I am sure they are having fun, and I wish them well, but I would rather just walk and see the details around the trail.

It was fun to visit my trees; some of which have become true friends over the last 15 years of walking this trail.
I can see through the woods to the abandoned train bridge, and the grasses and growth that I watch during the warm months, have left their winter skeletons to contrast with the snow.

It turns out that there were only a couple tables of people there, so I started with the usual secrecy; get a coffee, sit at a table that is close enough to get a picture if I use a little zoom, and act like I am doing something else. Well it soon became evident that these were ladies of the above description, so I went to say "hello". I gave them a quick rundown of my reasons and intentions, and asked if I could photo them. They agreed, applied chapstick, and worried about the dirty plate on the table - yup these were my folks! They were a mother and daughters (in-law?) laughing, sipping and creating. Even grandma was there - it was the anniversary of her death, and so they had her hand-made sweater draped on one of the chairs!

In the back room I found another huddle of women measuring, knitting, perusing patterns and laughing. I truly think that women - especially "experienced" ones - are a major untapped resource of joy and comfort in our society, and we better start acknowledging that soon because we need more of both those things! Fortunately we have found each other.

I suppose in an earlier age, it was sewing clubs, quilting bees, church groups, and bridge clubs that did it, most of those have passed as more and more women have found independence and are in the workplace, but the coffee shops and knitting stores, the quilting groups, and moms groups have taken up the slack. Even Etsy, with the teams and forums is a meeting place for the like-minded.

He belonged to a Swedish Mens Choir, and these 16 men sang at the Service. It was beautiful. These tenor and bass voices of mature men resounded through the Chapel and sounded like an entire choir. They sang "You will never walk alone, and "Amazing Grace among others. One of them also played the trumpet during parts of the songs, and it was hauntingly beautiful as well.

The service itself was in the modern chapel annex of the Church, but the original church was open The church is the Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue. It is everything a church should be. Gothic and tall with an immediate sense of both reverence and awe. I have included two relatively untouched pictures on my daily photo page for today. But I also wanted to play with adding atmosphere of all kinds to the architectural photos I took, so here are a few more for your viewing pleasure!