New tools mean it’s time for some new carvings! Playing around with some new patterns & textures using my new PF5 fine point U-tip carving tool from DiamondCore Tools!

With all of the craziness going on in the world today, this might take your mind off it for a minute or two?! FUN FACT : Exactly twenty years ago today, SURVIVOR began airing on TV. Forty seasons later, and they’re still going strong!

But here’s the POP QUIZ…
How many of these original castaways can you still name?!!!

Yesterday I finally got to ride my bike with two of my cycling friends… from a safe social distance of course! Until now, I’ve only been riding solo! But we finally got to take Beckie on an adventure through the North Branch Bike Trail, up through some northern suburbs and up to Openland Lakeshore Preserve and then up to the Great Lakes Naval Base. It was a beautiful day & felt so good to get outside… pedaling safely with two of my IRONMAN friends… all the way up to “where the sidewalk ends.”

To close out my wonderful roadtrip through Central Illinois on Friday, I stopped off in Chenoa to see some longtime friends and their kids! SURPRISE!!! They had no idea I would be stopping by. So great to see them even if we did try to keep our distance while enjoying pizza & s’mores!!! It was a wonderful roadtrip “surprising” a bunch of my friends during these crazy times… as I know that I have definitely been missing human contact while quarantining my myself.

I mean, a ZOOM meeting doesn’t smell like a campfire and squish with yummy marshmallow & chocolate goodness!

And during these crazy times of quarantining & self-isolating… my friends in Bartonville have this wonderful wrought iron “welcome” sign takes on an all-important message! When this all calms down a bit, the sign can be rotated as the other side has the more traditional “Welcome”… but that might still be a while from now!

Sure, they may have a big fallen tree in the middle of their garden right now… but my friends Gerry & Rosene still have an AMAZING GARDEN!!! Lots of beautiful plants & rusty art pieces all around. It’s so much fun to visit at different times of the year to see what’s blooming each time!

And while you’re driving through the middle of nowhere… be sure to stop off for PIE!!! I’ve always heard stories of good pie in Goodfield, Illinois… and they were definitely right!!!

Gotta love a good “self-isolating in my car” roadtrip through Central Illinois. Nothing but blue skies… and some rural architecture, landmarks & scenery!

After a “sweet” stop in Eureka on Friday, I continued on to see my very first art fair friends in Peoria. They’ve been “locked-down” with a tight quarantine and definitely needed a virtual hug! They’ve had a tough go… remember they’re the ones who have a gorgeous garden… now with a huge tree that fell down in the middle of it all. And if you look close… you might just see my ceramic totem pole that was in the way!

Luckily, they’re going to get a new one!!!…
totem pole that is, not another fallen giant tree!

Expanded my “quarantine-bubble” a bit this weekend with a “socially-distant” roadtrip to central Illinois on Friday… which just happened to be the Grand Re-Opening of MAURIE’S CANDIES in Eureka, Illinois. Two of my friends from college opened a great candy store back in March, only to be closed down a couple days later due to the coronavirus. Well, they finally got to re-open the store Friday… and it was great to surprise Keith & Julie in their own store… plus, I got some amazing goodies… especially THE FUDGE!!!

The best part is that the store is a working location for some of the “challenged” youths that live in a community service house that Keith runs. A great chance for some of the kids with Downs Syndrome to work and make a difference!!!