Yesterday was another great chance go get out of the City and enjoy the rural landscape. There’s something so calming about driving through farm fields & prairie lands during Fall. A little bit sad knowing that these colors will soon be gone… especially with the gusty winds yesterday.

To help celebrate my big day yesterday, I set out to enjoy another beautiful day of Indian Summer. I just LOVE this week of gorgeous days with amazing Fall colors. It’s been a great week to be “celebrating” & playing hooky during the day! Riding north along the lake took me up though Openlands Lakeshore Preserve to enjoy the lake, the trees, the colors, the freedom… and just being out there enjoying it ALL!!!

Another AMAZING day playing outside in Nature!!!
THANK YOU MOTHER NATURE.

After teaching class this morning, I zoomed off to Rock Cut State Park with my friend Tiffany. The weather was AMAZING again… and practically no one is there in the state parks during the week. A perfect combination… making for another perfect chance to get out of the City to relish in the beautiful Fall colors… again!

Another beautiful day with the Fall colors just starting to pop out. A little too early for the “full Fall” color show… but still beautiful. So I decided to take the day to “play hooky” and hike around Rock Cut State Park in Rockford, Illinois. We used to camp here a lot when we were kids, so there were quite a few childhood flashbacks along the way! A great day to kick-back, relax and hike around the lake… THREE TIMES!!!

Another beautiful day to get out

Striking foliage, arching green stems and pink “bleeding hearts” are a highlight of every Spring. Too bad they are so fragile & so short-lived.

A little bit of Nature’s beauty on another gray, gloomy & rainy day in Chicago.

One of my all-time favorite Spring blooms is the “ever-elusive” Yellow Magnolia tree!… yes, YELLOW!!! I happened to find one of them today as I was biking… and it definitely brought a smile!

A little splash of cheery sunshine & beautiful spring flowers
from one of my customers up in Wisconsin…
eager to show off her new stamped & soda-fired vase!

After the rain today… another star magnolia gracing the city.
Love these spring flowers!!!

Celebrating a little EARTH DAY today with some new growth after the rain … hoping that someday soon we’ll all be cleared to go outside to enjoy it, right?!!!