On Saturday we got another 6 inches or so of snow, and we also went out to see a play on a similar theme. “Rose and the Rime” is a play that tells a fairy tale about a town in Michigan called Radio Falls where it has been winter for a whole generation. Or maybe 12 years or so anyway. It was really magical, with these small houses set up on pedestals and catching the snow (white paper squares) that fell from high, and song and dance numbers with the townspeople shoveling snow in synch. The not-very-good (sorry!) photo below shows the little houses. Very charming in person!
When character Rose breaks the spell and the sun comes out, the characters feel warmth for the first time in so long (perhaps some identification from the actors in the show!) and they peel off their layers down to hawaiian shirts and swimming shorts. Very well done, we all enjoyed it a lot!
Here’s one side of the program (the sun was a gold foil-wrapped chocolate coin that was devoured already by one of us)
And the other side of the program. Or you could say above is Miami / Sydney right now, and below is us!
The other play-ing we did in the snow was a snow trek today at Northerly Island. The park district rents snowshoes and cross country skis there on weekends from 10-2 when there are at least 2 inches of snow, and when another event isn’t taking place. I’ve been trying to go for weeks but one of those conditions was always missing. Today we finally made it, and just in time to get the last 3 sets of skis. Miles gallantly offered to take snowshoes, which they had in plenty. Below is the view from Northerly Island looking north toward the Adler Planetarium. You can see the water, not ice, in the lake. That’s because it’s not cold! Yep it was in the 20s F today ( minus 5 or so C) which with the sun out caused us to work up a sweat on the skis! We may be going as crazy as the folks in Radio Falls!!!
The snowshoes were modern — not the things that maybe I’ve just seen in cartoons that look like tennis racquets strapped to shoes. You can wear your regular boots with them and they connect at the toe of the boot, so that your heel is free to lift up when you walk, or run, as Miles did. Here, he’s hanging out like a snowboarder, lying in the snow 🙂
Liam in black on cross country skis and Miles in red with snowshoes.
The winter scenes are quite beautiful! Good that you got to go out cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on Northerly Island. The definition of “cold” is relative, it seems. After sub-zero temperatures and Arctic wind, I guess a day in the 20s F would feel much better. Those snowshoes look very state-of-the-art.
The play sounds very appropriate for Chicago right now! Nice pic up towards the planetarium and they are very high tech snow shoes! Can certainly imagine the sweat you built up… Cross country skiing always looks so strenuous!
Snow scenes look fantastic-seems ye had great time there too.