So I thought April Showers bring May flowers?!
And if so, what do MAY SHOWERS bring??? Flooding perhaps?…
A view of my street from up on my front porch!
It’s been raining ALL day… and it’s still coming down!!!

So what else do May Showers bring?
Me curled up under a blanket melting into the sofa all day!!!

Another installment from Cirque du Soleil…
this time we’re going frozen & skating on ice!!!

Yes, as they continue to try new concepts, Cirque du Soleil came out with their versions of “Cirque On Ice.” We saw “CRYSTAL” when it came here to Chicago, but “AXEL” never came through. Just for the record… I like the “traditional” Cirque du Soleil shows a lot better! But I DID watch this whole episode… as there’s not much better to be doing on a rainy & cold Sunday in Chicago!!!

Click here to watch the full episode on Facebook.

On my way home from the studio, I passed this condo building just two blocks away with these STUNNING pink dogwoods flanking the doorway! The color is incredible, the profusion of blooms beyond imagination and I love how well they play with the architectural details of the building. And yes, I pulled over, stopped the car, and got out crossing the street just to take some photos! They’re THAT stunning!!!

Well, not quite as much fun as teaching face-to-face, but it did feel good to “teach” again as I just finished teaching my first “official” ceramics workshop on ZOOM for Lillstreet Art Center! It was a one-hour workshop on making clay stamps… from my studio. A little jittery at times as I tilted by laptop screen up & down for demos… but I’m sure these ZOOM classes will get smoother if we need to keep doing them for much longer!

Getting ready to teach my first online workshop for Lillstreet Art Center… CLAY STAMP MAKING! Okay, so I may be showing my age here… but I just can’t get THIS out of my head! And you can thank me now… for I’m sure it will be stuck in your head now too for your next ZOOM Meeting online!

And… you’re welcome!!!

Low-flying clouds for the sun to play with this morning. Peeking through & hiding behind. Either way, another beautiful morning… and another beautiful bike ride!

By now I’m pretty sure you’ve figured out that I’m more of a sunrise guy than a sunset guy! But since it was raining this morning, I didn’t get out for the sunrise ride! But I did score a nice little sunset to share!!! I think that evens-the-score!

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!

Another beautiful bike ride up to Openlands Lakeshore Preserve.
I remember when I started heading north after they closed down the Chicago Lakefront path. I was so excited to find this wonderful new destination for my bike rides… but it felt today a little like the novelty might be wearing off. I may need to find another new destination soon?!

So this weekend was supposed to be “ART-A-WHIRL” up in Minneapolis… a big studio tour & art sale in the Twin Cities. And I was planning on being the Guest Artist of my friend & amazing metalsmith Sarah Chapman before this corona-craziness shut us all down!

Want to see more of Sarah’s work… click here!

Needless to say, I’m NOT in Minneapolis, and Sarah’s studio is not open for the tour. But she is hosting a “virtual” tour on her website! So if you’re looking for some amazingly cool jewelry to spruce up your “quarantine look” – check-out the link below for more info! Her work is incredible… I just wish I were there in person this weekend to play with Sarah… while we both would be showing off our wares! Maybe next year?!

Click here to shop Sarah’s website of beautiful things!!!