Veronica Speedwell sounds like the name of a ne'er-do-well, film noir Jezebel. Fortunately it's only the name of these lovely lavender blue flowers growing in my mother's garden. There are many sub-varieties of Veronica Speedwell's, and these particular ones are called "Sunny Border Blue". As an added bonus, they smell as wonderful as they look.
While everyone else was either headed to or from the Taste of Chicago festival, this bride and groom were hustling along Michigan Avenue, headed for the steps of the Art Institute. As I followed them and watched them jostle against the crowds of people, I wondered if they would see the jostling as a funny thing or as an annoyance. Perhaps one of them wanted to take photos on the steps and the other did not. Would the choice of location be the first fight of their wedding day? These things I'll never know, but surely the whole experience created some memorable moments for them both.
This is a view of a prison that's just outside Michigan City, Indiana. I was riding by on the commuter train, headed to South Bend from Chicago. The abandoned industrial materials outside the prison made me think about how jobs have vanished from areas dominated by manufacturing. I wonder how much the prison population increases every time the layoffs come.