While today looks to be more on the chilly & gray side… yesterday was GLORIOUS!!! Bright sunshine, blue skies & 80-degrees! Turns out I played ALL DAY on my bike… before a late night session working at the studio. But it was more than worth it!!!

After fifteen months of being stuck at home… it felt so good to finally get away for the weekend! Sure, it may have been work-related… but it felt great to fly again now that I’m fully vaccinated. It felt almost “normal” even though I was still masked & taking extra safety precautions along the way. Oh, how I’ve missed flying!!!

A sculptural sign of the times. Public art with a powerful message.
Directly across from Buckingham Fountain at Queen’s Landing.

Black lives matter. Demand Justice.

After nearly a year and a half of “dry”, it was such a wonderful sight to see Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain splashing & shooting water into the sky again. The landmark fountain has been shut-down throughout the pandemic… a sad visual of a city shut-down. But with people getting vaccinated & Covid numbers going down, Chicago has been re-opening and it was amazing to see the fountain in all its glory again today!

Such a beautiful afternoon for a bike ride. Sure, maybe I should be home working on my taxes. But they gave us an extension for a reason… and I might need every day of it. I mean, we still have three-and-half days… and today is GORGEOUS! You do the math…

I woke up to a lot of clouds this morning… but after yesterday’s rain, it felt like I had a little “window of opportunity” to see a bit of sun on my morning ride. It broke through the clouds for a few fleeting moments before going back behind them… most likely for the rest of the day!

Just a sliver of sunshine early on… then clouds, clouds & more CLOUDS! Nothing but gray clouds covering the sky, a chilly breeze & low-flying clouds hovering amongst the Chicago skyline… so glad I caught that sliver of color!

Is it just me, or does it feel like 20-degrees colder “just because” the sun isn’t shining?! The dark gloomy clouds to start the morning made my ride feel surprisingly cold today. My mind is ready for Summer… but today we’re struggling to make it feel like Spring.

Too beautiful outside today to NOT go for another bike ride, right?! Clear blue skies with a strong wind coming in from the west… made it pretty, but challenging in both directions of my 40-mile ride! A quick stop off at a “still-closed-for-pandemic” Navy Pier… and now off to the studio to finish some pieces off & to teach tonight!!!

With as forecast of a big warm-up this weekend, I must admit I expected it to be a lot warmer this morning. Not. Instead, it was WINDY and quite chilly!!! A lot of clouds hanging low on the horizon… so the sunrise was delayed as it tried to peek through a couple times!