A cloudy day for a drive to Central Illinois for some Fourth of July Festivities! And my favorite roadside barn that I’ve been passing for years on my way to college… that is definitely showing its age. It will a sad day when it finally comes down! But until then…

When you’re headed out of town for the day… and feelin’ like a race car driver on the NASCAR course for this weekend’s race in Chicago!

A little cloudy this morning, so I went into the studio for another 10×10 challenge… and I tackled a batch of rectangle tiles that I’ve been formulating a “plan” for! Some of the tiles were made with my MKM Pottery Tools … while others were made with my own handmade clay stamps.

And what’s a trip to the suburbs without a stop at my favorite bakery?… JAROSCH BAKERY in Elk Grove Village. Amazing baked goods… and my all-time favorite fruit “pizza” coffee cake! Plus, a great childhood flashback as it’s always been the favorite bakery since I grew up in Elk Grove Village! And so many of my high school friends worked there over the years!

Now here’s a store that actually has inventory… a store where you can actually BUY something! Not like the new WAYFAIR store in Wilmette that seems to be all smoke & mirrors… although you’ll need to “order” the mirror and have it shipped to you!

Sorry WAYFAIR… me & my money went to IKEA!

An early morning hike out in the suburbs to start my day…
wandering aimlessly… enjoying my road to nowhere.

Next up on my art fair roster… just about three weeks away… the GLENVIEW SUMMER ART FAIR. Mark your calendars to join us on the shaded grounds of Lyon Elementary School on the corner of Waukegan & Lake in Glenview! I’ll be in the studio a lot getting ready for the next round of art fairs!!!

For more information, click on www.glenviewartleague.org

Another splash-tastic morning along the lake. Not a cloud in the sky, but plenty of “entertainment” along the shoreline as the waves came crashing in.

A little Sunday night spruce-up in my studio. I trimmed & slip-painted a few class demo pieces, did some cleaning & pulled out a LOT of reclaimed clay onto my large plaster bat. It’s going to take a couple days for this gloppy pile to dry out a bit before I can start wedging it back into usable clay. But you know it’s my favorite… FREE CLAY!!!

It was quite splash-splashy along the lakefront this afternoon. All of the beaches were flying red caution flags as the waves were dangerously high. But I didn’t care… clear skies & smooth sailing on my newly fixed-up “non-crunchy” bike all along the lakefront bike trail!