Category: Nature

Saturday (09/07) began with grocery shopping at Meijer followed by picking up breakfast from a new local bakery. We did not care for how they treated us at the bakery, nor their prices, and their lack of transparency by not listing any prices at all. That being said, I did enjoy their nutella stuffed donut and that was only $2.

I’d like to try the pistachio one possibly, if we decide to give them any future business.

After breakfast we headed to K’s house to have a puppy party! She was watching her brother’s and parents’ dog(s) while they were at an event and I was so happy to spend time with them both because they are so friendly & adorable! Her friend J joined us in the afternoon which made the day even better. Good friends and dogs, what more could you ask for?

Sunday (09/08) we went to Morton Arboretum for their Tails on the Trails event which happens twice a year.

We got there early to look for migrating birds first, but didn’t have much luck spotting any previously unseen birds, although we did see a rare bird – a black-billed cuckoo.

It was foggy out when we first arrived so I got a few cool photos of that before it burned off.

It was bittersweet seeing all the lovely dogs, as always. Someday I will be bringing a dog to these events, hopefully by the next large dog event in May next year.

Sunday (09/01) we shopped for groceries in the early morning followed by attending Septemberfest in Schauburg. It’s one of our favorite fests because it’s huge. They have more craft booths than any other fest around, plus a huge tent with tables and chairs to enjoy your food out of the sun. And did I mention how many bathrooms are available, along with hand-washing stations? Whomever plans this fest does a phenomenal job!

We parked on the southeast side of the fest just a few blocks away, but they offer free shuttle buses from three different area schools so those are a great alternative if you’re arriving later in the day when all the neighborhood parking is gone.

First we perused the craft booths since it was early (10:30) and the food booths weren’t yet open (11 am is their opening time). Once we did make our way to the food area, we decided to try a Polish plate ($12) from KD Market.

It included polish sausage, sauerkraut, a cabbage roll, a pork pierogi & a potato pierogi with onions cooked in butter. Everything was delicious!

After the food we ended up near the stage where different school bands were performing and listened to them for awhile before checking out the pond on the premises where ducks and resident swans live.

We also got an elote “bowl” from the Melting Pot’s booth but it wasn’t a bowl, more like a very small Baskin Robbins sized cup and it wasn’t very good either. Will be avoiding that in the future!

By that point we had been there a good two hours which is a long time for us so we were tired. I would like to check out the BINGO tent next year, though.

Monday (09/02) we went to the Wood Dale Reservoir which is where our guided bird walk was supposed to be on Friday. Even though it was listed as being at Salt Creek Marsh in Itasca, they really met on the other end which is the reservoir in the adjacent town.

We saw a lot of aquatic birds, as well as the big metal ones (aka planes) since O’Hare isn’t far and apparently the reservoir is below one of their landing paths.

Afterwards we grabbed some breakfast from a local Mexican place which ironically we had gone to exactly a year ago to the day.

I also wanted to try a new drink from Dunkin (almond spice iced coffee), which was not good. I don’t know why I keep trying the iced coffees at Dunkin – they always disappoint. Joe got a Nutty Pumpkin hot coffee and that was good, so I guess we should stick to the hot coffees there.

After breakfast Joe decided to wash our cars while I cleaned up the front door area, switched out the seasonal decor out front, then did some gardening out back.

This is the cute sunflower metal garden stake I found recently at Dollar Tree.

I bought a few so I can put them in back in mid-September.

We were both pretty tired after all that so we made hot dogs for lunch and relaxed the rest of the day.

Saturday (08/17) between rain showers we went to the Taste of Glen Ellyn which was held at the College of DuPage. It was quite hot and humid and there weren’t any places to sit in the shade at all which was quite a turnoff. We quickly ate some delicious tacos from a place called My Cocina Mexican Grill and followed them up with a giant overstuffed Oreo cookie from Dirty Dough (what a name!) while listening to live music.

After not being able to take the heat anymore, we walked around the carnival section for a bit and almost got a corndog from one of the food trucks, but I noticed the only mustard they offered was in a bottle, so decided against it. What were we expected to do, stand there next to truck eating and getting into everyone’s way? Why wouldn’t they offer packets of mustard to take with you? So weird.

Since the arboretum is a short drive away from the college we decided to head over there for a bit. I hadn’t brought my camera, so it was just a relaxing drive around the grounds before heading home.

Sunday (08/18) we went on a guided bird walk at LeRoy Oakes forest preserve in St. Charles.

Despite the threat of rain, it held off until later that morning. The overcast skies and breeze felt nice during our walk, and I was thankful I wore my hiking boots because some of the trails were mowed grass that was still wet from the rain the night before.

I didn’t bring my camera along because a) I knew we wouldn’t see any migrating birds this time of year (and we didn’t), and b) I didn’t want to risk it getting wet. I did have binoculars, though. It was a fun and educating experience. Our guide, Josh, was super knowledgeable and upbeat, and we really enjoyed ourselves.

We plan to join future bird walks hosted by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County since they offer them on the weekends, unlike DuPage County who recently changed all their bird walks to Friday mornings when Joe is at work. Kane County doesn’t charge for their walks either, although I really don’t mind paying DuPage $5 per person as that’s really nothing and I like to think the money goes to improving the forest preserves we spend so much time in. I just wish they would have their walks on the weekends like they offered last year.