Out with the old. In with the new… I hope!!!

2020 has been so dismal for many of us!
So much has changed in the world, and very little of it for the better.
But I’m bound & determined to kick-off 2021 with high hopes,
great expectations and good fortune for all.

And I figured the best way to invite good fortune… is to share good fortune!
So I did.

Fortune “cookies” that is!
Oh wait, and do I even need to mention that they rattle too?!!!

While I hiked at Illinois Beach State Park last Monday, it was fun to put out some good vibes, share some positivity and spread good “fortune” for everyone! I kinda liked the idea of leaving them there as I “found” Illinois Beach State Park during one of my “quarantine” hiking adventures… which I might never have done if 2020 didn’t shut the world down!

You know how much fun it is to find things randomly out in nature. Or how much fun Geocaching is… if you haven’t tried, you should! So, while I was hiking last Monday, I “hid” twenty-one handmade fortune cookies out there somewhere so people can find them, get excited and bring a little more “fortune” into 2021. Get it?… 21 cookies for 2021.

I’m sure some of them will be found quickly. Some might take longer. While others might just be swept out into the lake and “reclaimed” into the wild. I love finding beach glass… imagine finding “beach fortune cookies”!!!

So here they are…
twenty-one fortune cookies and some “hints” as to where they are hidden along the lakefront at Illinois Beach State Park!

Fortune Cookie #1 ————–

Fortune Cookie #2 ————–

Fortune Cookie #3 ————–

Fortune Cookie #4 ————–

Fortune Cookie #5 ————–

Fortune Cookie #6 ————–

Fortune Cookie #7 ————–

Fortune Cookie #8 ————–

Fortune Cookie #9 ————–

Fortune Cookie #10 ————–

Fortune Cookie #11 ————–

Fortune Cookie #12 ————–

Fortune Cookie #13 ————–

Fortune Cookie #14 ————–

Fortune Cookie #15 ————–

Fortune Cookie #16 ————–

Fortune Cookie #17 ————–

Fortune Cookie #18 ————–

Fortune Cookie #19 ————–

Fortune Cookie #20 ————–

Fortune Cookie #21 ————–

Last day of the year.
Last chance for an afternoon run before the New Year.

Cautiously stepping, but loving the branch silhouettes
& the sunny reflections shimmering on the ice-crusted snow!

With the bright sun & blue skies, yesterday was a great chance to get outside to play along the Lakefront. Sure, it was a bit chilly… but I went up to Illinois Beach State Park for the day for plenty of hiking, bare trees & crashing waves all around. At times the sound was deafening… and yet so rhythmic & soothing at the same time.

Another MUGSHOT MONDAY… this time while hiking up north along the lakefront. Sure, it was a bit chilly, but proper layers and a mug of hot chocolate… perfect combo for a perfect afternoon out in nature.

Just another beautiful Fall day… sun’s out, temps up… loving being outside playing this afternoon on my bike. Enjoying some of the Christmas “colors” that are presenting themselves!!!

A welcome surprise… finding a Major Wheeler Honeysuckle plant still blooming this late in the season! Love how the bright flowers make a great contrast to the yellowing Fall colors of the leaves still on the vine!

Gotta love when science & nature collide. Like this wonderful example of photosynthesis. I was first drawn to the vibrant red colors of this bush.

I was noticing how each leaf was a different color, a different shade of red… and even MORE dramatic when I moved a couple leaves to find a bright yellow spot.

A “void” on the red leaf because the sun wasn’t getting to all of the bottom leaf to change it to red! Isn’t Mother Nature AMAZING?!!!

A beautiful Fall ombre-colored ivy climbing the wall. With snow in the forecast, I’m not sure that this is going to last much longer?! It has been a beautiful Fall season… but is so wrong that I want it to last even longer??? I’m not ready for SNOW!!!

Another gusty windy day in Chicago! A lot of leaves dropping from trees, flying around, swirling everywhere and eventually piling up in the darndest places!

Beautiful fall colored ivy leaves on a beautiful weathered fence.
Perfect for a natural Texture Tuesday!