The Momster and I (and one of my nephews) ran the YMCA
5-mile Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, as we have done for the past
7 years (pretty sure it's seven).
Traditional T-Gives Shark.
We usually wear funny hats, but this year Momster had chosen full on costumes.
Here we have, from left, Super Chicken, Lego Batman, and the old-fashioned
Thanksgiving Shark.
But this post isn't about the race.
(I can say, though, that the Shark was well received by the other runners and made
lots of people smile. And Super Chicken met two other non-super chickens en route.)
The day after Thanksgiving, I took my now annual day trip to Chicago.
I'm in a bit of creative dry spell at the moment, so I was hoping a day in different
surroundings would shake loose some ideas or spark some inspiration.
It sort of accomplished this goal, but not really in the way I'd hoped.
Amtrakin' it. The only way to travel into Chicago.
Once free from the station and with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, I set out for the
Field Museum. On the way I said hello to the friendly lions on the steps of the
Art Institute. As you can see, they are dressed for the season.
Getting closer! We have a visual!
Apparently, Sue the murderbird, I mean T-Rex,
is currently being moved to a different location.
More info about that here:
In the meantime, we get to see Maximo in its place in the great hall!
Wow! Did you know that dinosaurs were really big?! đŸ˜‰
That femur bone is larger than me.
I can't even fit it into the frame!
Maximo the titanosaur. The largest dinosaur, thus yet discovered, to have ever lived.
(Patagotitan mayorum)
Discovered near La Flecha, Argentina, Maximo is 122 feet long and 28 feet tall to its head.
It weighed nearly 70 tons and is from the Cretaceous Period, making it over 100 million years old!
Naturally, I had to get a selfie.
Wandering through the halls of birds and mammals.
This vulture is clearly trying to seduce you.
Have you ever thought about how big some gulls can get?
Like flying beagles.
Oooh, squiddy.
Yaay! A Mold-a-Rama machine!
I love these things. They're so tacky, but I can't resist them.
This green Apatosaurus will join my small collection of waxy figures.
One dino to another...
After some more wandering through exhibits on ancient Egypt, DNA sequencing,
and South Pacific culture, it was time to say goodbye to Maximo and the Field Museum.
You were well worth the visit!
Walk back to the Loop...
Met up with a friend who showed me the lovely lobby of the
Palmer House Hotel. Here is Romeo and Juliet greeting guests into the bar.
We had a bite to eat at Miller's Pub on Wabash Avenue.
It was busy but pleasant. The hummus plate was tasty and I was with splendid company.
Cheers, Dion!
A bit of time left to kill, we stopped at Argo Tea.
This green matcha vanilla drink is wax dinosaur approved!
Time to make my way back to the train station.
I see the Willis Tower dressed for the Christmas season.
Another cup of coffee and just barely making the train (whew!)
Two and a half hour ride back to my car in Kewanee.
I love the feeling of being in motion. I get really batty being in one place for too long.
So I deal with that by occasional day trips and planning upcoming vacations.
A pleasant day in a different place.
I've decided to brainstorm a bit to shake up my creative block.
And to just take the dry spell as it is. I can use the time to revisit some basics, learn
a bit of German (Duolingo is a neat app), get through a few books in the never-
shrinking stack. Maybe some down time can be good.
Take a moment to collect my thoughts and re-examine my goals.
Be careful out there in the snow, my dear Antelopes!
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