Frost this morning. I know that because I needed to be somewhere at about 8 am, so went out to my car to leave, and a thin frost coating covered all of the glass. Easy to scrape off, but a reminder of tougher ice to come. Oh, boy. Or is that oh, joy?

Warmish days are ahead, though, at least for a short spell. Such is October. Yesterday afternoon was cool, but still good for a short walk near Plum Grove Reservoir.

The reservoir is near Harper College in northwest suburban Palatine. A 44-acre park surrounds it, making for a pleasant place to walk, as long as the temps are high enough.


Visitor parking near the park is allowed in part of Harper College’s vast lot. Here’s the view of the reservoir from the outer edge of the lot.

Turn the other way, and you see an expanse of asphalt.

Harper College, in full William Rainey Harper College, is a community college here in the northwest suburbs, opened in 1967. Sure enough, its layout owes more than a little to that of a mid-century mall: an island of buildings surrounded by a sea of parking.