Judson College :: Academics/Digital Judson

Another of my favorite stops was the Garfield Park Conservatory. The place was chock full of flowers and since I love taking flower photos (if you couldn't tell), I was pretty pleased. So many pretty spring blooms to admire!

 There were little miniature dinos spread throughout the conservatory too!

Navy Pier was another of my favorite stops during our stay in Chicago. It was cold that day, but can you image how packed this place must be during the summer months. Lake Michigan was beautiful. The pier has an indoor area with lots of shops and places to spend your money too if you're so inclined.

Jana, with a beard. The ferris wheel, I see it! I love ferris wheels!

Hello Jasmine. You have no idea what a beautiful view you're missing from up here.

 Jana and Sarah Elizabeth - bearded buddies on the ferris wheel. Also, this seagull and I had a connection. It was meaningful and deep. He let me walk right up to him and take photos.

 Kaylee and Christina looking out over Lake Michigan. Oh look, I know those people!

 I think birds pose for me. Ferris wheel!

This year, the art department/club has worked tirelessly raising funds for a trip to Chicago. This past week all our hard work finally paid off, as our group headed out early Monday morning for the Windy City.

According to Wikipedia, "Chicago is the largest city in the state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous city in the USA, after New York City and Los Angeles."

What I can tell you is that Chicago is a lovely city with so much culture to absorb that I feel like I only experienced a tiny percentage of what it has to offer. I could easily have spent several more days in the city exploring.

Cloudgate by Anish Kapoor, is a huge stainless steel sculpture in Millenium Park. I love how the city's skyline was reflected by the polished surface. I also love it's nickname, The Bean. So much fun to say.

Walking down Michigan Avenue. There's so much beautiful architecture to admire.

At the field Museum. I loved the huge gallery of fossils and dinosaur skeletons. I really wish I'd had a whole day to explore here. It made my inner science nerd very, very happy.

That's right. You heard me correctly. Llamas, my friends. Who doesn't love a llama, especially a cute, fuzzy little baby? Maybe I should start at the beginning though.

It all began this afternoon, while helping some fellow Judson girls print shirts for their upcoming trip to New York (they turned out wonderfully by the way). Sarah Elizabeth offered to take me down to the place she boards her horse at, where they also, to my great glee, have a baby llama. The cuteness, the fuzziness, the buck teeth!

Also, ducks. Even better, ducks paddling in little ponds and walking in a line. I need to move to a farm where I can have ducks, oh... tomorrow.

I learned something new about llamas today as well. I never realized how protective father llamas were over their young. While we were there, we witness Papa Llama (pictured above) chase off another male who could have been a threat to that adorable little fellow (also pictured above). While I might feel sorry for the other male (who Sarah and I refer to as Uncle Llama) I was amazed to see an animal who had, not five minutes ealier, been peacefully grazing and nuzzling with the baby switch into all-out warrior mode. It was actually a little terrifying. 

Moral of the story: don't threaten a baby llama - ever.

 And mama llama, well, she likes grass, and her baby.