The Season of Thanks

My Thanksgiving rose

The Season of Thanks




When I was a kid, I had a friend, Judi Hoffmeyer, who was one of six children. I loved being at their house, as there was always something going on. It was a different life in the 50’s and 60’s: we kids were pretty much left alone playing outside all day, coming in for lunch and returning home in the evening when the streetlights went on at night. So, when one of the dads asked us to do something with him, it was a special treat.



Each Thanksgiving morning, Judi’s dad would take Judi and a couple of her siblings and me on a hike in the forest preserve. I was thrilled to be included in the event. We would meet up on a frosty Thanksgiving day, bundled up, walking shoes tied tightly and hike on the trails in the forest near our homes. We crunched the leaves, breathed in the autumn smells – we could burn leaves in those days – we felt the chill on our faces, the sun shining brightly on the trail – it was fall at its most perfect. It is one of my fondest memories of Thanksgivings past – and I am sure Mrs. Hoffmeyer was happy to have everyone out of the house.



As it was then, this time of year is still one of my favorites. I love it when it gets cooler, when the clocks get turned back and the leaves are all gone from the trees. This fall, in particular has been spectacular. The sunsets have been magnificent, casting russet tones all over the neighborhood. The leaves, though not burning any longer in the streets, still hold that special scent of autumn and they still crunch under my feet.



Me? I am so thankful for my family, my husband, my kids….my friends, my dog, my health. Backing up into my driveway the other day, I caught a glimpse of pink out of the corner of my eye. Among the brambles, the rose hips and the yellowed leaves, there it was again - my Thanksgiving rose!

Glitter pumpkins by Lizzie

Happiest Thanksgiving.









Things that Need to Come Back

I hate to sound like my parents, but I often find myself saying, "Yup, things are really different - we used to ....."

I am not alone - Lesley M.M Blume started a website in 2007 where she would talk about things that needed to stage a comeback.  That idea resulted in a book - here are some of the more popular items that people would like to see come back:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lesley-m-m-blume/25-things-that-need-to-st_b_779005.html#postComment

Bike-beer-burger - Public House Elmhurst

We had the first official frost last night. The outside temp read 30 when I got up this morning. It might be time to hang up the pedals for this year.




But before we do, let me tell you about our latest biking adventure to the Public House in Elmhurst. We like to take advantage of those nice warm summer-like fall days and when we heard the weather forecast a few weeks ago, we put aside the yard work and went for a ride.

The Salt Creek Trail on a beautiful autumn day

We got on the Salt Creek Trail at Brainard – we really do like to leave from home, no driving in the car at all if possible – and went under the tollway, onto Canterberry and crossed York Road, rode in front of the church at 31st and York, then continued on past Butler and the ‘public’ Butler along York Road.



We left home about 2:00 in the afternoon and the days were getting shorter, though we figured we had plenty of time to get to our destination, eat and head back home.



We crossed 22nd at York and rode along Cermak Rd and crossed the tollway. We found ourselves in a very well-maintained forest preserve running right alongside Roosevelt Road. What is amazing is how often we travel these roads and streets by car and here we are just a few feet away from the busy roads surrounded by the beauty of nature. Wildflowers were in abundance – bright lavenders and white flowers lining the path – when you see no electrical or phone wires, it is like you are stepping back in time – right in the midst of the busy, burgeoning suburban Chicago network of roads.



We followed the trail along the creek and came upon Eldridge Park. There was a wedding going on in this lovely setting – photos being taken with nature at its finest in early fall.



We continued on the trail – still Salt Creek Trail to its end. We were on the corner of Madison and Fairview in Elmhurst when the trail stopped. We took Fairview north about 5 blocks and got on the Illinois Prairie Path and followed that trail west about one half mile. Then we found a continuation of Salt Creek Trail. We took that north one block to Wildwood and we traveled through a couple of lovely residential streets and came out on St. Charles Road – right across from the Public House at 683 St. Charles Road. The phone number is (630) 834-8989. ‎

The Public House 633 St. Charles Rd., Elmhurst, IL

Don’t get me wrong: even though my husband studies the maps, there is always a slight (sorry, hon) question as to whether we are really going to find our destination. It is a delight when we do – and he really hasn’t missed yet – I just don’t want you to think that these trips are without a little (a lot?) of angst on my part. And usually the mileage is a little off. By the time we arrived at Public House, my odometer read 7.1 miles, a healthy half journey.



We settled into a booth – a little late for lunch, a little early for dinner. By now, though we had to watch the clock, as we figured dusk set in about 6:15. It was about 4:00 when we ordered.



We had the burgers of course – they were great! We gave them a 2B rating – 1B is bike-able; 2B is better; 3B is best and 4B is bodacious. They were hearty, the bread was very good, very soft and the burgers came with really good fries. Beer was cold, lots of draft beers to choose from.



The bar is large with seating and lots of big TVs for sports viewing – there also are banquet facilities and a large dining room. Plenty of room to spread out, have a party, have a beer with folks at the bar. A comfortable spot – a new discovery for the biking adventure.



The ride home was just as picturesque – on the way home, I was able to enjoy the scenery even more than the ride out. It was getting chillier and dusk was upon us as we came upon the public Butler course on 22nd – see photo of “Sunset on Cermak”.



We made it onto the final stretch of the bike path just as the sun was sinking down into the horizon – a great ride on one of the final days of Indian summer.








Sunset Over Cermak