staycation : three

Stay : threewalk thru millenium park and the laurie garden lunch @ sweetwater sweets @ sugar bliss happy exhibit @ the chicago cultural center impressionists @ the art institute walk @ the nature boardwalk near the lincoln park zoo

I was skeptical when I woke up this morning and is had rained overnight and the sky will filled with clouds. But, as the morning went on, the clouds rolling in over the lake began to give way to the blue sky above and it turned out to be a really, really nice day!  iPhone photos only for now - I will do a little more on each item in upcoming posts.  Just too many photos to process tonight and each of these things deserves a little elaboration.

I got downtown a little early to walk through the park and Lurie Garden - had not been in the gardens before. Given that it's Fall, most everything is on it's way out, but  it was still a beautiful green space in the middle of the concrete jungle!

I squeaked in a visit to The Happy Show by Stefan Sagmeister at the Cultural Center (it leaves next week) and I am so happy that I did!  I love his humor and keen grasp of the obvious.  This exhibit is fun and interactive and says much of what we think, but never admit or say out loud. 

From there I walked over to the Art Institute of Chicago to take in the Impressionists (another exhibit at the end of it's run).  There were a lot of amazing works - didn't really love that they were spread out so much - somehow never found the AI's famous Seurat.  Guess it's a good thing I have had the pleasure of seeing it before, but if I were an out-of-towner, I'd be pretty upset it wasn't front and center.  

Last stop of the day was over to the Nature Boardwalk near the Lincoln Park Zoo.  I have seen a good number of photos of this structure that sits along the nature walk and have wanted to get there myself to take a go at it!  No idea why it's taken me so long, but man, was I missing something fabulous!  I might have gotten a little carried away photographing this thing...

staycation : days one two

The last couple of years have been very busy at work and I squeaked in a little vacay here and there, but didn't come close to taking all of my vacation days.  So ... this year I said I was going to take as many of my vacation days as I could!  Why let them go unused, right?!? This week will be my first ever "staycation!"  It's odd for me to take time off from work and not be going somewhere.  Kind of funny to hear everyone's response. "Where are you going again?"  I finally started answering "Chicago" and then they kind of got it.  I feel like I do a pretty good job of getting out and about around town, but Chicago has so many amazing things to offer - why not be a tourist in my own city?

So let the stacay begin!

stay : one brunch @ Farmhouse Evanston shop local - ventured into a few shops that I had never been in before and found a couple of great items end of summer party on rooftop in Bucktown with a pretty spectacular view - my pitiful iPhone photo just does not do it justice

stay : two brunch @ Little Market Brasserie Kind of got rained out today, so we spent a huge chunk of the day sitting and chatting over some fabulous food and drink.   I topped it off with a black bottom sundae that had the most delicious homemade salted caramel - I literally ate it by the spoonful - oy!

And they had live music - every Sunday for brunch!  I have never seen this before and think it's a fabulous idea! The lead singer was dishing up acoustic versions of his band's music (Mighty Fox) mixed in with covers.  He had a great voice too!  We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/78936477" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

trampoline time

Spent last Saturday in Chesterton with the Pittmans.  We took in the European Market, the Popcorn Fest over in Valpo and a little quality time in the back yard jumping on the trampoline and snapping a few photos.  Let me tell you, it's a challenge to focus on a moving object when you are moving too!  I couldn't believe how comfortable Sloane was on the trampoline - running, jumping, summer salts - so stinkin' cute! Oh and that hair, OMG that hair!  Hello static!  This photo says it all ... Fun!  Fun!  Fun!  And a little out of focus... oh well still my fav!

headshot : pittman

I would not consider myself a portrait photographer, but now and then I will make an exception to shoot friends and family.  I give huge props to photographers who photograph people for a living!  It is enormously difficult to get a natural face and smile out of someone ... even when you know them really well.  I snapped a few of Jeff over the weekend and got a few I think will fit the bill for his professional needs.  Well, maybe not the laughing shot, but that is the most genuine shot from the series, so I had to share that one too.

I fly swa

A rare opportunity at having a whole row to myself on todays flight gave me a beautiful view above the clouds!

Lake Murray

Had a client take us out on their boat on Lake Murray tonight.  Man is it beautiful!  Surrounded by pine trees, you can actually smell them after a hot day like today.  Incredible. And they have the perfect lake house - the view from the living room is unbelievable!  So thankful for these kind of opportunities! 

beach bum

I have become a real beach bum this summer... dunno why, but I am glad I am finally taking advantage my proximity to the beach.  I especially love it when the wind is coming in over the lake, makes waves that look and sound like the ocean.  It's a really great "second" if you know what I mean... 

Frost!!

Finally made it to Highland Park to get some gelato from Frost. I had heard many good things, so my expectations were high. Let me tell you, it lived up to the hype. Wish I lived closer!! You are looking at cookies n cream, dark chocolate and sea salt caramel mix - sooooo good!  Also sampled their lemon - perfectly tart, perfectly refreshing.

beautiful day @ the botanic garden

So, I am not a huge flower person... but I do love the Chicago Botanic Garden. Marcey and I met the Robinson's there to spend the most lovely day wandering the different gardens.  There was so much in bloom - pretty much everything looked great except for the roses, they were just past their time.  I really think I should try to make it up there once each season.  Next up would be Fall foliage  ... putting that on the calendar now!  Till then, enjoy some pretty flowers! Oh and I almost forgot about the crazy lilly pads!  That may have been Elliot's favorite of the day...

brunch @ beatrix

One thing I love about Chicago - there's always a new restaurant to try! Met Selika for brunch today at a new space called Beatrix.   I really like the vibe of the space. It's this kind of hybrid bar/restaurant/coffee/pastry spot.  They have a great brunch menu and the pastry bar .. oh my, so good. I wanted one of everything, of course! I picked up a house-made graham cracker that was delicious, but had to grab one of these peanut butter sandwich cookies to go!  I mean look at this thing!  How can you pass it up?

Give it a try if you are in town!