Here’s to Marlon!

Each time my husband and I went to a concert 

at Ravinia Festival we took a moment to say a toast, 

"Here's to Marlon!"

As in Marlon Brando, my doppelgänger. 

(HA!)

Some of you know why I say this, 

because 

I WON TWO SEASON PASSES 

to Ravinia the summer of 2019 

in a Marlon Brando LOOK ALIKE CONTEST!

It's a longer story, but let's just say my hack 

improv skills and silliness bagged the $4,000+ valued prize.

Ask me about it, I love retelling the tale.

We went to MANY concerts, 

rain or shine,

but not as many as I would have liked, 

only because we were busy doing other fabulous activities.

Here's some photos of the last days of our summer 

of rockin,

and rockin'

and rockin'

with a little bit of classical, jazz, and dance.

Diana Ross sang for about two hours and had a million costume changes!

Stevie Nicks paraded on stage with platforms, capes and ribbons!

Sting advocated for PEACE and gave a soulful performance!

The Pink Floyd tribute band was spot on!

In September we made it to all of these events:

Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris, 

Too Many Zooz, Grace Kelly, Erykah Badu, 

Hubbard Street Dance Company, and Queen! 

My favorite was the Yacht Rock night!

 I lost my voice because I sang along with every song!

Speaking of losing, I rarely did when spinning the prize wheels 

the sponsoring radio stations had by the swag tent.

I came home with multiple tee shirts, stickers, and such.

As usual I sent some of you correspondence,

did some puzzles and enjoyed the hammock.

The Queen of England passed away and the world

watched as she was given a formal goodbye.

I read, listened to podcasts and music,

 and watched movies and shows.

I played Rummykube and bought a silly sweater vest.

(It's out of this world, get it?)

I ate healthy.

And I ate starch and salt.

We went to Food Truck Thursdays and ate internationally 

while only walking to a park a mile away.

I did a little bit of dog sitting,

watched a lot of The Great British Bake Off,

 and made some collages.

A friend from Florida visited and we had an adventure downtown.

I walked about Chicago around Rush Street and Michigan Ave.

I got to have lunch with friends at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

I love using a B&W filter to really see the city's lines and shapes.

My husband and I were invited to attend an 

architectural tour of Chicago on a beautiful boat.

We did not know about the lock system that is used 

between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Amazing!

The boat was quite posh!

The views and information shared 

by the tour guide were fascinating!

The day was warm and sunny and perfect for the event,

but now the air is crisp.

Nothing says fall like my husband's chili! YUM! 

(And a warm cuppa tea in a mug from a dear friend!)

We have had a lot of rain, but nothing like others.

Stay safe!!!

We have had a skunky smell in our yard lately.

I saw this stinker MANY times

while in another neighborhood

and in the DAYTIME which really surprised me!

I went to the city to give my car to my daughter

and came home with a Laura Ashley vintage dress!

The Halloween decorations in the city were great.

I have passed this graffiti mural many times 

but I finally captured a photo of it!

I think it's out of this world!

Life is full of sunrise and sunset moments.

Treasure them.

Our family met in Ohio to say goodbye to a dear cousin.

Then we roadtripped it past "landsharks" 

(landmarks) to meet up in Michigan 

to introduce our grandchild to her great grandparents!

It's hard to see, but there's a helicopter

between these trees.

There was a guy fixing light polls from 

a platform attached to the base of the helicopter!

Talk about a strange and brave job!

What have you been up to this month?

It's been a year since our bulldog Magnus left us. 

We miss him, but we have been able to easily zip off 

to see our grandchild and others without 

needing to find care for him. 

I miss his facials and seeing the world through photos of him.

Below is a bulldog statue on our driveway with a chipmunk on it's head.

We remember our pup when we see this scene.

Thank you for continuing on this blog journey with me 

as I record my gratitude and thoughts. 

I am grateful for your companionship.

Peace be with you,

Jen Pen