All too soon some dark clouds started rolling in.
So I guess I better pedal on home to work on my income taxes.

Oh wait, the front garden still needs to be raked & cleaned out…
I still have a couple days for those darn taxes, right?!

Okay, so my afternoon bike ride was beautiful.
Some wonderful blue flowers popping up along the bike trail. A little windy…
but MUCH more fun than the “other alternative” I’m supposed to be working on!

It’s Spring… but we have a layer of Winter snow.
This is crazy… even the birds think so…

Today was possibly the first BEAUTIFUL day of Spring!!! We’ve been waiting…
And lucky for me, I’m “playing hooky” this week and had a wonderful day bicycling with my friend Nancy. We started at the south end of the trail, and pedaled the North Branch Trail up to the Chicago Botanic Garden. A beautiful day with even more beautiful flowers!!!

Okay, so we may have been a day late…
but luckily we got to see the “remains” of the annual Orchid Show. Sure, they were starting to dismantle the show, but the orchids were still beautiful. Including some wonderful installation pieces…. an Orchid Chandelier, an Orchid & Bamboo Wall and Elevated Orchids arrangements.

And sure the Orchid Show might have been coming down, but the greenhouses were still ablaze with incredible tropical colors & smells. So great to be outside on our bikes, in the warmth of the greenhouses and surrounded by greenery & flowers… instead of the frozen snow & slush we’ve been forced to become accustomed to!!!

The Tropical Greenhouses were spectacular… but the Cactus Room is always intriguing with the geometry & rhythm of the plants. And the seasonal blooms on the cactus were pretty spectacular too!

The thinnest of ice layers. Shattered into beautiful shards & textures.

Marj was my first wheelthrowing teacher at Lillstreet Art Center several years back. So encouraging. Always supportive. She’s the first one who told me to quit my job and become a potter. It’s all her fault. I listened. And now Marj is embarking on a wonderful, new creative project. She’s looking for some financial backing to make this project come true. And if anyone deserves your help, it’s Marj. Time to give back to a wonderful teacher & artist.

Click here to see Marj’s video about The Ghost Trees Project.
And then consider supporting her efforts with some financial backing for a thoughtful cause.

No sun this morning means no sunrise to share.
Plenty of frozen “puddles” along the lake though.

Always intrigued by these thin layers of ice “floating” above air
where the puddled water used to be. So fragile. So thin. So beautiful.

The mornings have been cloudy & rainy for days.
I try to avoid riding when the bike trail is wet or slippery.
It’s just not safe… or fun.

Finally… a dry morning today. Great to be out on my bike
even though there was still no hope of a sunrise.