Book Fair Weekend
Ah, a Warehouse favorite time of the year comes ’round again here in Chicago – Printers Row Book Fair, wherein our neighborhood’s illustrious printing industry past is celebrated with the Midwest’s largest literary event. For us, lots and lots of literature literally ludicrously local – meaning much money missing, more monographs.
We actually came away a bit light this year, for us. We purchased four very nice books: Richard Cahan and Mark Jacobs’ Chicago under Glass: Early Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, Julia Bachrach and Jo Ann Nathan’s Inspired by Nature: The Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago’s West Side, David G. Clark’s Route 66 in Chicago (Images in America) and Peggy MacNamara’s Architecture by Birds and Insects: A Natural Art.
Peggy is the Field Museum’s artist in residence, so I’ve known her for several years. She did a talk during the fair that Sean and I attended, which was very good! Jim Boone, our assistant collections manager here in Insects, also attended, as he and my old boss John Bates (Head of Zoology), contributed to the book.
As usual for the fair, we experienced some bad weather patches. June is like that in Chicago. Some years, it’s been cold enough for coats. This year, it was oppressively hot and humid with intermittent tornado-like winds and torrential downpours. Many books were ruined, I think, but the crowds gamely waited it all out and shopped during the calm spots. Good times.
Book Fair also means we are getting close to fledging time. So, of course, I spent a fair share of my time checking the MCC for chicks! I am happy to report, the chicks didn’t pick this weekend to pop up on the ledges. With the wind as strong as it was, I think that might have been disastrous for them. However, I did hear them up there, making all sorts of noise.
Hercules and Max took any break in the weather to go out and hunt, so I either saw them flying off or huddled, wet and miserable looking, on the ledge. No leg bands, I’m afraid, or really salvageable pictures, though I still have to go through what I got.
If I can fairly gauge by the volume of the chick(s) voices and the amount of food going in and out of the nest, I would have to say that Hercules and Max have again produced two or more healthy chicks this year. I can’t wait to see them!
Oh, and one more note before I go. Book fair also means a sad anniversary. Two years ago, our very wonderful boy Equus died. Both Sean and I thought a lot about Q and Elijah this weekend. They were the greatest cats and we miss them both very, very much.
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