Woke up this morning in a winter wonderland. A beautiful covering of snow everywhere… a beautiful excuse to go for a long winter walk along the lake. Sure, I’d rather be biking… but we haven’t had dry streets or an actual sunrise for SO long now!!! Just gray, gray, gray… and now some snow as a wonderful accent!

With a fresh coating of overnight snow, this morning was a great chance to get outside to hike & play along the beach again. Not the sunny & warm most people expect while at the beach… but BEAUTIFUL nonetheless.

My new “quarantine collection” of beach glass grew a little more today too!!!

Last day of the year.
Last chance for an afternoon run before the New Year.

Cautiously stepping, but loving the branch silhouettes
& the sunny reflections shimmering on the ice-crusted snow!

A welcome surprise… finding a Major Wheeler Honeysuckle plant still blooming this late in the season! Love how the bright flowers make a great contrast to the yellowing Fall colors of the leaves still on the vine!

Gotta love when science & nature collide. Like this wonderful example of photosynthesis. I was first drawn to the vibrant red colors of this bush.

I was noticing how each leaf was a different color, a different shade of red… and even MORE dramatic when I moved a couple leaves to find a bright yellow spot.

A “void” on the red leaf because the sun wasn’t getting to all of the bottom leaf to change it to red! Isn’t Mother Nature AMAZING?!!!

A beautiful Fall ombre-colored ivy climbing the wall. With snow in the forecast, I’m not sure that this is going to last much longer?! It has been a beautiful Fall season… but is so wrong that I want it to last even longer??? I’m not ready for SNOW!!!

Another gusty windy day in Chicago! A lot of leaves dropping from trees, flying around, swirling everywhere and eventually piling up in the darndest places!

Some of the flowers along the bike trail are still hanging on…
while others, not so much.

With beautiful blue skies & leaves falling fast… I was excited to find this one tree hanging onto its leaves!!! Sure, I’m “supposed” to be home setting up for MY HOLIDAY HOME SHOW and not biking… but how could I miss out on a beautiful day like today?! If nothing else but to see one of the sole survivors along the lakefront!