Don’t get me wrong… the overnight temperatures are still pretty cold in Chicago.
Leaving some incredible frozen “sculptures” along the lakefront.

I doubt that they “survived” the 50-degree day we had today?! So much better than the
freezing cold & blizzards of snow we should be having this time of year, huh?

When I stopped along the lakefront this morning to take some sunrise pictures,
I also found some frozen puddles. No surprise. It was pretty darn cold out this morning.
But upon closer examination, they were no ordinary puddles… err, frozen puddles.
These may have been the coolest puddles EVER!!! Look closely…

Yes… that ICE is literally “floating” about 2-inches above the ground. Crazy, huh?
And even-freakier, no residual water under the frozen puddle surface?!

Yes, it appears as though the ice is “stretched” kinda like frozen Saran Wrap?!
My guess is that somehow the puddle of water froze quickly overnight, and somehow
most of the water in the puddles evaporated (or otherwise disappeared?) leaving behind
a very thin layer of ice suspended about two inches above the remaining water & rocks.
I still have no guess on how these incredible “spikes” of ice could have happened?!
They’re literally jutting out from the rocks?!

And look how thin the ice is… thinner than a piece of glass!

If you look even closer… you can even see some green plants living under the glass!
Like a little “greenhouse effect” for the plants living along the water’s edge.

So?… can anyone explain this natural phenomenon better than I can?
It’s the kind of unexplained beauty you can only find in nature… if you take time to look!

And look close at this last one… stretched, rippled, spiked, pulled, drooping… all frozen ice!

Like I’ve said many times before… “one of the best parts about biking is stopping.”
If you don’t stop some times to enjoy your surroundings, you’ll miss great experiences
like this. Fun at the alpaca farm! The kids were out in their front yard with free water
and fig bars. Which was all fine & good. But I was more intrigued by the alpacas
behind them. So we started talking with the Mom & kids… and they finally invited us
to go back and see the alpacas. They explained everything you ever needed to know
about their alpacas! We even got to pet them & feed them. But you gotta stop to play!

A fairly simple barn. Nothing too exciting… until you see the alpacas in back!
They were busy grazing & relaxing. Until the owner clapped her hands and they came over
to greet us. Hoping to be fed I believe. So we did… Could they BE any cuter?!

For more alpaca information… and an opportunity to buy them all AND the farm…
check out the website for Abounding Acres.

By Sunday, I was really ready to sleep in. But then again, there was another sunrise
calling my name. Urging me to get outside to enjoy my Northwoods surroundings.
So I did. And it was very peaceful. More pastel. Less vibrant than the days before!

After the sunrise, it was back to Pigeon Road Pottery for another day of ART DETOUR.
So we re-built our displays after packing everything down for the night. The “fear” of
stay animals wreaking havoc in our tents overnight, plus the chance of wind & rain,
made us all very cautious. So we all had a lot of re-assembling to do. And just in time,
as the customers were coming in full force.

While we were meeting customers and enjoying ART DETOUR, I was also taken by the
natural surroundings. Fall was definitely in the air. The colors. The textures.

And then, just to make Wendi’s flowers even prettier, this little butterfly decided to hang out
with us for quite awhile. Flitting around, sucking nectar and basking in the sun.

And by the end of the day, Amy, Wendi, Sarah and I were all quite pleased with how the
ART DETOUR was going. Not only were we having a lot of fun, and eating a lot of s’mores…
the customers were actually showing up, buying art and having fun with us! There were
a LOT of s’mores being made. And we were all on a bit of a sugar-high by the end of the day.

The merry group of artists hanging out at Pigeon Road Pottery after another long day.
Sarah, Wendi, myself and Amy (left to right) were pleased with the day, and happy that it
was almost over. Only one more day to go…

Another morning in the Northwoods. Another sunrise over the lake.
Sure, I could really use some more sleep… but when I know something this beautiful
is going on outside, how can I resist?! Me and my camera up early again!!!

But then… this one huge cloud decided to roll in…

And then that “one cloud” decided to bring some friends… and with that the sunrise was done!

So I’m up in the Northwoods. And it’s beautiful.
The “condo” cabin we’re renting is right on a lake facing east.
So it’s the perfect location for my morning sunrise addiction!

So this morning Amy and I set out to run some errands about town… and I
use that term loosely, town. While Amy was at the dentist first thing in the morning,
I had a chance to go for a quick hike in the woods. And it was a great start to the day.
You know how I love to start my day with some beautiful nature! So Amy dropped me off
at this bridge which also serves as the trail head. I got to hike… she got to swish & spit.
I definitely got the better part of the deal…

Then we got back on track, and head off to the hardware store, Wal-Mart and more getting
some last minute supplies… like more s’more fixins’!!! After the errands, it was time for
Amy and I to figure out were the tents were going to go. And then we started to set up
our tents before Sarah & Wendi got there. Once we had a plan, we both got started.
Of course I had to tackle my over-loaded car… slowly so nothing fell out…

And with our signs all ready, we were hoping to get people either coming or going…
we’ll place them along the highway tomorrow, hoping to pull in the tourists!!

Once I had my booth all set and ready to go for the night, Sarah and Wendi arrived
and we helped get them set up. My parents showed up as well since they were planning
on spending the weekend in the Northwoods doing the “official” tour and doing some
undercover espionage & marketing for us along the way! Unfortunately, Kathy Furda
of Northern Light Glass was not able to join us for ART DETOUR. She had some last minute
family health issues to tend to, but her beautiful glass work will be with us all weekend.
So even though Kathy may not be making s’mores with us this weekend, you can still see
her beautiful work while we’re at Pigeon Road Pottery.