The beaches in Chicago are officially open starting today!
I can always tell a few days before when the lifeguard chairs re-appear
and get a fresh coat of white paint! Summer’s on its way…

After a surprisingly warm Winter, it appears as though Spring has come early
as well. With some surprisingly warm days… and flowers popping up already!
And it’s just the first weeks of March… crazy!!!

With little beauties popping up in my front yard garden! Much better than snow…

Well, I guess it is still “technically” Winter after all…

While working down in my basement storage room this morning,
I was surrounded by pots, crates, shelves, boxes, more pots… & flowers?! Who’da thunk?
There I was “finally” putting away all of the remains from the Holiday Home Shows.
Trying to make some sense of the mess I call my storage space! All of the stuff that filled
my condo just “filled” my storage space with no rhyme or reason. Putting things away
trying to figure what what’s left, what kind of inventory I have and what I still need to make!
And then I saw flowers… bougainvillea and gerbera daisies!!! Sure, they’re not the brightest
or healthiest of flowers… kind of anemic & sickly. Very few green leaves left on the branches!

So at the end of the summer, I take the flower pots of my back porch and literally
just throw them down in the basement. My hope is that a few of the plants might survive
until Spring rolls around and they can go outside again. I’ll admit my track record isn’t
all that great. Because I always forget to water them! But then today, amongst the dried up
& crunchy leaves on most of the plants… there were flowers!!! Crazy.

The bougainvillea & gerbera daisies are in bloom.
I know our winter has been warmer than normal, but really?! Flowers?… Now?!

So last night, I stopped by the studio after setting up my Barrington art fair booth.
I knew that my electric kiln full of monsters would still be warm from firing
overnight. And it was still just over 800-degrees. To hot to open… but I just had to!
So I cracked it open about a 1/4-inch with a thin shard. And went home for a quick sleep!

Then this morning, I stopped in on my was out to Barrington for the start of the fair.
When I got in, the kiln was still about 200-degrees hot. Warmer than I would like…
but I didn’t really ave any choice. I had to take them out. I had to take them to the fair.
So there I was, with a thick pair of gloves, carefully unloading another hot kiln!!!
Luckily, they all turned out great… so I pulled out, tried to cool them quickly so I could
pack them out without the foam sheets melting!!! Then it was off to the fair…
with a new collection of festive monsters in tow!

And the newest member in the tribe…

It was a very strange morning along the Chicago lakefront today!
Dark. Foggy. Misty. Hard to see just two feet in front of you!
If you look closely… you “might” be able to see the North Avenue Beach House
just past the row of street lights! I swear it was right there… I swear!!!

And then when I turned around to head home…
it looked as though there was a hurricane blowing in off the lake?!
Is that even possible in Chicago??? Seriously?… it was crazy!!!

It seems as though Spring will never get here.
They’re predicting another week of gloomy, chilly & rainy days here in Chicago!
I’m ready for Spring. I’m ready for Summer. I’m ready for nature’s colors & textures!
So as a quick “remedy” I’ve posted some favorites to brighten your day.

So?… how many can you name? And which one is your favorite?

The weather was surprisingly beautiful today.
And although I was supposed to be working on my taxes…
I knew that I had to be out on my bike! So I did… and gladly pedaled off for the day…

Headed south along the lakefront towards the city, enjoying the Spring scenery.
Ice & slush is finally gone. There are a few more potholes on the bike trail than usual.
But Spring was everywhere! Leaves finally popping out. Beaches. Skylines. Beautiful.

A little bit further, the Spring wildflowers were peaking out en mass… which made it
the perfect place to make a stop. Really, any place this beautiful is a great place to stop!

Getting closer to the city, I was intrigued by the empty harbors. All summer long, these slips
will be filled with hundreds & hundreds of boats. Every harbor will be filled. Packed full.
So I found it striking that there were absolutely no boats in the lake yet.

Just south of the Chicago Yacht Club, you turn back toward the city and are greeted by a
colorful forest of orange & yellow trees. These trees were installed about a year ago. They
were originally “planted” in Lincoln Park closer to the Zoo. But now they are right there
along the side of Lake Shore Drive. I love that Chicago has ART everywhere!!!

And as if the painted trees weren’t beautiful enough… the ground beneath them
is a blooming carpet of mini daffodils! Ain’t Mother Nature grand?… even with a coat of paint!

Just behind the painted trees is the Cancer Survivors’ Garden. There are beautiful iron
gazebos, benches, urns and gardens strolling up the hill towards the Colonnade.

And the perfect day kept getting better & better… as Magnolias were blooming everywhere.
One of the most striking flowers of Spring, which unfortunately don’t last very long. Just
one big wind storm and they’re gone for another year! And look closely…
apparently that early-rising bumble bee was excited to see the magnolias too!

From the Cancer Survivors’ Garden, it’s just a short walk to the BP Bridge which takes
you over the roads and into Millennium Park. The bridge has a shiny metal surface…
kind of like a Medieval metal-plated armor coating! Very striking… especially when
the sun is glaring off the shiny surface.

Across the bridge, you come up to the Frank Gehry designed Pritzker Bandshell
and striking “birdcage” structure that works as a canopy & sound speaker support
for the concert goes who sit in the lawn. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Mr. Gehry…
and if you saw this structure from the side or behind, I think it looks completely
unfinished. Okay, I know there’s a concept in there somewhere… I’m just saying…

As I was moving about Millennium Park, it was great to see Spring popping out everywhere.
Little flowers. Small Spring buds. The juxtaposition of last year’s foliage & grasses withering
away while the new Spring fun is emerging all around.

And then… oh, but wait there’s more… the fountain was on!
But I’ll save that for the next post. Coming soon…

When I got home from my morning ride, it was great to see
that a couple snowdrops had popped up after yesterday’s “heatwave” in the 80’s.
And even though yesterday’s heat has gone, it’s good to see that the flowers have stayed!

As I was leaving for the studio this afternoon, I noticed that my
poinsettia on the stair landing is blooming. Finally…
And this is the poinsettia that I’ve kept living for two years now.
It vacations outdoors in the back courtyard all summer and gets very green
& lush. Then I bring it in for the winter where is suffers and losses a lot of leaves.
My main goal is typically just to keep it alive through the cold Chicago winter months.
This winter it must be extra happy for some reason?