Monday Monday

On Monday we had our visit to UIC scheduled. It was also the day when reports started coming in about Santa Rosa. What's been happening there has been breaking our hearts. I'm doing the only thing I can do about it from here - reading about it incessantly.

Needless to say, we were distracted. I pretty much spent the entire orientation on my phone looking for news.

UIC has one aspect that's very interesting - it's home to Hull House, the settlement house established by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Settlement houses were part of a big reform movement, providing child care for working mothers, support for labor groups, English and citizenship classes, in an attempt to help these poor areas thrive. It's a really fascinating movement.

Plus, lesbians to the rescue!

After that, we went to the Garfield Park Conservatory, designed in 1908.


Still not a pretty as Golden Gate Parks

It's a huge facility, encompassing a couple acres including the propagation rooms. 

Since Frankie is such a botany nerd, they were in heaven. 

These koi were huge and friendly - aquatic labradors 

I got a decent shot of a butterfly, so I had to include it. 

After that the plan was to go to the Chicago Temple, but there had been a Columbus Day parade, and traffic/parking was a nightmare. 

Columbus: after hundreds of years, still fucking things up in America.

We went back for a quick nap and a regroup, but ended up sleeping until 7 and ordering falafel and schwarma. 






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