The Daily - When September Ends

9/25/23 - Monday

 
Scott and I got our signals crossed and we each fed Charlie breakfast! Oh well, she probably enjoyed the treat. I did a 30 minute bike then took Charlie for a quick walk before going to the Y. I swam 26 laps and spent 15 minutes in the sauna.

 

 
Charlie, Hannah and I enjoyed coffee outside then I made my breakfast. Charlie and I went for a long walk around Porter park - so many butterflies out! I did some watercolor detail work to finish off some flower paintings and after dinner Scott and I took Charlie on her third walk of the day. We also threw the ball around the backyard. Scott bought her a “chuck it” big ball that she seems to enjoy.

 

 

 
9/26/23 - Tuesday

 
45 minute strength class then a medium walk with Charlie around the retention ponds. Coffee outside on the patio.

 
I did a Photoshoot with friend Julie from the Y and her two boys. I had never met the boys in real life but feel like Ive known them from birth since Julie posts a bit to IG on her stories. No joke this photo shoot was a bit of a challenge since the boys were a little bit antsy but I think I got several decent shots. I also got bitten quite a bit from the mosquitoes. still, it was a fun time.

 

 
9/27/23 - Wednesday

 
30 minutes of bike Boot Camp followed by another 15 minutes on the bike and some follow up yoga. Then Charlie and I went for a long walk around Porter Park. It was damp and gloomy, so we did not do coffee outside. Instead, I did research for the upcoming London trip. We now have a daily itinerary of activities for that trip.

 

 
It definitely feels like fall with cooler temperatures and mostly cloudy skies today. The sun came out briefly in the afternoon, Charlie and I went for a walk. I edited several of the photos from yesterday‘s photo shoot. Scott and I took Charlie on her evening walk.

 

 

 
9/28/23 - Thursday

 
It rained hard again last night so this morning was cool and misty outside. I did 45 minutes on the bike, then took Charlie for a short walk. Then I went to the Y to swim. After 20 laps and 15 minutes in the sauna I’m back home with the animals and we are now enjoying coffee on the patio Erica is en route home from London. She arrived in time to catch the 4pm train out of union station. I took Charlie to pick her up from the terminal and Charlie is so happy her mom is home.

 
I take another pass at Julie’s photos - I need to get things wrapped up before the weekend.

 

 
9/29/23 - Friday

 
I dragged myself out of bed at 4:40 to make it to the 5:30 Pilates class. Coffee with Brenda, Michael and Davonne afterwards.

 
I catch the setting full moon on the Prairie with fog rolling in. I double back, park on the side of the road to capture a photo. Totally worth the extra 5 minutes.

 

 
I make Erica pasta bake for her trip back to Wisconsin, sew her corset top to fix areas where the boning is poking out of the fabric.

 
She leaves at noon and I finish up Julie’s family photos and start packing for the weekend trip. I took a walk late in the evening and catch the red sunset west of Porter park. It feels weird not to have Charlie with me!

 

 
I’m almost home when I see My on a bike heading to the bridge over the slough. She tells me the full moon will rise over the stream so I join her. We wait at the bridge as a small red sliver emerges from the tree line. Of course I only have my iPhone and do the best I can to balance the lack of light with the red moon rising. I could have used my big camera!

 

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The Daily - September 18, 2023 - Monday

Another wild dream - I’m in a cabin where I need to change clothes for upcoming travel. A group of people come up to cabin’s open screened window and spray mace inside. Or something like a smoke bomb. I gather my things and go. Then I’m at the airport and the gate is up at some mezzanine level between the first and second floor. I take the special stairs and enter an area that feels like a viewing box at an arena. Then I’m called to the gate and have to climb over people. I discover my ticket is to Germany, not home to Champaign. I’m traveling for Cabot but don’t have any of the phone numbers and I’m trying to figure all of that out. I realize I can make the flight change at the gate with the agent and I wake up. So weird!!!

 

 
30 minute bike, 20 laps and 20 minutes in the sauna. It’s chilly outside this morning and I’m now hanging out by the pond wrapped in my swim parka!

 

 
I followed up on medical insurance tasks which always makes me anxious - I know it shouldn’t but that’s something I need to work on. I did find out the local Walgreens is part of the prescription network so that is good and I can transfer any existing scripts from the CVS.

 

 
I learned a photo I had submitted to Champaign Forest Preserve’s calendar contest was short listed for inclusion in the calendar. The final process allows people to vote on their Facebook page to select the top 14 photos. I submitted two photos and this one made the cut. I took the photo in late July at the Buffalo Trace Prairie. The title is "Surprise Visitor" - can you tell why?

 

 

 
I cooked the pork dumpling meatballs and they were very tasty. I looked in on Janice’s cats. Scott came home and we ate, took a walk then went to the Aldi. I was disappointed with the empty produce shelves but happy with the selection of grass fed steaks at a nice price - we had great rib eye steaks over the weekend - so yummy.

 

 
I didn’t sleep great last night so was very tired once the sun set (7pm). We’re trying to keep lights low once the sun goes down - emphasizing that circadian rhythm element to gain better sleep.

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The Daily - September 9, 2023 - Saturday

Went swimming - 30 laps, then 40 minutes on the bike and a 30 minute yoga class. It’s a bit chilly and I’m wearing a long sleeve shirt outside for morning coffee.

 

 
Scott took Charlie on her morning walk, returning to find our next door neighbor starting a roof replacement. So more unusual activity in our cul de sac!

 

 
Scott and Charlie also spent time in the garage fashioning up a replacement attic access panel the solar installers broke yesterday.

 

 
I took Charlie on a walk after lunch - we went to Porter park. I watched a butterfly gathering nectar in the prairie flowers. The sun came out so we took a short break half way through the walk and rested in the shade.

 

 

 

 

 

 
After our evening walk, we spent time playing ball and meandered to Jill’s backyard to chat with her. Hannah and Louie joined in. Jill’s two kittens stared at us from the confines of the house. Charlie got up and greeted them at the sliding door (with a screen between) which elicited a big cat arch / hair on end response from Luna. Lucy was quite chill during this encounter.

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The Daily - September 5, 2023 - Tuesday

Or, Tuesday that kind of feels like a Monday

 

 
Even though I’m not working, my schedule still follows a Monday- Friday rhythm especially around my daily workouts. Yesterday’s Y closure threw off that schedule. So two strength classes and swimming today. I would normally go to a yoga class but know I’ll be too tired from the swimming.

 

 
Instead of yoga, Scott and I grocery shopped and now I’m outside having a late morning coffee. Clouds have rolled in and there’s a chance of rain. While it is temperate and comfortable, the little midges are finding me and those little suckers bite hard. In an attempt to thwart them I put on a rash guard top and moved to a breezy spot on the patio - at the pond’s edge. I can watch the bees and other pollinators move from flower to flower. This is not a bad way to enjoy the late summer.

 

 
I went for my noon walk around Porter park and the breezes transformed the long prairie flowers into a sea of golden water. It was super beautiful. I can feel small changes as we start to transition into fall and that inspired a haiku.

 

 
Lithe winds swirl, sweeping

 
Across a golden prairie

 
Precipice of fall

 

 
Faint twinges of red

 
Subtle signs of season’s change

 
Murmur through the trees

 

 

 
KK stopped by to deliver goodies from St. Louis. She was there this weekend visiting Vivek and Brian. Brian brought them to IKEA, the Missouri baking company and Trader Joe’s so he bought our favorites from those store. Vivek just moved there and lives close to Brian so they are hanging out together and planning on working out / going to the gym together. I think this is wonderful as having friends to socialize with is so important for one’s happiness. Brian already has local friends so an additional one he can lean on for accountability is great.

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The Daily Raw - August 29, 2023 - Tuesday

8/29/23 - Tuesday

 

 
Nice and cool this morning - low 50’s! Even the cats think it is cool - they refuse to step out on the grass in the morning, opting to stay on the warmer patio concrete.

 

 
I completed a 45 full strength workout and it was a good challenge. My lower back is more or less fine - but it is stiff after prolonged periods of rest / lazing around, especially if I try to reach for the ground. I will head to yoga in a few minutes and hit the sauna afterwards.

 

 
Yoga was good and the sauna was operating normally so got my sweat on. Once I got home from the Y, I started to cook lunch - sautéd cubed eggplant, ground beef stuffed into roasted eggplant shells, topped with mozzarella cheese and broiled. Very tasty!

 

 
Another annoyance worked itself out today. I nabbed local Global entry interview appointment - the local airport announced last week they were hosting a pop up for Global entry appointments. I followed the application process but by the time my application had been processed and accepted, I couldn’t find any appointments available anywhere close. I had resigned myself to completing the process in October after I return from London.

 

 
Upon researching further, I came upon a recommendation to check the US Customs scheduling system on a daily basis. Upon checking this afternoon, the local airport showed up with available appointments which i promptly scheduled. It will be nice to have all of that taken care of before my overseas trip.

 

 
Today flew by - I took an afternoon walk right before some storms rolled through. I happened to be out walking the local prairie right before the rains came. I got home just in time.

 

 

 

 
Scott and I watched the next episode of Only Murders in the Building.

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Butterfly Dreams

I don't ever recall a season filled with so many monarch butterflies. Maybe the orange wildflowers (Mexican Sunflowers) my husband serendipitously planted led them to our house. These wildflowers also attracted the elusive hummingbirds to our property so I say the random package of seeds thrown into the soil wins the MVP for this year's summer - fall. It feels good to attract these important pollinators to our back yards.

 

 

 

 

 
Perched on a cosmos, another wildflower sown from seed.

 

 
And then, in our neighborhood park, filled with prairie grasses and flowers, the bees and butterflies found ample food and pollen to collect. The monarchs sought shelter in this pear tree, a new sight for me to behold. I stumbled upon them by chance - walking through the park Sunday afternoon. At the time, I didn't have a camera / phone on me; I went back later to capture these photos with my Z6II.

 

 
Feeding on prairie asters

 

 
By the next day, this group of migrating monarchs had departed. Moments are fleeting, so be sure to capture what you can or observe the marvel unfold in front of your eyes.

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MIchelle S, Class of 2021 - Fall and Winter Looks

We thought the Class of 2020 bore the brunt of the global COVID pandemic. Certainly after months of remote work and learning, mask wearing and other precautions, life would resume "back to normal". We, however, failed to recognize how long the virus would continue its impact and who knows what "normal" will look like going forward.

 
Michelle, Class of 2021, is making the best of the situation. An avid runner, she ran cross country on her team's modified fall season and was named to the All-Area Team. Michelle displays a casual and sporty calm in her demeanor and she is most comfortable when down to earth scenarios. Her family hails from a farm in Indiana so the rural, prairie setting was perfect for our fall session. Photos taken at Allerton Park in Monticello. 

 

 

I'm good friends with Michelle's mom, and she mentioned how much fun it would be to have photos taken during a fresh snowfall. We received a decent amount of snow last weekend, so we headed to a friend's backyard and held photo shoot number two.

 

 

It wasn't actively snowing, but with some help from friends, we made it lightly snow. 

 

 

Behind the scenes, trying to make it snow - another friend with a long cleaning brush, knocking down snow from the tree tops. Michelle's mom took this photo.

 

 

Good luck to Michelle on the remaining school year - perhaps with the availability of the Covid vaccine they will be able re-start the regular High school events in the spring.

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Sunday Morning Hike

Finally getting back out on the trails after six weeks due to plantar faciitis in my right foot. We didn't walk very fast, but covered over 4 miles, the longest distance I've walked continuously since the foot started hurting. The trail looks completely different now, with lush greenery filling in the once empty spaces between branches.

We started early, before road noise and people could interrupt the woodland sounds. I now recognize the pheasant's call from the tall prairie grasses. It's all there if you listen carefully.

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The Pink Full Moon

I love me a full moon. Something about its light casting shadows in the middle of night and dimly lighting up the darkest shadow just enough for the eye can see shrouds the full moon event with mystery and beauty. I have several full moon memories etched in my brain - of course they all embody adventure, amazement with a sprinkle of romanticism. So when a special full moon event lines up with clear skies, I get out to watch it unfold.

Last night - the full Pink Moon rose right at dusk, almost directly to the east. In my geekiness, I looked up the moonrise time and direction. I used the website, timeanddate.com to get all the details to be prepared. Armed with the data - moonrise at 19:03 CDT, rising at 93degrees (that's just a smidge south of directly east). I even used the compass on my watch to make sure I had a decent line of sight.

I drove to an area of town that is fairly undeveloped and waited. The weather couldn't be nicer with a gentle, warm breeze blowing from the west.

The moon emerged shyly from the treeline, softly hued:


It indeed turned pinker as it rose

Note - I was originally annoyed when this walker came into the path of my photo. Then I realized she was pink like the moon, so I took the photo instead of waiting.




Even high above the trees, it retained its pink hue.


It was a beautiful event, something to take one's mind off the current events, the physical distancing from our friends and family; for that I am grateful our weather conditions allowed me to take in and create another moon memory.

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Golden and Frosty December

December blessed us with many sunny days, lifting our spirits as we enter the shortest days of the season.

Since I am presently unable to run, I've been hiking out at the forest preserve instead, and bringing my camera along.


I was lucky this morning as a light sheen of frost tipped the prairie grasses.





All this "slowing down" allowed me to discover new single track trails carved off the beaten path. I learned that local outdoor enthusiasts, keen on maintaining the health of the forest, worked to clear the area of invasive trees and shrub and in the process, created these new trails and built rustic bridges across the waterway that meanders through the property.



I'm finding lovely woodland elements to fill my camera's frame.


And getting my fill of the outdoors, complete with some of that white fluffy stuff.


So long to December, the Year 2019 and the Decade 2010's! I await the new year and decade with continued optimism and thankfulness.

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New Photography Challenges - Engagement Session

As I look back at the years of photos I've taken, I see how the tools of my hobby have changed, I see how the sharing platforms have morphed, and how my abilities have grown. That growth only continues by taking on new challenges, constantly learning and adjusting.

I no longer carry my DSLR with me all the time. I no longer strive to take a photo every day. In reality, I'm less focused on photography and as a result, I feel less creative, but that's OK - it's where I am in today's stage of life. Even though I'm less focused on day to day photography, I still love the feeling of seeing and making an image. I enjoy working with people to create images they will cherish. So I've been taking photos of people via photo sessions. My subjects are long time family friends and sons and daughters of friends. My strategy is to photograph people I know, who have a personal connection to me or my family.

Last month I took on a New Challenge, an Engagement session with Andrew and Alessa



I had never worked with an engaged couple. Sure, I've done the high school prom photos, but these are certainly more intimate and meant to be treasured for years to come. Alessa is a friend of my daughter's, so there's the personal connection. I think I met Alessa once during a campus event (it was at a bar, and no, I don't recall meeting her, but she remembered meeting me).

I asked Alessa to use Pinterest to document and communicate her ideas and preferences for these photos. That was a tremendous help to me and allowed us to execute numerous poses in several locations at the venue, Allerton Park.





Alessa and Andrew were great to work with, even on this chilly fall day. I did learn something for the future - to make sure the subjects have appropriate clothes for the shoot. At one point, it became evident to me that Andrew was really cold and uncomfortable. This transferred to the photos in his stiff body language and forced smile. We adjusted by moving to a sunnier, less windy area and he put on his coat. I tell folks that if they aren't comfortable, that will translate into the photos.

I enjoyed the challenge of photographing this fun couple and if presented with another opportunity, will certainly do it again.

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End of Summer Family Photos in the Prairie

Back in July I took photos of my good friend, Grace, and her lovely family using the backdrop of the prairie. I've taken their photos over the last three years and unfortunately, this may be the last time as they move back to the west coast. I wanted to capture the essence of the prairie setting as a reminder of their eight years among the cornfields. Of course, the prairie style park right in our neighborhood provided the perfect setting.





I befriended Grace through yoga class at the local YMCA; when she expressed an interest in running, we started running together. She and her oldest son are natural runners and I will miss their energy and exuberance on our group runs.



Today's Photo tip - Reducing Glare from glasses
One challenge for photographing a person wearing glasses like David here is minimizing glare or reflections from the lenses. The first photo has more glare than the one above. About half way through the shoot I realized there was a lot of lens glare; I re-positioned myself and the subjects to minimize it - this entailed moving to an area where the light was more filtered (like in the shade) and positioning the camera higher. Bonus tip - utilize a step stool to gain height (especially for us shorter people). Aside from my camera and lenses, the step stool is my most utilized tool while taking photos of people.

Grace, David and boys - we miss you but I know I will see you again!

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Along My Run | 25 - Spring into Summer

It's been a while since I posted about running. After my Ultra at the end of March, I cut back on running in April. The Ultra must have taken a harder toll on my body than I realized - I lost my motivation to run and when I did get out, I labored through what I consider an easy pace. It wasn't until the end of April until I got my running mojo back, so maybe there is truth to the adage that runners need to take a day for each mile after a race.

I've continued to run a mix of road and trails, although my longest distances have been on the trail. I've turned into one of those trail converts as the road feels hard and pounding now.


1. Spring is in the air, 2. Reversal, 3. Golden Glimmers , 4. Off Season , 5. Take Nothing for Granted , 6. I Found Snippets of Trail Out Here , 7. Illinois Marathon Day! , 8. Kicking It This Morning y, 9. Sunday Runday Perfection , 10. Somebody's Watching Me , 11. 50th Birthday #Run Group , 12. The Last Curve

I turned 50 at the end of May and celebrated it with a 50 minute group run. Afterwards we enjoyed post run goodies- cinnamon breads, scones and coffee. My birthday fell the Friday before Memorial Day, and each event that weekend continued the celebratory vibe.

My Running Friends Help Celebrate my 50th Birthday!

On Memorial Day, I coordinated another group run out on a new trail that turned into an adventure. Due to our wet May, the trail was muddy and overgrown with portions under water. At the first water hazard (huge knee deep puddle across the trail), we found an alternate way around. We were feeling pretty trail-tough when we ran up to a small waterway crossing - with no bridge to cross! The footbridge had been moved to the bank, presumably due to flooding. No one wanted to climb down the 6 foot bank into water of unknown depth. We opted to turn around at that point and attempted to run the course backwards. We got lost three or four times. What was supposed to be a 7 mile loop ended up being 9 discombobulated miles. Still, we had a great time. In true trail running fashion, we enjoyed some treats at the end of the run - strawberries, almond butter on wheat bread, fresh scones and cold water.

Before We Got Lost - Trail Buddies

In mid June, I volunteered as a race marshal for the Countryside 10k race sponsored by my running club. In addition to marshaling duties, I became the official race photographer. Even though the race starts and ends at a nice park, the course winds through country roads with very little tree cover. In the warmer months, I like to start my runs very early (like 5 or 6am), so this race, with its 8am start, was a scorcher. Another reason for me to take photos instead!

It's Called the Country Side 10K for a Reason

Alex, The Overall Winner 35:57

Robyn, the Top Female 42:45

My Running Friends

Age Group - Cowbell Winners

Second Wind Running Club Representation

The end of June means 2017 is half over! Here are some running stats for the first half of the year.
Total Miles - 805 (I just hit that on this morning's 14 mile run)
I'm too lazy to calculate my average pace right now - I know it is slower than previous years due to the number of trail miles I now run. I should track my road miles separately I guess; something to consider for the second half of 2017.

So what is up for the rest of 2017? I am considering a fall marathon (Indianapolis Monumental Marathon) and maybe a half marathon in Arizona with some friends. In October, I'll find out if my lottery entry into the London Marathon was accepted (Several of my running friends entered with me and we've decided to go if picked).

As always, I feel blessed to be able to run the distances I do and I am grateful for my running friends who make it fun. Happy Running!

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