first house in Glencoe

 The family only stayed in the bright Greenview apartment for about a year.  It was nestled up near the boundary between the city of Chicago and Evanston, the first of the northern shore suburbs. Those suburbs -  with good schools, wide lawns, and classy residents - beckoned Jan.  This was where she wanted her boys to live.

In about 1952, when Chris was 9, the family moved to a house in Glencoe.   The house, on Jackson or Linden, was very near the elementary school.  It was positioned diagonally across the street from a small park (now called The Robert E. Everly Wildflower Sanctuary).

Although this park was only about one acre, it was teeming with small wildlife and woodland flowers.  Chris spent time wandering the trails and exploring nature.

Chris also wandered much further afield.  There was an open lot some ways south of their house.  It was littered with broken glass, metal machine parts and other odd bits of man-made discards.  Chris liked exploring here also.

One day, on the empty lot, Chris found a fascinating treasure.  Mercury!  It was in a large container.  The container was too big and heavy for Chris to bring home, but he wanted some mercury.

Chris ran back to his house for a little jar and a spoon.  Back in the abandoned lot, amidst the broken glass and other rubble, he carefully spooned the liquid metal into his glass jar.  The mercury slid over the glass, gliding not sticking.  It didn’t stick to the spoon either.  

Mercury used to be called quicksilver.  That name fits well.  The quicksilver/mercury seemed to move in slow motion, independent of the usual laws of physics.  The liquid balled in the spoon or in Chris’ hands.  It was fun to roll the liquid across a surface.

Back home, Chris kept this almost magical treasure a private matter.  Instinct told him his parents wouldn’t like him having it.  And they didn’t.  Jan and Bob were horrified.  

“Dangerous!  Ingested, it’s poison!  Don’t handle it!  Mercury’s toxic even through skin!”

Chris’ parents took it away from him.

Chris was disappointed.  He was enchanted with the peculiarities of this elemental metal and would have liked to continue playing with it.  

Fortunately there were plenty of other appealing activities from that house in Glencoe across from the park.