OOTS & The Winner Is...

Out on the Streets: Sparkly Festive Edition
I'm excited to participate in Veg Plotting's Out on the Streets: Sparkly Festive Edition — first as a reader and now as a poster.

On December 9, my friend Carole and I met Mr. Brown Thumb in downtown Chicago at the German Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt) (more on that excursion in a separate entry in the next few days). In the meantime, here are some cool holiday decorations we saw out on the streets of Chicago:

Art Institute of Chicago. Check out the lighted garlands, the decorative pots, and of course the wreaths around the necks of the lions. Mr Brown Thumb thought they were the colors used in the city's bid to host the Olympics.

Evergreen boughs and red-twig dogwood edge the planting beds in Millennium Park.

Blue lights on trees and Seussian-looking horns adorn Macy's, on State Street.

Chicago's Christmas tree, in Daley Plaza. This is one single tree, donated by the Weivoda Family of Palos Heights, Illinois. In previous years, the tree was made of 113 smaller trees. It looked more full, but imho, less realistically tree-like. I do miss the ornaments from last year, though.

This lobby decoration of a bank caught my attention as I was passing, so I went in off the streets and took the photo. (And, OK, I'm just going to say it: I love revolving doors! I went through them all at least twice!)

Evergreens in a widow box really brighten up the business section of downtown. I love how the big fluffy flakes of snow look in the photo, too.

On the walk back to Union Station, we passed more blue lights, this time really set off against the dark backdrop.

On Sunday, I went with my friend Julia to Greenfield Village, in Dearborn, Michigan.

En route, I got photos of the nicely decorated Bryant Branch of the Dearborn Public Library...

a gas station (those are real greens!)...

and Dearborn City Hall.

Greenfield Village is an outdoor collection of historic buildings that recreates life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most buildings were brought to the village from different locations, most allow entry, and a few have historic gardens. Costumed interpreters demonstrate cooking, candle making, glass blowing, typesetting, pottery making, and tin- and blacksmithing, among other things.

Wright Brothers Cyclery on Main Street. It's not so obvious but the lamp posts are wrapped in garland, and lights are stung between lamps.

I love the sleigh and tree on Robert Frost's house. He lived in this house, which was moved from Ann Arbor, during his teaching fellowship at the University of Michigan in the 1920s.

On my way home, I stopped in Ypsilanti and got these two photos:

Haab's Restaurant on Michigan Avenue.

Sidetrack Bar & Grill on Cross Street in Depot Town.

I also swung by downtown Ann Arbor before heading home:

Wonderful window art at Conor O'Neill's Irish Pub.

Window display at Prickly Pear restaurant.

Lights on Main Street, and lighted tree atop the First National Bank Building.

Now it's your turn! Get out and show us photos of public spaces in your area, decorated for the holidays.

And the Winner Is...
In my last post, I promised a prize for anyone who could guess my favorite sculpture at Meijer Gardens and tell me where "Caw! I guess it was alive!" comes from. The main clue about my fave (Aria by Alexander Liberman) was that I showed three photos of it, more than of any other sculpture. And I'm wild about orange, though maybe I haven't been so vocal about that online. The quote is from Mounted Animal Nature Trail by the Arrogant Worms. I've seen them live twice and really enjoy their quirky humor.

The last time I checked, four intrepid, clever garden bloggers came up with the correct answer: Frances at Fairegarden, Jessica at The Magical Mundane, Kylee at Our Little Acre, and Liz at Nutty Gnome. So I did a drawing, diligently supervised by my cats (meaning James pawed around the slips of paper to shuffle them)... and I pulled out... Liz's name.

So, Liz, soon on the way to you will be "The Painted Garden: A Year in Words and Watercolors" by Mary Wootin. If you should happen to already own this book, don't be shy: I can pull another from Monica's Marvelous Bookshelf (tm). And please email me your mailing address.