Gratuitous Chicago River Photo

Yesterday, my stepdaughter and I were returning from a bike ride in nearby Horner Park (named after Illinois' first, and so far only, Jewish governor, Henry Horner). I stopped for a moment to snap a picture of the north branch of the river, which runs about a block from our home.



The picture was taken from the Montrose Avenue Bridge, looking southward.

The river, notoriously dirty in the past, is slowly being cleaned up. Neighborhood groups have been working over the years to clean the river and to restore native plant species to the river's edge.

Thanks to the river, we occasionally have wildlife in the area-- particularly possums. Other people have seen raccoons, and of course we frequently see ducks in the river.