hyde park's got art

We headed to the south side to go to Chicago's oldest juried Art Fair in Hyde Park, the 61st Annual 57th Street Art Fair. The streets were lined with white, tented booths that were filled with artist's work from all over the states. The booths showcased the art pieces in a variety of medias - Paintings, pottery, silver jewelry, photography, oils, bronze sculptures, and hardwood music boxes. It made even the not so musically inclined seem inclined, which made me inclined to buy one. I settled for a business card with the website on it.

Some of the artists did not heed Tom Skilling's warnings of storms and lost a few delicate pieces in the strong gusts of wind. It wasn't the wind, but the sudden downpour that caught us off-guard on our dash back to the car. We were held captive by the storm in the courtyard of Frank Lloyd Wright's quintessential prairie style home, the Robie House. After a few minutes, we meandered into the gift shop to wait out the onslaught of rain. Seeing that there was not going to be a break in the rain anytime soon, we broke down and purchased ponchos. With all of the Frank Lloyd Wright patterns printed on all types of materials - glass, tile, metal, paper, I half expected the ponchos to have a prairie style pattern printed on it. No such luck. It was just a clear garbage bag with a hood, but the plastic case the poncho was packaged in did have a Frank Lloyd Wright sticker on it.

Architecting for kids

The budding architects of the Sycamore trails 6th grade gained some hands on experience with basic model building and designed new training facilities for alternative Olympic sports. Being green designers, each design incorporated a renewable energy source and a recycled or reclaimed material. Take a look at their designs . . .

Kangaroo Boxing in Australia. The kangaroos are inside the big box. The fenced in yard has barbed wire to keep the kangaroos in, but allows for the delivery truck to move circulate in and out of the property. If you are in Australia, you can sit in the bleachers and watch the kangaroos train.

Gazelle Track & field in the Sahara Desert. The food and training buildings, which are made of sand, use both solar and wind power. The gazelles use block training to strengthen their legs located at the far end of the facility.

Bulldog Shot Put and Power Lifting in Stonehenge. This solar powered building reclaimed the existing rocks at Stonehenge to form it's new wall. The facility includes a weight lifting area to strengthen the bulldog's jaw muscles and shot put area for the dog to practice.

Elephant Rollerblading in Timbuktu. This facility used solar powered elevator, and a mixture of wind and biomass energy to power the facility. The pygmy elephants use the elevator to get to the second and third levels. Can you find the emergency pole from the tower?

Alligator Wrestling in the Everglades. This facility used the tattered remains from the hurricane disasters to build a new facility. The outdoor wrestling arena has high fence to keep the alligators in and people out. Can you see the solar panels on the roof of the building?

It's a lot of work being a tree hugger

It's spring and that means it is time to plant. This year we're planting trees and bulbs.


Step One. Buy a tree. What type of tree should I buy . . . deciduous, coniferous, ornamental - oh my. Simply put - deciduous have shade in the summer and leaves to rake in the fall. Coniferous are ever green. Ornamental trees are pretty and typically smaller deciduous trees that are colorful or flowering. Check out Chicago Botanic Garden for trees that grow best in the Midwest.

The cost of tree is typically priced by the tree's caliper - or diameter of the trunk. Similar to people, the older the tree, the larger the diameter. The larger trees are also more expensive the tree.

Step Two. Save the receipt. Most places will give you a one-year warranty to replace the tree. This is a good thing. If our steps are a little off the the tree doesn't survive the winter, we get to do it all over again, but the nursery's dime. Don't get too excited, it is still your sweat equity to return & replace the tree.

Step Three. Dig a hole. The hole is typically twice as big as the b&b, or ball and burlap. This the part that contains the tree's root ball. In my case, have Chris dig the hole and Zoe watch.

Step Four. Plant & water. Prep the hole with good planting soil and time-release fertilizer at the bottom of the hole. Remove the burlap and roll the tree gently into the hole and fill with planting soil. Cover with mulch to hold in moisture. Water generously.

Step Five. Wait to see what happens.