"Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." Samuel Ullman
The Northwest Chicago suburbs had been my home for over 30 years when we moved to Indianapolis in 2015; I am always ready to return for a visit to play "tourist." My friend Sue from Boston comes to conferences but not for crochet.
Sue and I have known each other since 1988 when our children were at the American School in Quito, Ecuador together; and we began to connect more regularly when the CGOA conferences were in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is an easy drive from Boston for Sue and her sister, Claudette, who registers for knit and crochet classes. We also "hooked up" when the conference was in North Carolina where Sue's daughter was living. This year my friendly duo decided to come to Chicago because they had never been there. Yay, we met again!
From having dinner with my dear neighbor, Gerry; to taking the Metra to the Art Institute to meet my Moderator (twisted1) from my
Ravelry group; to the Architecture Boat Tour, I really enjoyed showing Sue and Claudette around.
 |
| Waiting on the Metra |
 |
| Enjoying Millennium Park |
 |
| Hooking Up with Rockfield & Twisted1 |
 |
| If it weren't for Claudette, I would have never known about these Queenly shoes! |
Another must-see on my list was a fiber show,
The Box Project: Uncommon Threads at the Racine Art Museum (RAM).
Sue & I drove there and spent the whole day enjoying art, gorgeous weather and lunch with a lake view. That was a must for this woman who grew up in Maine!
 |
| RAM, Racine, Wisconsin |
 |
| Carson Fox: Untitled, Twisted & Matted wire filigree, 2008 |
 |
| Carson Fox: Orange Craggy Rock, 2014 |
 |
| Gerhardt Knodel: Untitled, 2008 |
 |
| Gere Cavanaugh: Untitled, 2010 |
I didn't do a good job of getting all the names and art matched up, but it was a thrill to see the works of 36 internationally recognized artists. Each commissioned piece had to be three-dimensional and sized to fit inside a relatively small, square or rectangular box of standardized dimensions. Included were such luminaries as: Mary Bero, Virginia Davis, John Garrett, Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Gerhardt Knodel, Nancy Koenigsberg, and Cynthia Schira.
A bonus that I didn't expect was to find the work of Renie Breskin Adams also on display. I am honored to have featured Renie in a chapter in my book,
The Fine Art of Crochet. This current exhibit showcases a recent gift of embroideries, studies, and illustrations to RAM. This donation of over 80 works establishes an archive for Adams at RAM and parallels other holding in various media at the museum.
 |
| Renie Breskin Adams: Bugs; dyed cotton thread; 1989 |
 |
| Renie Breskin Adams: David, Dyed cotton thread & fabric, 1989 |
 |
| Lunch at the Lakeview Cafe |
 |
| Had to get our feet in the sand! |
On our last day, Sue and I took the
Chicago Architecture Tour on our leisurely way out of town. It was a perfect way for her to get a great view of Chicago in a short time.
 |
| Chicago's skyline can't be beat! |
 |
| Garfield Park Conservatory |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
Stalking the purple duplex from the latest episode from HGTV's #GoodBones
|
Comments