With Summer coming all-too-quickly to an end, and a BEAUTIFUL day last Wednesday, I decided to take the day off and play hooky!!! I drove up to Rock Cut State Park in Rockford.

We used to go camping there all the time as kids, so it was a bit of a flashback! Such a beautiful day hiking around the lake a couple times… logging in some good miles of beautiful scenery… and a very relaxing & much needed day off!

CAUTION ALERT – – –
And after a LOT of beautiful scenery… of course we had to have a bit of reality! Which of course is totally fine by me… I have a strange attraction to roadkill. The whole “circle of life” thing I guess.

After nearly a week of rain, gray clouds & wind… it was finally AMAZING outside today!!! Making it the perfect day to play hooky along the lakefront! I got to ride my bike all afternoon, stopped to play several times, kicked my shoes off and RELAXED in the summer sun!!!

Who knew that one little piece of pottery could draw out such creative wackiness?! Whether it’s a horn-holder on top of a watermelon?… or a kitten spittle-catcher?… or a zucchini bread holder???

Looks like he might be going a little “covid-quarantine-crazy”… but I LOVE It… and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with larger pieces of pottery?!!! Bring it on Matthew!!!

Luckily, when I made it down to the South Shore Cultural Center, there was a bit of welcoming shade amongst their colonnade. And then the grounds keepers just happened to turn on the sprinklers for the golf course as I was hanging out there… and the answer is YES!!!

When in Rome, right?!!!

I mean, I was already wet!

Always love driving through central Illinois. There’s a certain serenity to the rural landscape, the newly planted fields, the vast open sky… and my favorite assortment of dilapidated old barns… like this one!

This weekend was a beautiful weekend… perfect for road-trippin’!!!
Helping to put things back into the right perspective.

See what I did there?

With all of the protests & riots over the past weeks, infamous street artist Banksy has expressed his thoughts through images & words on his Instagram feed. Very thoughtful and well stated… as I would have expected.

For those who are not aware of Banksy and his work… Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, vandal, political activist, and film director, active since the 1990s. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humor with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.

He’s kind of a big deal.

A little morning clarity…
and creativity from an unknown artist with some talents!!!

You know I already love a good mural.
Even better when it’s for a good cause.
Making a good statement.

According to ThisIsColossal.com…
“In a show of solidarity, a massive tribute to Black Lives Matter has been painted on the street leading to the White House in Washington, D.C. Completed in permanent street paint, the message features bold, yellow letters that span more than a block of 16th Street and marks a historic moment in the United States after weeks of protests.

Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned the banner-style piece, which city workers and volunteers began at 3 a.m. Friday morning ahead of weekend demonstrations. The new message is just two blocks north of Lafayette Square, where police charged peaceful protestors and released tear gas and flash-bang shells to clear the crowd for a photo-op for President Trump earlier this week. It sits at the foot of St. John’s Church.”