An Afternoon at Lincoln Park Conservatory & The Zoo

We joked that we have walked by the Lincoln Park Conservatory and Zoo 100 million times...just always with the dogs.  So we decided to head over and check it out...without the dogs.  We started out in the Conservatory which is huge, with different rooms for different types of plants, like Ferns, Orchids and Palms.  The weather was brisk outside so the humid warm climate was soothing. 

With our new DSLR camera, we set out to practice something different than pictures of the dogs in the apartment.  Working on depth of field and the different lighting sources and strengths were fun as each of us has different ideas for the same shot.

Using a shallow depth of field fuzzed out the white statue in the background but still kept it part of the picture.

Directly next to the Conservatory is the gorgeous Lincoln Park Zoo.  Being still brisk outside we headed to the African House to get warm.  With the DSLR in tow, we set out and found this guy.

Apparently he is very well fed because in the pond below him are hundreds of tasty fish, amazing restraint.  I was hoping for a show, but nope.  Moving through the building, most of the exhibits were through thick glass, which isn't the most ideal for pictures.  It wasn't until the room opened up and we saw this guy were we able to capture more.

He was determined....and not to worry when the weather is warmer he can go outside which allows him a lot of room to play.  We will be back to prove it.

Directly next to the Giraffes were these little guys, who were very interested in the funny pink skinned creatures. 

Moving into the Bird house was equally as cool, and more photography challenges awaited us.  The lighting was soft and the birds were fast moving, so finding the right balance of shutter speed and apeture size forced you to change both without looking and faster in order to get the shot desired.

The main bird room was a little different.  There weren't cages, or different exhibits, they were free to fly around as they pleased.  Some flew only a foot away from Tara's head, which was entertaining to say the least. 

The Lion House was the last stop on our mini tour of the Zoo.  The Lions were gorgeous, but lazy as it was nap time when we were there.  They were behind a mesh metal screen so Tara focused on the beautiful architecture of the building that was easier to photograph.

It was a fun afternoon, which we both enjoyed a lot, and even better both of these are free to the public, so the only cost were hot dogs at Mello's before and Starbucks coffee afterwards to warm up.

Summer Fun

Dan and Sparky
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

So we have been having quite the busy summer! Two weeks ago we went to a Chicago Fire game- MLS for those of you who don't know who the Fire are! Yes, the MLS is a far cry from the crazy European soccer world but we make due with what we have available. It was a lot of fun- definitely a family oriented event that is for sure. Their brand new park is nice and clean. It was amusing to hear all the kids around us cheering for the players by name (they knew them all) and when they weren't cheering they were trying to decide who got to be Luke Skywalker.

Last weekend I treated myself to my very first pedicure- it was quite the experience as well! And I have to admit my toes look tons better than what I do myself. I went with one of my friends and it was a nice girly Sunday afternoon. It was a treat for getting an A in my summer class... now I get to relax and enjoy the rest of summer until September when Fall Quarter starts.

Happy Fourth of July!

Starved Rock10
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

Dan and I decided to get out of the city and enjoy nature for the Fourth of July. We packed a lunch and bottles of water and headed out to Starved Rock park in Utica, IL. It was a little over an hour of a drive and we were there. Good thing I insisted on checking the map as we might have been headed out on Hwy 88 instead of Hwy 80 and in that case we would have had to have a typical yelling match on who was right! But in any case, we made it.

The dogs were extremely excited to get to go hiking again and could hardly wait for us to eat our lunch. Then we headed out on the trails. It was really fun to be out there and we enjoyed the change of activity for the day. We were a little worried that we wouldn't get to go since it has rained for the past 5 days straight. Of course we might have been able to make it a little further had we brought along the extra water we left in the car... but 3 hours of hiking isn't so bad for a couple of city rats.

We hope you all had a nice Fourth of July!

On our way to becoming Rock Climbers!

So Dan and I are on our way to becoming avid rock climbers. Never mind that we have only had 1 class thus far (this past Sunday was the first out of a 7 week course), we were bit by the bug. It was so much fun and I can hardly wait till this Sunday's class. Not to brag but I think I am a natural! Seriously, I completed my route on my very first attempt... and it was a 5.6. Not bad for a first time if I do say so myself! Oh and Dan did alright (he completed it too).

Growing up I was a serious climber. I climbed every tree or pole that I could shimmy my way up. Now we are already on REI's website checking out gear. And I am trying to figure out where we can fit rock climbing into our vacation this August to California.

I really wish I had gotten into climbing while we lived in Colorado... maybe that would have been Colorado's saving grace for me. But oh well, I will just have to work with the little Midwest molehills!

Sunday at the Art Institute

Dan & Tara 03262006
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

We finally made it to the Girodet exhibit at the Art Institute- we had been trying to get there for a month. There was quite the line to get in but we stuck with it and the line actually only took like 10 minutes at the most. The exhibit was fantastic and definitely worth heading downtown for. We also headed to Marshall Fields on State Street. I wanted to look for a pair of shoes but once I wandered into the Prada section the things I could afford just weren't very appealing! Just kidding (kind of- I can never find shoes there- there are so many choices that I get a bit overwhelmed!