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!

After our “freakish” Halloween snowstorm, I thought that flowers on my back porch were done for! But lookey here… a few more red gerber daisies blooming! Sure, they might be a little worse-for-wear from the weather… but still a pretty splash of color!

A beautiful splash of Fall colors… colorful clusters of red berries on autumn trees as Fall continues to hang on a few days longer. And here for it!!!

A beautiful morning along the lakefront… not a cloud in the sky! Clear skies & warmer weather made it quiet & serene along the lake. Without the clouds to play with… you gotta “get creative” with the morning photos. And I LOVE the ones with the seed pods in the sunshine!!!

So, sure I should be in the studio glazing…
or sure, I should be at home setting up for my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW...
but c’mon… it’s another gorgeous Fall day in Chicago!!!…
and I couldn’t say “NO” to my bike!!!

Especially when there are small pockets that still have trees holding onto their leaves!
Won’t last for long… enjoy it while you can! I can “work” later tonight, right???

Gingko leaves with a morning glow.

Simple white flowers working their way through the piles of fallen leaves.