I hoped we’d get snow. But that’s not why we went. Our kids, Acacia (Moore) Bergin and husband Mark needed a break. They went to Michigan for four days and we went to Chicago for five, to be with their kids. It was great, the warmth of family, and the glimpse of how Chicago can be in the winter. (Click on any of the photos for a larger view.)
The Bergins live in the West Loop area, “Ukrainian Village,” near downtown. Not on this busy street, but nearby.
Here’s their abode, with the two of us, and new snow just starting to fall.
Anne and Micah making tracks. Note Anne’s coat adorned with her own printmaking design . . . not only handsome, but very functional for the cold weather.
Out for a walk with the kids we came across this garage door, just made for photographs. Perfect, no?
I brought a project along, a commission soon to be due, and set up a “studio” in the Bergin kitchen, the kids enjoying the process of it coming together.
When the palette (in this case a saucer from the cupboard) starts looking better than the painting I wonder about it. Often happens.
Anne at her i-Pad while the kids were at school. Note artwork on the walls from years past, one of mine on the left, a piece by Anne (framed), and three by daughter Allison . . . the photograph, the portrait and the design high on the shelf. (Click for better view.)
Also this one, “Blue Door,” a 30″x30″ acrylic on canvas that I made for them some years back. It’s of an actual entry not far from them, though I took liberties in brightening the wall color. The Bergins have it hanging prominently in their kitchen. I temporarily removed it to make my “studio.”
On one of the days, wanting to visit (again) the Art Institute of Chicago, we drove deep into the city.
We spent hours, even revisiting the car to put more money in the meter and come back. Here Anne takes a brief break, keeping up with things.
Remember the days when we weren’t allowed to take pictures in art museums? For some, you still can’t, like when we were in the Van Gogh in Amsterdam. But for most, that’s all changed. Here’s a classic Monet, always one of the most inspiring of painters.
Regarding photographs, we even encountered one singular guard, a black woman, who enthusiastically advised us to move in very close and get details. So I did. Here’s a detail from the Monet shown above.
“Resting,” by Antonio Mancini, done around 1887, got my attention for its striking composition. Note the half-and-half division between the light side and the dark, for example. Then I took close ups.
The brush work in the face, so thick, the edges so soft, the unconcern about the nostril and the teeth and other elements . . . all things to be aware of for a painter of people.
And there’s the wonderful abandon of brush work in the still life on the painting’s right side, all just “suggested.” A great example of how to work . . . control and non-control.
Then there’s photography, in this case, mine. The snow was just starting again when we were out picking up the children from school. What better time to get a few shots with the i-phone!
It’s impressionism by camera . . . here risking the shots while driving, one hand on the wheel.
Sometimes I think I should paint like this.
One more (though I took many). There’s beauty everywhere; you can’t compete with nature.
After a night of falling snow, I rose before dawn, put on my heavy coat and ventured out for photographs. I wasn’t the first one up; at least a few were out braving the cold, heading for work or school or wherever.
A distant shot, fuzzy on the focus, but attracting my interest with all the light in the tree.
Looking down the Bergins’ street in the streaking snow.
The trees, otherwise black and bare, become a wonderland of white.
A lone walker making tracks, entering the warm glow of some distant light. Does she know she’s part of beauty, or is she just thinking, “I’m cold and I’m late . . . no time to think about the wonder of it all”?
Cold outside but a lighted window reveals another world of warmth and life and plants of another clime. Note the window reference to an allegiance within. 
A coffee shop active early. Looking at the photo now, I should have stopped in and checked out that knife collection on the wall (being a collector of such myself).
Heading back to the house, still early, but not before a number of others had been trekking through.
The sun not quite up, the moon still on its way down.
The parents returned from their trip and we went to lunch . . . Acacia, Mark, me, and Anne. It’s times like this, helping when help is needed, that we see again that family is everything. We’re grateful.
One more shot, leaving the neighborhood for an early morning flight, the temperature, one degree and dropping.
Flying away, a quick shot out the porthole of the plane, a study in white on white. There’s beauty everywhere, all the time, when you see it.
Next week: Kansas City, for another daughter. We have four, and a son, all with families, all scattered.
BTW, though Valentine’s Day just passed, ours is coming up. February 17 is our anniversary. Can you believe 54 years? We can’t.
There’s no more beauty than that!
2:36 pm
So amazing – and so so cold! I can’t pick my favorite but there were many! So glad you could go and help out. xoxo
3:00 pm
Having lived in Chicago area so many years, I realize I had not been aware of such beauty……however, I must admit, nothing compares to the beauty of the Colorado snows…and your pictures just made me understand to keep looking for the beauty EVERYWHERE….and you and Anne ARE beautiful! So you have 54 coming up! Well do I remember that day! Such blessings we had no idea the Lord had in store for you!….and for us FROM YOU TWO!
3:36 pm
Yes, we glimpsed the Rockies from the air, majestically snow covered mile after mile. But, no window seat; no picture.
3:07 pm
Congratulations on 54 years and wonderful blessings of a tight knit family. From our windows in Peoria, we too marveled at the glory of soft new snow and its contrast to the dark, rugged massive oak just 10 feet from our second story bathroom window. Sunrise sets everything asparkle!
Thanks for the blog.
3:13 pm
So glad you two were able to be there for Mark and Acacia in this difficult season! Blessings to you for braving the cold and for bringing warm love to them there.
3:33 pm
I enjoyed all those great shots of yours, Hyatt! But nope, I still don’t want to return back there in winter.
3:38 pm
I will say the return to southern California and shedding heavy coats and long scarves and knits hats was welcome. Still, we’re grateful for all.
4:20 pm
Enjoyed so much. Thanks for sharing. Have a dear childhood friend who just moved to Chicago within the past 5 years and loves it. Takes buses/Uber everywhere.
4:30 pm
Thanks. Yes, our kids love it too, moved there ten years ago from Seattle. They have no plans to leave.
4:42 pm
Hyatt,
What a beautiful photo journal of the windy city and burbs! Dave, Dylan and I love Chi town! Thank you for sending and yes, beauty everywhere if we take a breath and wonder. Love, love the 2nd to last shot peering out of a rainy windshield, too bad you had to turn the windshield wipers on:}
4:54 pm
Ha! You’re right. As you see by the earlier shots, I left them off a lot.
5:44 pm
Mostly what I remember about Chicago is sliding all over the runways in the winter.
6:14 pm
That’s funny, Alex, though maybe not so much when you were piloting.
5:53 pm
Beautiful family and such inspirational photos you captured. I can only imagine that a few might make it into a Hyatt Moore original painting.
6:16 pm
Maybe.
7:39 pm
Beautiful I enjoyed walking through your “gallery.” Also I just love viewing the works on our wall in the main auditorium. God bless you each one.
8:16 pm
Thanks, Linda. You’re speaking of the works at Muldoon Community. Inasmuch as you’re writing from Anchorage these snow scenes must seem pretty “regular” to you. I’m grateful.
12:59 am
Lovely photos and commentary! Happy Anniversary you two!✨
12:44 pm
Beautiful photos of my city. Growing up there we took so much for granted, didnt know much of anywhere else. Returning to visit is like putting on some old comfortable clothes. Instantly back to my roots. Thanks for capturing the beauty in the everyday. And Happy Anniversary to you and Anne. Randy & Terry
1:31 pm
Love these photos! Such a variety and such an eye for beauty! Loved the blue door, you and Anne in front of the yellow house, the tracks in the snow and the beautiful traffic scenes. Inspiring! Thanks for sharing.
4:57 pm
thank you for sharing… beautiful photography!
8:41 pm
Great to see this latest adventure, with snow! One of Acacia’s boys looks strikingly like her brother Hyatt if I’m not mistaken. Very much like he looked when we met your family on 1989. Happy anniversary!
12:54 pm
Hyatt,
Your demo for the Huntington Beach Art League was phenomenal. You were so in your element, so at ease and full of artistic, humanistic and honest information. I was smiling inside and out the whole time. I loved it. And Anne’s quiet, beautiful presence was felt the whole time. It made me think of the lyrics from a musical piece I’ve been practicing for my choir, Westminster Chorale, MEDLEY OF BEAUTY, BY Jerome Kern.
Thanks so much for your pictorial tour of a winter’s Chicago day. It took me back to my childhood and early adult ages when I lived in Bangor, Maine. What silent, ethereal beauty awaited at morning after a new snowfall, purely, silently awaiting the impress of my footsteps on my way to school or work; such a change in the scenery of my current journey to anywhere in California traffic.
2:28 pm
Thanks, Jane. And such a responsive audience! I must say I looked at my demo later and thought, “Oh well . . . “
2:24 pm
Chicago looks so attractive and artful through your eyes. Loved the city streets through the rainy windshield. Thanks for sharing what you saw!
3:54 pm
Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos. Too many to pick a favorite. It’s so grand to see Chicago through your camera. I lived in the north end overlooking Lincoln Park and have fond memories of the three short years there. The winds of winter, not so much! Again, thanks for the stroll down memory lane. Love Anne’s coat. Happy Anniversary! 54 years – how GRAND!
2:49 pm
More (artistic) photos than usual—and wonderful!
5:16 pm
Enjoyed your trip to Chicago. I grew up there and miss the big city charm. I live in Cali now.
7:09 pm
Beautiful photos Hyatt. I love the colors on the last one out of the plane.
6:42 am
Super collection of beauty found in winter misery of Chicago. Many thanks.