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?!

We’re well into Summer now… and you can tell by all of the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere! Like these wonderful zinnias with such great colors, textures & details. Pretty cool for another Texture Tuesday!

Today was a beautiful day for an other bike ride along the lakefront. Perfect for exploring some of the more hidden areas… and I found LA RONDA PARAKATA. A very cool structure up on a hill overlooking the lake just south of 31st Street Harbor. Designed to honor the monarch butterflies, and built as a “gathering space” along the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. Always fun when you get off the beaten path to explore & enjoy some newly-discovered treasures.

Ginkgo greetings from Sandwich! Looks like the rain moved through overnight leaving us with magical morning moments like these! Looks like clear skies for Day Two of the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR. We’re all opening our tents & replenishing our shelves here in Sandwich. C’mon by… we’re open again today from 10:00am-4:00pm!

So the big tree that shades my booth at the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL is gone!!! Apparently it blew & fell down earlier this week…better than happening today, right?! Luckily, it’s a beautiful cloudy day… so we’re all good in Booth #69 today!

I love it every late Spring when these crazy cool flowering trees work their magic along the lakefront bike trail. Red horse chestnut trees with incredible spikes of clustered flowers on large textured leaves.

Another late night of teaching at Lillstreet… with some beautiful crabapple blossoms in the darkness, highlighted by the corner street lamp as I left to head home. With overnight winds & upcoming rain predicted, I fear this might be the end of the crabapple blooms?!