Chicago in Gold

Today Brian and Patience are at work and we have invaded their space yet again. They happen to have friends staying with them currently and there are no more beds at this "inn." We were planning to get a hotel for the last 3 nights of the trip, but they have us sleeping with friends of theirs (Jeremy and Bethany) who happen to live about 3 blocks away. What a beautiful apartment Jeremy and Bethany have. It is on the third floor, so there are LOTS of stairs to climb to get to their apartment. It is very typical of places here.

The house shown here is really a duplex and Brian and Patience live on the ground floor with the owners living above. From the sidewalk in front of their

house you can look north (yes, I had to ask Dan what direction that was!) and see a golden blanket of leaves that have fallen along the tree lined street. When we were here 10 days ago, there were very few leaves. My how things happen fast. Things in Chicago are more yellow-lime green-gold where as in Ohio they were the deep reds, golds, oranges, etc. Interesting how the seasonal changes from state to state vary in time.

Another great feature of all the places here are the hardwood floors. They are not the new floors made to look old-- they are the real deal! They just shine with age. The drawback is that they squeak like

crazy. We stayed up to play cards with Bri and Patience last night and arrived at at Jeremy and Bethany's

around 11:30 p.m. We tried to be quiet, but that was impossible with the floors. The house just breathes!

Another interesting thing they have in these older places are these

radiators. They are in all the rooms and people paint them all kinds of colors. Here are just a couple...and yes I know this one is sideways, but I can't

figure out how to flip it around...

The little one is in the kitchen by the fridge. They painted the bathroom ones gray to match the decor and the rest are creamy color. I can only assume that the plant will not stay there long. In the middle of the night, you hear a hissing sound coming from them. I have only the vaguest recollection of these types of heaters from my childhood.

The generosity of these young kids is wonderful. Their parents raised some great kids. Aren't we all lucky to have kids that fall into this same "Wonderful" category? There seems to be so many outside influences that pull at kids and yet all of ours have seemed to avoid trouble and flourish. Praise God.