Masked & triple-vaxxed… it felt so great to be back to live theater last night! It has been FAR too long. Sure, some last minute free tickets helped too! We went to see the new “revival” of OKLAHOMA! An updated twist on the original Rodger’s & Hammerstein musical.

While there were a lot of talented performers onstage, I think there were also a “few” bad choices along the way. I understand trying to update it a bit… but I was “confused” by the lack of scene changes, the IKEA furniture, the total black-out dialogues, the video close-up projections & the dream dance scene… which honestly, is a little much in the movie too?!

But again, the talent was there… and it felt so great to back in a beautifully classic theater again! One step closer to a small bit of “normal” again.

Blue skies & gridded girders making geodesic geometry in the Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier.

Morning sunrise through the palm trees of Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier. Not quite a tropical getaway… but if you imagine really hard…

Rural road trip barn… my favorite along Route 55.

Gotta love a good morning road trip!!!

Sometimes a simple weed is so much more. I love the way that nature always finds its own way… even when there’s just a crack of dirt, a slice of sun and a lot of architectural structure all around.

While riding without a plan, my bike ride down Old Route 66 took me back to my alma mater last Sunday… Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. It was weird being back… so much has changed… and yet everything was still the same?! The trees were bigger. The buildings seemed closer together. The classic buildings are still there… but they’re now mixed with newer & larger buildings. It was a great turn-around rest stop for my bike ride, but a little eerie with no one wandering around the Quad… as it was Summer, a Sunday & and holiday! A great stop with some great memories!

Another beautiful Spring day perfect for another bike ride! Not a cloud in the sky as I pedaled north… past Northwestern University, the Gross Point Lighthouse, the Baha’i Temple, the huge houses in the fancy suburbs, Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, Fort Sheridan and finally turned around at the Great Lakes Naval Base. Blue skies & spring flowers the entire way… and a gentle headwind on the way back!

After a quick stop into the studio, it was far too nice outside to stay inside! So I decided to check-out another one of the local cemeteries. Beautiful setting, wonderful craftsmanship and a quiet moment to relax & reflect. This one is St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Chicago. Not as “grand” as Graceland, but still impressive.

The beautiful old facade of the Medinah Temple downtown. I remember being a little kid and going down there every year to see some Russian Circus performing in this beautiful building… back when circuses were circuses… with overly-trained dancing bears in human clothing that even way back then I knew wasn’t quite right!