Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury!

The former “Green Town, IL” (a.k.a. Waukegan) resident and master storyteller is 90 years young today! When I was a boy in the Midwest I used to go out and look at the stars at night and wonder about them. I guess every boy does that. When I wasn’t looking at the stars, I was [...]

How and why Chicago’s sewage enters Lake Michigan

There is a swim ban this weekend at all Chicago beaches due to “water quality issues.” This is because the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) opened the Wilmette and Chicago River locks at 2:30am on Saturday morning and released large quantities of sanitary sewage diluted in part by the sudden influx of [...]

Fresh Perspective: Artwork by Midwestern Surfers – This Saturday!

Dave just gave me the heads up on this: I know, short notice – but it would be great to see you guys. The gallery was going to close, but ran into some money last week! The show must go on! Attached and below is show information that features Artwork by Midwestern Surfers (and Chicago [...]

Chicago’s Nuclear Missiles: The Nike-Hercules Deployments

Believe it or not, at one point we had three nuclear missiles deployed on our lakefront right in the midst of some very densely populated areas. It all began in 1957 during the height of the Cold War. At that time, the greatest perceived threat to the U.S. was a nuclear attack from Soviet bomber [...]

February 12, 1809 – Tall Man of Destiny

Be sure to check out the local exhibit. Share

Update on the Asian Carp Threat: What Can We Expect Going Forward?

Today I attended a subject matter hearing at the Thompson Center regarding the Asian carp issue. Moderated by Illinois State Senator Susan Garrett and Senate Environment Committee, the hearing featured presentations and discussions by the following organizations and panelists: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Colonel Vince Quarles (Commander of the Chicago District) The Nature Conservatory: [...]

Important – Read This! Chicago’s Winter Lakefront Hazards

After I scoped out the swim site yesterday, I decided to check out the lakefront at North Avenue Beach. The cumulative winter winds and waves over the past 20-30 days have created a fairly continuous ice shelf that extends out quite a ways over the water: Unfortunately, many people walk over this without even realizing [...]

An Open Letter to Chicago's Lakefront Highrise Residents

Dave was out clearing the ice off of Ladder #1 yesterday and took this shot: As you can see, the big wave action earlier in the week froze over onto the concrete embankment. In some areas, the ice was over three feet thick and quite hazardous to anyone who might be walking near the lake’s [...]

Ladder #1 Winter Image (Retro)

Believe it or not, this is what our swim area looked like this time of year in 1936! (Source – Chicago Tribune) Share

Happy Winter Solstice!

Share