And I’m SO not ready for snow! We still have beautiful Fall leaves on the trees & dahlias blooming in my garden! Sure it’s pretty… but couldn’t we wait just a few more weeks?… please & thank you.

This may have been the “perfect” Fall colors weekend here in Chicago. Which was reason enough for me to head out for a hike in the woods yesterday. It started out nice & sunny, but all too soon the clouds moved in late afternoon. Gray skies… but still beautiful Fall colors!

Although I’d rather be outside on the OTHER side of that window!!!

Beautiful colors & wonderful textures… perfect for Texture Tuesday!

Also looking around the lakefront… enjoying the sunrise and looking for breakfast… a local hawk hanging out & resting on a street lamp! Not sure what kind he is… Red-Tailed Hawk?… Cooper’s Hawk?… but at least he wasn’t looking at me too closely as I pedaled past.

While the waves crash around at the lakefront… and there’s also beautiful rocks & flowers right there if you happen to look around the other way!

Another beautiful blue-sky afternoon… perfect for another bike ride along the lakefront. A bit on the chilly side… long sleeves & gloves again. But I wasn’t quite ready for trees to be changing colors already! As much as I love Fall… I’m not quite ready for it. But let’s be real… this tree is in fact BEAUTIFUL in the beginning of its Fall coloring!!! Okay… so maybe I’ll be “ready” soon…

Yellow flowers on the beach after the morning rain.

What a beautiful day… blue skies & the feeling of “freedom” all day on my bike! At least until you get to this sign… that makes me laugh EVERY time!!! Yes, the bike trail LITERALLY stops right there!!! Dead end. No more cement. Done. But if you know how to navigate around it, you can easily make it all the way to Waukegan in time for lunch & ice cream! Of course, after several stops along the way… especially for all of the Fall wildflowers along the north shore & Openlands Lakeshore Preserve just south of Fort Sheridan! Enjoy… I know I sure did.

It definitely feels like Fall is right around the corner. The zinnias are still beautiful, but you can tell they’re nearing the end of their season! Beautiful colors with great petal structure… but a few of them aren’t holding up so well. Enjoy the end of summer while you can…