Relaxing on our last day in Chicago!

My dad was born 100 years ago today....9/9/1912. He loved boating and adventure...so I guess I come by it naturally. He would have loved to follow us on this trip! 

Yesterday, we thought we would go to a museum today, but our bodies told us differently. Today,  Sunday, should be a day of rest, and we both agreed!

We just love being at DuSable Harbor. An easy walk west of here is a lovely neighborhood, Lakeshore East. There is hardly any traffic there, and the entire middle of the area is a lovely park, with a children's playground and a dog park. Here you see Kate trying to hide under my bench. Behind the large lab, you see part of the face and the tail of a French bulldog, named Napoleon. He was the only un-neutered male there, and he kept "humping" Kate, even when she tried lying down!  It was so bad....after a while, Kate snapped at him a few times to warn him, but he continued being a stubborn Frenchman! His owner kept coming over and removing him...and finally, they left. After that, Kate still stayed under her bench, even when new little dogs came into the park. Enough was enough!

This picture shows how long the park is. The high-rises are at the far end. There was even a fountain in the dog park and a dish to scoop up water.       
The lab was the only dog to jump in the fountain! It figures...

On one side were lovely homes that gave more of an open feeling to the space. Just down the road is the greatest grocery store...Mariano's Fresh Market. It is two storeys high, with escalators and elevators. While I was at the dog park, Don went shopping. Our Milwaukee bagels were long gone...so now we have fresh Chicago bagels and lots more fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh Italian bread. It will be a long, long time, if ever, that we are so close to such a lovely market!!!

At the far end, while I sat in the dog park, I noticed an unusual building that we had seen on our bus tour. It is called Aqua Tower, with wave-like forms for balconies, and it has a sculptural quality to it.  The lead architect was a woman, Jeanne Gang. It was the largest project ever awarded to an American firm headed by a woman! 


Tomorrow we will leave this wonderful city and the Great Lakes...and become River Rats, traveling the rivers south to Mobile, Alabama!