Fortunately, our place is a scant few blocks from Chicago's famed Oak Street Beach (this shot is our building seen from the beach), which makes it relatively painless to drag them over there for some "water time" (when not indulging in "playable" fountains like that one in Millenium Park or the one out front of Navy Pier). Last weekend we took advantage of the late summer sun, and headed over there both Saturday and Sunday after dinner.
This is a good time to be at the beach, as most of the heavy-duty volleyball (and now dodgeball, according to the Tribune!) tournaments are over, the sun is not blistering, the sand is not burning, and the crowds have largely gone home. Although we're more than half way through the summer, the Lake is still pretty chilly, but The Girls don't seem to have a problem with that.
I remember as a kid going out to play in the park after dinner in the summer, so heading out to the beach is just about the same. Plus, the dip in temperatures that comes when the sun eventually ducks behind the buildings along Lake Shore Drive helps to convince The Girls that it IS time to head back home!
I've posted pictures previously of the view from our apartment, which is dominated by Lake Michigan (it's quite something to look out one's windows and primarily see a smooth water/sky horizon!) ... over the years we've become reasonably familiar with the Lake's "moods", but it still can surprise us. On Satruday there was almost surf due to winds churning up some serious waves!
I kind of liked this (ok, cliché) shot of the lifeguard rowboat reflecting on the wet sand. You can see some of the wave action here ... The Girls would go out about waist deep and let them break over their heads! You can see that the lifeguard that's out there is having a heck of a time keeping his boat in place, and it was an unusual evening because all the big dinner-cruise ships were off the lake due to the conditions.
Sunday was much calmer and all the seagulls were out looking for snacks. There was a big to-do about the seagulls when they started to hang out here ... a lot of folks thought that they couldn't adapt to a fresh-water environment (they'd come in on freighters and decided to stay), but they seem to have done so. Maybe they get enough salt via potato chips and french fries to make up for not having it in the water!
Anyway, sorry for the huge explosion on your Friends List, but I wanted to get these shots up before they became too "stale"!