A little back porch beauty this morning. First a sunrise… then this… beautiful!

What started out as a clear sunrise morning  turned into a dramatic sky show.
It started as a pretty pink sky… which always makes you think of that old adage…
“Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning.”

And when I turned around, there was another cloud that caught my attention.
Something sure seems to be brewing “back on land” and headed my way.

But as the clouds blew over, it created another striking sunrise over the lake.
A little more golden as the sun rose high enough to meet the encroaching clouds.

Subjected to the hectic, frenzied & totally unorganized experience of my VERY first
craft fair… Gerry & Rosene have been with me since the beginning of my pottery career.
Unbeknownst to them, Gerry & Rosene were across the aisle from me when I showed up
to set up my booth. It was my very first art fair – and I knew nothing!!! They were veterans
of the art fair circuit and watched in disbelief as I spread my pottery all over the floor,
the aisle, anywhere I could so that I could empty the crates that would become my shelving…
it was everywhere! And nothing was pre-priced… I was a wreck. Luckily, they were there
to help me through this crazy experience!

Gerry & Rosene were the owners & artists of Pine Needle Crafts – focusing on “primitive”
home decorations. Since then, they have retired from the art fair circuit, as well as “crafting”
all together. Instead, they have decided to turn their other passion into a new business
venture. Their incredible garden down in Central Illinois is spectacular vision with layers,
colors, textures and whimsical touches everywhere you look. Once a year, they open up
the garden in the Spring for their own garden sale of hostas, perennials & annuals.

This weekend, I made the trip down to visit… and sit back to relax in their garden.
It’s always great to see them, share stories while playing in the dirt, relax in the hot tub,
and enjoy some incredible brownies!!!

Besides the rusty bikes… which are a great accent for any garden… I need to get one…
one of my favorite focal points in their garden is this groovy bridge that crosses the creek at
the bottom of the garden ravine. The plank bridge was simple & plain… until they put their
collection of rusty garden tools to “use” as their not-quite-conventional handrail. Love it.

So their yard is incredible. The front of their house is full of flowers and rusty accents.
Turn around the side of the house and enjoy a large deck overlooking the backyard.
A few steps down, and you see an incredible “spread” of garden unfold before you.
Layers & terraces take you down to the bottom of the ravine, across the bridge and
back up the other side. Around every corner, there are spectacular plants & flowers. Some
have bright colored flowers, while others are more appreciated for their foliage & textures.

But it’s not just flowers… like I said, it’s also an incredible assortment of rusty metal
accents – and you know how I LOVE RUST!!! So it’s great to look around… see the
beautiful garden they’ve created and be inspired by their passion & excitement.

Plus… mixed in amongst the sloping garden… one of my own ceramic totem poles!
Being slightly upstaged by a beautiful Siberian iris.

In addition to gardening, Gerry is still working in the wood shop making bird houses!
Over the years, I have received quite a collection of Gerry’s pieces… many with great
barnboard sides and rusty metal roofs. Rosene stays crafty as well – mostly with her
hand-painted garden plant identification markers. Yes… EVERY PLANT in their garden
is marked with a hand-painted sign! Crazy, I know…

But then it’s time to drive back to the city after a very enjoyable day in their garden.
And a car load of potted plants they’ve sent me home with. Plants that were left over
from their sale, as well as cuttings & divisions from many of their spectacular garden.
For those of you that have seen my condo garden, you can thank Gerry & Rosene for
the majority of the plants that are flourishing there. They have been such generous
& supportive friends over the years… it’s great to have Talented Friends!

Today’s bike ride was incredibly windy, with strong gusts pushing you backwards!
At least it felt that way?! Luckily, the clouds were dynamic… and moving very quickly!

It was quite the foggy morning today on the lakefront.
At least I assume the lake was still there… as you couldn’t see it?!
Nor could you see a mere 20-feet in front of you! Not the safest of morning rides –
things tend to “sneak up” on you quickly when you’re riding 20mph into the fog…
but it was quite fun!

Notice the fog between me and the bike in the harbor shot. A misty morning everywhere.
Remember the beautiful sunrise off the breakwater about a week ago???… on 5.19.10…
well, the second shot is from the exact same place. Little different feeling, huh?

And what to do you call a breakwater when there’s no water visible?!
And no skyline. Looking down this breakwater pavement every other morning leads you
right into a beautiful skyline shot of the city. But not today. Gone – vanished in the fog!

After the hectic-ness of the weekend art fair, it was great to spend a rainy day
at home today enjoying the time off to celebrate Memorial Day. Sleeping late…
relaxing… watching TV… napping… relaxing… okay, well there were a couple
hours spent at the studio glazing a few more pots going into another cone 10
kiln today… then back home… relaxing… snacking… did I mention napping?…
and enjoying some flowers in two of my vases on my fireplace mantle!

It was a beautiful day in Chicago today… and I just “had to” go out & play again!
So I hopped on my bike and rode down to Promontory Point and back along the lake.
While pedaling… I passed another mileage milestone! 1,000 miles so far this summer!
Note the hidden decimal point… otherwise, that’s a LOT of miles!!!

Luckily, when I stopped to capture the moment… I was at a beautiful garden known as
The Chicago Fire Department Fallen Firefighter and Paramedic Memorial Park.
Right along the lake, kind of hidden behind McCormick Place. Wonderful colors, textures
& patterns ablaze within the bright flowers! Quite beautiful. Quite fragrant.

While folding laundry, I just looked out my living room window
and found two baby mourning doves sitting outside on the window ledge.
I hope that their fledgling flying skills are good enough to get them off the ledge safely?!

My front porch doesn’t get a lot of sun… so the plant options are limited.
Not surprisingly, I went more for texture & color than flowers! And to give it
a little height, a little animation and a little whimsy… I made squiggly plant stakes!
Very simple… I just cut “ribbons” of slab, corkscrew twisted them, then curved them
again in loose curly-ques! I then soda-fired them for that natural finish. I love how
they give fit right in… and I can’t wait to see what happens over the summer
as the coleus grows taller, the potato vine grows longer, and the spikes become
even more “incorporated” into my front porch garden.

Another cold & rainy day here in Chicago. At least the plants like it.
As does the rusty metal installation on my back porch! Last year I received these rusty
metal pieces of farm equipment from Rosene & Gerry, my very first art fair friends!
They’ve know of my “rust addiction” and have fed into it many times. So I took these
rusty gear-wheels and hung them on my back porch almost like a curtain. Along with
some blown glass orbs for color. This summer, I’m trying something new…
not only did I start seedlings early on which are now planted in flower pots, but I’m
also trying to get the Cardinal Climber Vines to grow up into the rust!!! So far so good…