Calm & cool this morning along the Lake.
Oddly refreshing to see the shoreline along Ohio Street Beach again
as the water has finally receded a bit.

A beautiful afternoon escape into the “wild”… playing at Lincoln Park Zoo.
Saw the new entrance… as well as the baby rhino, baby wolves & the cutest baby gorilla ever!
Also loving the “retro” carousel featuring endangered species all around!

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One step closer to my collaboration with Jill Miller of Hooey Batiks
for ART IN THE GARDEN! Always fun to open the kiln to see that glaze magic
that happened around cone six!!!

Looks like Cory McCrory has been adding some colored underglaze accents to her part of our collaboration project for ART IN THE GARDEN. We’re just over a week away… as our little grassroots art fair is on September 7th & 8th in Glenview, Illinois. It’s all coming together…

Another gorgeous day along the lakefront this morning. So glad the waves have calmed down… and yesterday’s rain has stopped. Back to BEAUTIFUL!!! Like a sweeping oil painting!

With ART IN THE GARDEN getting closer & closer… we have just under two weeks to complete all of our collaborations! These little pottery pocket pieces were “designed” by metalsmith Amy Taylor as she already had a “plan” for them. So I made a bunch, stamped & soda-fired them… and now I can’t wait to see what Amy has planned for them?! She’s being kinda secretive about it… but hinted that it “might not” include any metal?!!! Crazy, right?… as she’s known for her amazing metal work & hinges!!!

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Another batch of stoneware mugs with new handles…
currently waiting for some colored slip accents
as these are all destined for my next soda kiln.

Yesterday was a beautiful day for the Chicago Triathlon. Well, beautiful except for the crazy waves in Lake Michigan. So crazy that they called off the entire swim portion, and changed it to a Duathlon – run, bike, run. Always a fun day “racing” downtown with one of the best bike courses EVER!!! Up & down Lake Shore Drive, through Lower Wacker Drive and down along the Bus Lane… all 100% closed to traffic! Always a fun day playing downtown with my Tri-pal Tracy!

And this is what happens sometimes when you ask a total strange if she can take a few pictures for you. Still not quite sure what happened… some errant filter somewhere maybe? At least she tried…

At the Finish Line… thousands of medals are waiting for the Finishers! The Chicago Triathlon is the city’s only downtown Triathlon… and one of the world’s largest with over ten thousand athletes competing over the weekend!

Also after the Finish Line, there are an assortment of vendors, team tents, recovery stations and medics. My favorite of course is the Rapid Reboot tent. We’ve tried them many times at both Chicago Triathlon & a few IRONMAN Expos… and so much better when you get to use these AMAZING compression pants after the race when your legs could really use the boost! #rapidreboot

A rare Selfie... with a bit of a post-race afterglow much attributed to the compression pants massaging my legs at this very moment. Thanks to Clark and the fun folks at Rapid Reboot!!!

After the race, we decided to “walk it off” with a nice stroll through Millennium Park since the day was so gorgeous!

After having the SWIM portion of our race cancelled…
the day just didn’t feel complete without getting a little WET!!!
So we decided to play in the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.

Scroll through the next few photos quickly, and you’ll see my friend Tracy doing her best Snow Angel Stroke in the fountain… to “complete” the third leg of our Triathlon!

And notice my still sealed, never-been-opened Swim Cap and extremely dry goggles!

We still lined up to start our race at the Swim Start arch… even though the lettering had been removed already. I guess to avoid confusion?! As we would basically be RUNNING the swim course instead of swimming it!

All in all, another great day downtown for the Chicago Triathlon… even if it was changed to a Duathlon! Always fun to get another medal to add to the collection… even if it is the THICKEST & heaviest medal yet!!! Rumor has it that if you were to complete all of the Lifetime Triathlons in the series, your medals would stack up to look like a replica of a sports water bottle!

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Raining this morning… but luckily it was a gorgeous morning yesterday as we all started early down at Monroe Harbor for the start of the Chicago Triathlon. The sky was amazing… but the waves were crazy! So bad, that they cancelled the swim all together… and instead turned it into a Duathlon… run-bike-run! Better safe than sorry… at least we got a wonderful sunrise show as the Chicago Fire Department was there to show off super-neato water-spraying boat!!!

And an IRONIC “no swimming” sign on a Triathlon morning with NO SWIMMING!!!

And an early morning “attempt” at a sunrise selfie for me & Tracy!