Forever the “tourist” even in my own City… I always get excited when I see the large Picasso sculpture in Daley Center downtown. Sure, I was to there for Jury Duty… but why not appreciate your surroundings a bit too?!

And here’s a cool fact… did you know that if you look at the famous Picasso sculpture from the correct back-side angle, you actually get a woman’s profile!!! Scroll to the last photo to see for yourself!!!

So I just finished Jury Duty… and yes, of course I got picked for a trial.
Oh, lucky me. Not too painful… but it’s the “dress code” that’s really killing me!!! Seriously…

As the sunrise time keeps getting later & later… it seems like my morning ride just keeps getting darker & darker?! With a lot of darkness for the first half of my ride… and hopefully a good sunrise at the end of my daily route.

A beautiful afternoon to be down by the lakefront. Enjoying the blue skies, the even bluer water & the historic landmark Chicago Harbor Lighthouse. Just off the end of Navy Pier, this lighthouse was built in 1893… but then somehow moved & “relocated” in 1919. Just wondering… how does one “move” a lighthouse?!!!

While I am trying to stay focused & productive in the studio… I was surprised when the grayness of this morning cleared up & blue skies came out for the afternoon. And I somehow felt “obligated” to get outside for a quick afternoon bike ride to enjoy the surprisingly beautiful weather!!! I love playing hooky… so much fun… but now it’s back to the studio for the night!!!

While the overnight storms brought cooler temperatures… I “assumed” that maybe some of the humidity might be gone to?! Well, I was wrong. So I got a great sweaty bike ride in… dripping… pedaling… hydrating! A great view of the city, but as I turned around down on the South Side… I could see more clouds moving in from the West. Pedal faster… but nothing seemed to come of it. I think the dark clouds passed just north of us.

So this was the view from “my office” today…
and now it’s time head back to the pottery studio to keep making more!
More pots. More fun!!! More is more!!!

After we crossed the Finish Line, got our medals, played at Buckingham Fountain & crossed Lake Shore Drive on our way back to the Transition Area to retrieve our bikes & gear… we came across another triathlon going on! For the first time, SUPERTRI was in Chicago… just one of the stops of the worldwide tour… Boston, Chicago, London, Toulouse in France & Neom in Saudi Arabia!!!

Okay, so it was very cool… but a little confusing. I wish there was a poster or something to explain it all to us. We got there in time for the women’s race. Which seems like they do their “triathlon” like three times?! And it’s a shorter “road race” style with one-mile loops. They swim out to the yellow “cube” buoys you can see in the pictures… then ride their bikes along the lakefront from Queen’s Landing (across from Buckingham Fountain) almost to the Shedd Aquarium and back… doing like three laps?! And then they get off and run the same one mile “road race” course for three laps. And then they do all of that for three full rotations, I think?

And, oh wait there’s more… they also have a “short chute” that somehow some “selected” racers get to use to shave a couple seconds off their team’s time??? And we also loved the red Elimination Flag! With every lap of the course, if any racer falls past 90-seconds of the leader, they’re eliminated from the race!!! It was cool… it was fast… and it was VERY HOT in the blazing sun.

We stayed to watch the end of the women’s race… but didn’t wait for the men’s race. We were hot, sweaty & sun-scorched already. I will say… the “lady in red” making the corner in the first photo was the eventual winner of the women’s race! Very exciting… albeit a little confusing… I hope it comes back next year so we can see it again!!! Even better… I’d love to see this added to the next Summer Olympics!!!

Something to look forward to at the end of your Triathlon… Chicago’s BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN. Such a beautiful landmark in the center of Grant Park. Beautiful design, amazing craftsmanship & perfect photo-ops for all of the tourists to Chicago… and for those of us that live here too!!!

First there was the check-in ChiTri Expo… always fun with my friend Tracy!

But then it was race time…

It was another hot & sweaty day down on the lakefront… but this time there a good reason! Today was the CHICAGO TRIATHLON… swim, bike & run! The weather started out nice with still waters & a cool breeze for the swim… which I must admit was surprisingly “calm” considering it was my first time swimming in the lake since the last Triathlon!!! And by swimming, I mean “flailing about in a forward direction”!!! HA!!! The bike is always fun – although the headwinds heading back south were pretty strong until you get to go underground to ride on Lower Wacker Drive… which is my favorite!!! It’s like riding through the BatCave!!! But by the time I made it to the run, the temps were reaching the 90’s with blazing sun for most of the route through Museum Campus along the lake! Tough… but we finished… finally… all hot & sweaty! Another one done… always fun playing at the ChiTri with my “racing” pal Tracy Wanatowicz… and our annual post-race photo-shoot at Buckingham Fountain!!!

Dark & moody without much chance for a sunrise this morning! Just a lot of clouded drama over the lakefront… reflecting on the quietly rippled water. Enough clouds to make part of the skyline “disappear” into the clouds.