Do you ever stop to
ponder the mist which
after dawn, broods over
and incubates some of the
many lakes and ponds
that dot the landscape
here in the Great Plains?.
Having lived in the tropics,
I know a little bit about
mists over ponds, usually
those chilly dry hamattan
mornings when we had to
make at least one quick
trip to the stream to fetch
drinking water and also
take a dowse , especially
if it was a school day.
Early August 2008, the
thoughts of those early life
experiences came rushing
in. I could see my cousin,
then a tilly tiny ubiquitous
lad take a dive and
beckon me, "Hei, c'mon
on, it's warm in the belly
of the water!"
He was right. In the cold
harmattan morning the
streams are warmer than
the outside temperatures.
Standing on the moist
grasses by the brinks of
Lake Bode, my
neighborhood Lake which
emerges bountifully at the
precinct of the vast forest
preserve that traverses
Streamwood, Hoffman
Estate, Elgin and I believe
South Barrington all in
Chicago's West and
Northwest Suburb, I
wasn't thinking about
swimming. Such
recreation is forbidden in
lakes here.
I was melancholic though
as I watched the
reflections of the
vegetation and silvery sky
in the water, as the first
rays of a promising
buoyantly sunny day
broke through the horizon.
A couple of weeks later ,
in mid August, Hurricane
Ike was to bash south
Texas with a spillover of
two days of rain in the
upper continental shelf
adversely affecting the
Chicago area with
widespread flooding and
attendant tell tales, some
tragic.
I braved bringing you
pictures of the flooded
Bode Lake. The flooding
abated just in time to
forestall the cutoff of
Bode Road to Barrington
Rd, the important access
road for Elgin and
Streamwood residents
headed for Chicago
northwest. I didn't think I
was taking any risk going
into the flooded Bode
Park, but the strange
behavior of at least two
motorists in the brief
moment I parked my car
with hazard lights on, at a
safe spot by the closed
gate of the park, made me
re-evaluate my action.
The drivers came close to
my car, veered right as if
they were going to park
behind me, then made a
quick u-turn and drove
off. I perceive (and this is
only a guess) that when
they saw my custom
license plate they
concluded that it was
"some nosy news person
concocting the tale of
woes" that are known as
news today, and not their
first instinct - a frustrated
motorist who abandoned
his/her car to go end it all
in the buoyed lake.
It took me no time
anyway to decide on
ending my expedition.
Walking on the mash
created by the flooded
grasses was not a most
pleasant experience. I did
however notice that what
the geese had temporarily
lost due to the flooding of
their grazing field, the
ducks had gained. They
seemed determined to
make the best of it,
swooning and fluttering in
the expanded waters.
ponder the mist which
after dawn, broods over
and incubates some of the
many lakes and ponds
that dot the landscape
here in the Great Plains?.
Having lived in the tropics,
I know a little bit about
mists over ponds, usually
those chilly dry hamattan
mornings when we had to
make at least one quick
trip to the stream to fetch
drinking water and also
take a dowse , especially
if it was a school day.
Early August 2008, the
thoughts of those early life
experiences came rushing
in. I could see my cousin,
then a tilly tiny ubiquitous
lad take a dive and
beckon me, "Hei, c'mon
on, it's warm in the belly
of the water!"
He was right. In the cold
harmattan morning the
streams are warmer than
the outside temperatures.
Standing on the moist
grasses by the brinks of
Lake Bode, my
neighborhood Lake which
emerges bountifully at the
precinct of the vast forest
preserve that traverses
Streamwood, Hoffman
Estate, Elgin and I believe
South Barrington all in
Chicago's West and
Northwest Suburb, I
wasn't thinking about
swimming. Such
recreation is forbidden in
lakes here.
I was melancholic though
as I watched the
reflections of the
vegetation and silvery sky
in the water, as the first
rays of a promising
buoyantly sunny day
broke through the horizon.
A couple of weeks later ,
in mid August, Hurricane
Ike was to bash south
Texas with a spillover of
two days of rain in the
upper continental shelf
adversely affecting the
Chicago area with
widespread flooding and
attendant tell tales, some
tragic.
I braved bringing you
pictures of the flooded
Bode Lake. The flooding
abated just in time to
forestall the cutoff of
Bode Road to Barrington
Rd, the important access
road for Elgin and
Streamwood residents
headed for Chicago
northwest. I didn't think I
was taking any risk going
into the flooded Bode
Park, but the strange
behavior of at least two
motorists in the brief
moment I parked my car
with hazard lights on, at a
safe spot by the closed
gate of the park, made me
re-evaluate my action.
The drivers came close to
my car, veered right as if
they were going to park
behind me, then made a
quick u-turn and drove
off. I perceive (and this is
only a guess) that when
they saw my custom
license plate they
concluded that it was
"some nosy news person
concocting the tale of
woes" that are known as
news today, and not their
first instinct - a frustrated
motorist who abandoned
his/her car to go end it all
in the buoyed lake.
It took me no time
anyway to decide on
ending my expedition.
Walking on the mash
created by the flooded
grasses was not a most
pleasant experience. I did
however notice that what
the geese had temporarily
lost due to the flooding of
their grazing field, the
ducks had gained. They
seemed determined to
make the best of it,
swooning and fluttering in
the expanded waters.
The autumnal
equinox Fall season is
here
One can't help but
regard the season that
ushers in the Winter
with melancholy.
Multi color tulip
arranged in a whorl in
front of our house by
our wonderful
neighbor, early
Spring, also evokes
just that feeling.
One of my greatest
Fall treat is at dawn
when I come
downstairs to savor
the "golden furnace"
effects on my living
room as the early sun
illuminates the drapes
and saturates the
furniture , fresher and
more glorious every
morning.
And just a few blocks
from home, how
could I resist the
nostalgic pink ball
ahead as the sun
"goes to sleep"
I was out at my
neighborhood park to
get you some
wonderful shots.
Make my day. Savor
them!
equinox Fall season is
here
One can't help but
regard the season that
ushers in the Winter
with melancholy.
Multi color tulip
arranged in a whorl in
front of our house by
our wonderful
neighbor, early
Spring, also evokes
just that feeling.
One of my greatest
Fall treat is at dawn
when I come
downstairs to savor
the "golden furnace"
effects on my living
room as the early sun
illuminates the drapes
and saturates the
furniture , fresher and
more glorious every
morning.
And just a few blocks
from home, how
could I resist the
nostalgic pink ball
ahead as the sun
"goes to sleep"
I was out at my
neighborhood park to
get you some
wonderful shots.
Make my day. Savor
them!
 | | |  | | | |
