Mm Mm Good!

Many of Chicago's restaurants and chefs work with our urban farmers to bring local produce to the table. Everyone wins–the restaurants, the farmers and people like me, the consumer. Our Green City Market in Chicago adds another link to the chain. Every Wednesday and Saturday at the Market in the summer, chefs give demonstrations to teach and encourage the average consumer to use locally grown food at home. Good idea! How many times have you bought something at a farmer’s market, or from your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and thought “Now what?”

Today, Chef Heather Terhune (did you see her on Top Chef?) ran a chopping station. She happily chopped whatever-you-bought at the market, explaining the tricks-of-the-trade as she went along.

Despite the iffy weather the Market was crowded so the people watching and sketching was the icing on the cake for me!

Good Morning Sunshine!

We've had so much rain and unseasonable cold here in Chicago! At long last the plants and I could enjoy the morning sun on the deck. I didn't know how much longer they would hold up with out some good sunshine. I didn't know how much longer I'd hold up for that matter! This is a quick sketch of a corner of our "back forty".

Urban Sketching at Camp Nana

The Monday sketch group and several Urban-Sketchers Chicago met this week at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool.  Lily Pond Park, as it's also known, is a beautiful zen-space that few people even know exists. I hate to be selfish but I'm rather glad.

This year our annual sketch outing to the pond coincided with Camp Nana. Camp Nana is the time between the end of school and the beginning of real camp when my granddaughters and I happily (well most of the time) share each other's daily adventures at work and play. On Monday the girls were introduced to urban sketching. They took to it like ducks to water. Geese and goslings, ducks and ducklings, Nana and granddaughters and Urban Sketchers, we all had a marvelous day at the pond.