Crusty rusty metal & mossy green lichens. What’s not to like?!
I love when Mother Nature takes over and does her own thing!

Don’t get me wrong… it’s still chilly in Chicago.
And we had another hard frost overnight giving everything a beautiful coating of winter sparkle.

Frosted footprints along the beach…

It was so great to see a bit of sunshine early this morning… it’s been far too long!!!
Feels like weeks of gloomy gray days. I’m over it… and ready for Spring!!!

Amazing fungus finds on a big old stump in the woods along side a small creek.
Loving the textures & layers of Nature’s winter beauty!

Looks like Harper & Delaney had a great time at Illinois Beach State Park searching for my fortune cookies again this year! This is their third year enjoying the search. The first year they randomly “tripped upon” a couple fortune cookies at Illinois Beach State Park. And then their intrigued Dad Adam did some Google searching… and found ME… and connected here on Facebook!!! They’ve been hooked on my annual fortune cookie scavenger hunt ever since!!! Glad you had a great family adventure… and thanks for sharing again Adam!

While I was at Illinois Beach State Park, I wasn’t just focused on hiding fortune cookies… but also the amazing natural beauty all around me! It was a bit gray & overcast, but that didn’t deter me. Wintery wooded areas, sections of moss, marshlands, sandy lake fronts & more. A wonderful mix of nature to start off the New Year!

I loved traveling through both sections of the park… but a bit frustrated that the farthest north beach access is closed for renovations. But then I saw how many renovations they’ve made to the rest of the park and I was AMAZED!!! The beaches used to be covered with cement boulders, dead trees, sand-smoothed bricks & terra cotta tiles… not the “prettiest” of beaches. But they have now put in some breakwaters out in the lake to prevent erosion… and back-filled with what must be TONS of fresh new sand! This is going to be a huge beach destination this summer… now living up to its name… Illinois Beach State Park… now with an emphasis on BEACH!!!

Knowing that yesterday would be filled with holiday food, I decided to go for a casual hike in the forest preserve woods before stopping at my Dad’s place for Thanksgiving. The weather was amazing yesterday… with beautiful blue skies, dramatic shadows & a lot of Fall colors still hanging on. A wonderful way to start the day before the feasting began! And always THANKFUL for the beauty in the world thanks to Mother Nature!

The beautiful Fall colors are still hanging on in Chicago… literally clinging to cement walls! Great colors, great textures & great shadows!

A few more flowers popping up on the back porch…
a hanging basket of mini-petunias that survived the Halloween snowstorm!