Tom Conway of Wilmette was out walking his dog at the Elmwood Dunes Preserve on a sunny April 12 afternoon. He stopped to talk about his pup, beautiful places he has been in the world, and more.
Q. Can you tell us about your Yorkie?
A: Her name is Snickers. She’s 8; she’s taken very good care of herself. She’s very friendly and not a typical small dog. She doesn’t bark much, and she thinks she’s bigger than she is. If you were going to talk about food and chasing squirrels, she’d be glad to talk to you.
Q: What do you like best about living in Wilmette?
A: I think the best thing about Wilmette is the culture of its people. They’re very friendly.
Q: Do you have a cause or charity that you’d like people to know about?
A: I’m a member of St. Francis (Xavier) Church, and after the earthquake in Haiti, our church adopted a parish down there (www.sfxparish.org/human_concerns/haiti_overview.aspx. We helped build a church in a place called Galette Chambon (Parish Immaculée Conception). I went down and visited, and the level of poverty is mind-boggling – but the level of appreciation and happiness is off the scale.
Q: What are a couple of the most beautiful places you’ve ever been?
A: For cities, I’d have to say the most beautiful is Paris. From a nature standpoint, years ago I went backpacking in the San Juan Mountains. They’re part of the Rockies, but the mountains are much more prominent there than other places in the Rockies, and it’s just wilder land overall. Also, a few years ago, we went to Ireland, and the Skellig Islands off the southwest coast of Ireland are really amazing. Monks took rafts and sailed to these rocky islands, and you can still see where they built their houses out of rocks. They look a little like igloos, but they’re made of rock. We only sailed past, but I’d like to see them again.
Q: Finally, if you could have a super power, which one would you choose?
A: I’d like the power of flight. It would really make my morning commute a lot faster. Right now I stick to the train.
–Kathy Routliffe, Pioneer Press
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