Friday, September 30, 2016

non sequitur Friday

It's a beautiful song. There's quite a range of interpretations out there.






Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Beverly Art Walk this Saturday 10/1

If you've never checked out the Beverly Art Walk, you should. It's a great way to connect with local artists at a variety of locations in Beverly and Morgan Park and buy original work in many different media.



Click here for a PDF of the complete brochure for the event, which includes 2 version of the venue map. One has bike rack locations and suggested routes. The other shows routes for the free trolleys. Traveling between locations by bike is a great way to go, as parking is a lot easier and you have total flexibility in how you get there.



Whistler Woods habitat restoration workday Sat. 10/1

It's great to get outdoors. Volunteers are needed this Saturday 10/1 from 10 am to 1 pm for a habitat restoration workday - invasive species removal and seed collecting.  Light snacks and water will be available.



Hiking boots or other boots or shoes that offer good support and traction are a good idea. When you arrive, look for volunteers along the lefthand side of the main parking lot, near the end of the parking lot. If you have work gloves, bring them, otherwise gloves will be available.  

How to get there:   Whistler Woods is just east of 13400 S Halsted in Riverdale. Note that the Halsted bridge is closed for construction thru 6/30/17.

By bike: if you're coming from the north, ride the Major Taylor Trail south until it ends in Whistler Woods and continue to the parking lot to find the volunteers.

By car: from the north - take Ashland south past Broadway in Blue Island. Make the first left after Broadway, then left onto Jackson St. (13400S). Continue east past the light at Halsted. Whistler Woods parking lot is the first left turn after Halsted.

From I-57, exit at eastbound 127th, then turn right on Ashland, and follow the directions above.

From I-94, exit at westbound 130th.  Continue past the viaduct, right (northbound) on Indiana, then continue left on 127th. Follow the directions above.

By transit:  Pace 352 Halsted bus


Monday, September 26, 2016

one way you could save a life

If you drive and parallel park, please watch the video included in this blog post. It's a bit different from how most of us open our car doors, but it's a new habit worth learning. Dooring can kill. If you look first and wait until any cyclists have passed before you open your car door, you could save a life.

A set of bike laws was passed several years ago, making it illegal to drive or park in bike lanes, pass a cyclist without leaving 3 feet or more of space between your vehicle and the cyclist, open your car door into the path of a cyclist or cause a crash by turning into the path of a cyclist. If you are cited for one of these offenses, you can get a hefty ticket. You can also be held legally liable for any injuries you cause.

Please remember - that person on the bike is just trying to get where they're going in one piece, same as you.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Monday, September 19, 2016

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail meeting Wed. 9/21

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail will meet on Wed. 9/21 at Ridge Park fieldhouse (1817 W 96th St.), 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

For those who aren't familiar with our group and what we do, we are a non-profit advocacy group working to improve and maintain the Major Taylor Trail and promote its use. We have an active working relationship with the Chicago Park District, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Openlands and other non-profits and government agencies. We organize volunteer workdays, bike rides and other events.

We'd love to have your ideas and help with future events and projects. Please join us! Everyone is welcome.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Monday, September 12, 2016

Metra invites community art and gardens

From the Chicago Tribune:

Metra is looking for proposals from local community groups for "enhancement projects," including art, landscaping and gardening projects at its stations or other railroad property.

Participants must be able to fund their own projects, though in some cases the commuter train service said it can contribute some materials or workforce support to make the projects more lasting and safe.

Projects can include murals that reflect the characteristics of the community, freestanding sculptures, mosaics, photographs and the planting of flowers and shrubs. If you're interested, contact Community Affairs at 312-322-6753 or email communityenhancement@metrarr.com.

Friday, September 9, 2016

non sequitur Friday

Two versions of a great swing tune





Whistler Woods workdays today and tomorrow (9/9 and 9/10)

It's great to get outdoors. Volunteers are needed this Friday 9/9 and Saturday 9/10 from 10 am to 1 pm for a habitat restoration workday - invasive species removal and seed collecting.  Light snacks and water will be available.



Hiking boots or other boots or shoes that offer good support and traction are a good idea. When you arrive, look for volunteers along the lefthand side of the main parking lot, near the end of the parking lot. If you have work gloves, bring them, otherwise gloves will be available.  

How to get there:   Whistler Woods is just east of 13400 S Halsted in Riverdale. Note that the Halsted bridge is currently closed for construction.

By bike: if you're coming from the north, ride the Major Taylor Trail south until it ends in Whistler Woods and continue to the parking lot to find the volunteers.

By car: from the northtake Ashland south past Broadway in Blue Island. Make the first left after Broadway, then left onto Jackson St. (13400S). Continue east past the light at Halsted. Whistler Woods parking lot is the first left turn after Halsted.

From I-57, exit at eastbound 127th, then turn right on Ashland, and follow the directions above.

From I-94, exit at westbound 130th.  Continue past the viaduct, right (northbound) on Indiana, then continue left on 127th. Follow the directions above.

By transit:  Pace 352 Halsted bus

gas main/meter replacement and our corner gardens

As the area where gas meter and gas main replacement closes in on our part of central Beverly, I've been wondering how many corners they will need to dig up. Some of us have substantial gardens on our corners that we don't want destroyed.

A couple of weeks ago I called the phone number on the letter we recently received and asked if our corner and several nearby ones with gardens will need to be dug up. It would be nice to get enough advance warning to safely remove all those plants and temporarily relocate them if it's needed. He said he would check and get back to me. I've gotten no news, so I called and left a follow-up message.
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UPDATE

If you have a corner garden, now I have some information. I just got a call back. The Peoples Gas employee who called me back this morning told me that it does NOT appear that they will have to dig up any of our corner garden beds for gas main replacement.

However, if your corner does not have "compliant" ADA curb ramps (the new installations they've been doing in recent years, mostly with poor quality materials that start failing after only a few years), then the curb ramps and curbs would need to be removed and replaced with a new "compliant" installation. I'm sure you've seen how much of the corner they tear up when they do one of these installations.

When you see the crews getting close to your place, ask them how many days until they get to you so you know how much time you have to do any emergency plant relocation.

That WILL affect my corner garden. I believe it will affect at least a few other corner gardens nearby. Looks like I may need to take an emergency day off from work when they're getting close so I have enough time to save my plants. *grumble*