a luxury variety. And many stores that escaped the looting have boarded up their windows, signaling that they expect more looting this fall. For the most part, it doesn’t matter because nobody is shopping. I overhead one store clerk tell another one that the suburbanites are afraid to come downtown. I suspect we will see more store closures as retailers give up. The Christmas shopping season should be interesting this year.

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