Highwood, IL–Openlands has gone sign crazy at the Lakeshore Preserve.   Reminds me of the 70s song:  ”Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery, breakin’ my mind.  Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”  There are three “don’t do this” signs posted after the welcome sign–four [...]]]>

Openlands overdoes the warning signs

Highwood, IL–Openlands has gone sign crazy at the Lakeshore Preserve.   Reminds me of the 70s song:  ”Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery, breakin’ my mind.  Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”  There are three “don’t do this” signs posted after the welcome sign–four signs in the first few feet of the entrance, and repeated warning signs about all along the 3/4-mile trail.  What happened to the wonderful signs pointing out special plants?  Spending money on signs telling kids not to skateboard when the road still has major potholes is a waste of funds.  Let’s get back to the scenery!

A rock fence marks the shore and stones of all [...]]]> Highwood, IL–The snow’s melting, the sky’s blue, the burn crew departed.  Walk down Ft. Sheridan’s south beach in Openlands Lakeshore Preserve for signs of spring.  Little shoots of green push up through the burned leaves.  Water gushes in the ditch, ending in a rock waterfall into the lake. 

A rock fence marks the shore and stones of all sizes litter the beach.  It’s hard to resist collecting a rock or two from among the beautiful assortment here.  Earlier visitors have gathered a collection, creating a rock tableau.  A great place to gather thoughts as well as rocks.  

Evergreens laden with 3/20/2010 snow

Snow still falling.

Highwood/Highland Park, IL–Bring your binoculars! The birds are back at Ft. Sheridan Forest Preseve in Lake County, IL.  Now is the time to see many species.  The warm weather  brings out red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, robins, crows, of course.  But bare trees mean you can also easily see the red-headed [...]]]>

Birds at Ft. Sheridan. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highwood/Highland Park, IL–Bring your binoculars! The birds are back at Ft. Sheridan Forest Preseve in Lake County, IL.  Now is the time to see many species.  The warm weather  brings out red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, robins, crows, of course.  But bare trees mean you can also easily see the red-headed woodpeckers and broad-winged hawks.  Listen to the sweet sounds of birds on this blue-sky day video.

Oak tree. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highwood, IL–Birds sing, snowmelt rushes in the drainage canals. Ah, the signs of spring. At Lake Michigan’s edge, the huge ledge of ice slowly melts. It’s a wonderful time to check out Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Ft. Sheridan.  Colorful rocks litter the beach, exposed from the [...]]]>

Lake Michigan ice ledge melts. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highwood, IL–Birds sing, snowmelt rushes in the drainage canals. Ah, the signs of spring. At Lake Michigan’s edge, the huge ledge of ice slowly melts. It’s a wonderful time to check out Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Ft. Sheridan.  Colorful rocks litter the beach, exposed from the melting ice.
If you’ve seen the movie Departures, a Japanese film about an out-of-work cellist who takes a job preparing bodies for burial, you’ll know rocks tell a story. Choose your story from a wealth of shapes and colors.

Highland Park/Highwood, IL–Fresh snow covers the paths of Ft. Sheridan Nature Preserve in Lake County.  Only a few birds pierce the silence.  This is the time to trod in snowshoes, down the path to [...]]]>

Ft. Sheridan Forest Preserve path in winter. Photo by Laurie Borman

Trees raise their limbs to the sky. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highland Park/Highwood, IL–Fresh snow covers the paths of Ft. Sheridan Nature Preserve in Lake County.  Only a few birds pierce the silence.  This is the time to trod in snowshoes, down the path to the lake and back up through the trees. Check out the lakebergs forming in Lake Michigan, the snow that recaps Queen Anne’s lace in white. I don’t know why people don’t come here now, but I’m happy to have the place to myself.

Lake Michigan's frozen flating bergs. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highwood, IL–

Snowshoeing along Openlands Lakefront Preserve sounds challenging, but the plowed road makes it almost too easy.  It’s like walking in an Ansel Adams photo–everything all black and white, and there is the challenge.  I’m no Ansel Adams.  The beach is no longer a gradual sandy [...]]]>

Lake Michigan shore in winter. Photo by Laurie Borman

Highwood, IL–

Snowshoeing along Openlands Lakefront Preserve sounds challenging, but the plowed road makes it almost too easy.  It’s like walking in an Ansel Adams photo–everything all black and white, and there is the challenge.  I’m no Ansel Adams.  The beach is no longer a gradual sandy slope, but an icy shelf. 

Icy Lake Michigan waves. Photo by Laurie Borman

Openlands Lakefront. Photo by Laurie Borman

Ft. Sheridan, IL--Fall is at its peak in Ft. Sheridan.