As they sat on a bench Oct. 1 in Scoville Park, Joe, 55, and Kathy Calabrese, 59, of Chicago answered a few questions for the Oak Leaves.
Q: What brings you to Oak Park today?
KC: We like Oak Park because it’s quiet, it’s safe. It’s Sunday, we don’t want to be really busy. This is a place to talk, catch up.
JC: We like to walk around the neighborhood.
KC: The homes are lovely; the gardens are beautiful and provide inspiration.
Q: Are you grading papers, Kathy?
KC: Yes. I work at a community college. I often try to catch up on weekends.
Q: What do you teach?
KC: English.
Q: Are you in education, too, Joe?
JC: Yes, I’m a special education teacher with Chicago Public Schools.
Q: What do you each enjoy about teaching?
KC: The connection I make with the students. People come from other countries and other parts of Chicago.
JC: I teach math and language arts to special-needs students. Engaging with them is meaningful, and getting them to think about what’s beyond the text.
Q: Have you traveled anywhere recently?
JC: We just got back from Europe. We were there about three weeks.
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KC: We went to Vienna, Bratislava, Slovakia, Budapest … because he’s Italian, we wanted to see Florence. We like exploring. When we do Europe, we take four to five years between, so maybe Colorado would be our next trip.
Q: Favorite fall activity?
JC: We’re walkers, so getting out into nature, to the forest preserves.
KC: Our anniversary is in October, so we get out and walk and evaluate ways that our marriage could be better.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.