After an incredibly warm & sunny weekend… so beautiful… I finally got one of my dahlias to bloom! My fault for not getting it started early enough… and for those who remember, having a tree branch fall on the plant didn’t help either! But it was well worth the wait!

Mental note to self… plant more dahlias & start sooner next year!

So I worked in my studio all morning…
but with today’s FANTASTIC summer temperatures…
how can I be expected to stay inside?! I CAN’T!!!

So… I went for a fantastic bike ride outside all afternoon.
Loving the colors. Loving the weather.
Loving the freedom on my bike!

And now back to the studio for the evening…

Beautiful, but the leaves are dropping fast!
Hopefully they can hang on at least for one more beautiful weekend?!

After a couple days of cold gray skies, it was so nice to see the sun again today! Just in time to catch some of the fantastic Fall colors still hanging on!

Beautiful Fall flowers on a beautiful Fall day.
Loving all the textures & colors!

In a field of beautiful goldenrod, there are plenty of bees enjoying the flowers & pollen… and a cool praying mantis basking in the sun!

Okay, so the garden might be a little wet… but ART IN THE GARDEN is still open today until 5:00pm! C’mon by to see some art, chat with the artists & maybe do a little shopping!! And maybe bring an umbrella…

Beautiful purple clematis blooming in our back courtyard…
a bright spot on a gloomy gray day.

After yesterday’s afternoon huge storm blowing though Chicago… I came home to find this huge branch ripped out of the tree and resting on my side garden area. The maple tree has been here for years, but has leaves that were drying out from out dry Summer. The City had already come through to get the debris off the sidewalks… so they’ve chopped up the huge branch, moved it to the curb, and there it sits… now unclear what will happen with the rest of the tree that is still standing?!

After a full day of summer camp & an evening in the studio, I hopped on my bike and pedaled to the lakefront to see tonight’s SuperMoon!.. the last one of the year! The moon looked incredible… so big, so clear… but for some reason, the reflection photo looks a bit more like a sonogram?! Ha!

And tonight’s moon was called a Sturgeon Moon?…
apparently “this moon symbolizes gratitude for the bounties of nature, and asks us to step in to the flow and appreciate the fruits of all seasons and the unique beauties of the cycles of life.” Who knew?!