here be dragons

22 Aug 2021 news 2 Comments

BA17443A-5BE9-40C7-BB9B-027F637091E3It was once believed that early cartographers wrote “here be dragons” on unfamiliar areas of their maps (it only happened once, apparently). I’m in uncharted territory right now—my offer on the condo was accepted and we’re hoping to conduct the inspection later this week. I expect there will be some significant bumps in the road ahead; the seller’s bringing in a plumber to fix some valves and there are a couple of rooms with original wiring from the 1920s. But I just unsubscribed from one of several daily property listings and will delete the rest by the end of the month. I’ve found a credit union and hardware store not far from the new place; I picked out paint colors a few days ago…at this point, I’m daring to let myself do more than dream. I wanted to move to Hyde Park a year ago and hoped to buy my first home there. I have no regrets about my year renting in Evanston, but I’m glad I didn’t relinquish that original plan, didn’t let myself get too comfortable and ready to settle. I’ve also started reaching out to theater people in Chicago. It’s humbling having to start over and build a new community from scratch, but it’s also exciting. I’m in discovery mode and on Saturday took a public art tour that started at the Chicago Cultural Center. The first sculpture was by Richard Hunt and I was able to pull up his Ida CFED4F01-AF34-4314-B9BD-5811798E2139_1_201_aB. Wells sculpture to share with the two friendly New Yorkers on the tour. The next stop was a beautiful mural by another famous local artist Kerry James Marshall, which pays tribute to important Chicago women. We went into Millennium Park to see a few more pieces and when the tour was over, I crossed the bridge that leads to the roof of the nearby Art Institute. More sculptures by Richard Hunt were on display there and I saw dragons in each one! I’ve only finished three chapters of the fourth dragon book but I have no appointments this week and hope to make up for lost time. It was strange to be in Millennium Park with the usual crowds when I had the place to myself last fall. But it was also reassuring to see children playing in Crown Fountain and seagulls casually perched atop Cloud Gate. I learned on the tour that Chicago’s motto is urbs in horto or “city in a garden.” It isn’t green everywhere and communities of color pay a high price for the inequitable distribution of trees across the city. I’m grateful that my new neighborhood is close to the lake and several parks. I’ve reached out to some schools, libraries, and bookstores…if the sale falls through, at least I’ll have forged connections with folks on the South Side. For now, I’m going to think positive thoughts and keep my fingers crossed…