nature walk – The Inspired Parent

Step Back in Time at Kline Creek Farm

Kelly Chicago Area / Inspired Travel April 20, 2017 April 21, 2017 6 Comments

One of our favorite springtime activities in the Chicago area is stepping back in time at Kline Creek Farm for their Lamb & Wool Festival. Typically occurring toward the end of April, the 2017 festival will be Saturday, April 22 & Sunday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but …

Nature Quotes to Inspire You this Season

I shot that photo during our latest trip to Maine. My family had walked ahead a bit and I watched them as they carefully hopped from one tree stump step to the next. The water was still ice-cold since it was mid-spring so our little one was a bit hesitant at first about falling in. I remember my husband telling her “It’s okay. Just go slow and be patient…you can do it!”

While researching nature quotes this week, I read one that reminded me of that day & this particular image I captured…and it’s a wonderful reminder to slow down a bit. Great advice for all of us in this hectic world we live in:

Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are several other great quotes — hope you all find something fun to do outside this week!

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
— Albert Einstein

All good things are wild and free. — Henry David Thoreau

Two roads diverged in a wood and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.
— Vincent van Gogh

The Earth laughs in flowers. — E.E. Cummings

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
— Margaret Atwood

Flowers at the Chicago Botanic Garden…looking forward to seeing more of these this season! — Flowers at the Chicago Botanic Garden…looking forward to seeing more of these this year!

What adventures do you have planned for this season?

Illuminations at The Morton Arboretum

It finally snowed today in the Chicago area. Just a dusting, but I’ll take it — glad it actually (finally) looks a bit like winter. It’s been warmer lately and as a total snow girl, I’ve missed seeing the fluffy stuff.

Between Christmas and New Year’s, we picked one of our rare-for-this-year’s snowy days to head over to The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois to see their Illuminations display. This was our second year that we attended the Illuminations festivities & it is a wonderfully fun way to get out and about for a picturesque nature walk.

Entrance for Illuminations typically starts at 5 p.m. The line is usually pretty long at that time so waiting until 5:30 or 6 p.m. may be a bit easier. Once you’ve parked the car and are at the Guest Center, the actual Illuminations walk is approximately one mile long. The paths are wheelchair & stroller accessible. There are a couple of “warming houses” throughout the walk where you can take a break and purchase snacks & hot beverages. Remember to bring your camera and have some fun capturing the lights!

As a photographer, I always have blast to working with nighttime shots. This year I kept things simple as we were expecting it to be fairly crowd-heavy that night since we went during the holiday week, so I left my tripod at home. All of these shots were taken with a Nikon D600 using my “nifty 50” Nikkor 50mm/1.4G lens.

Enjoy the shots! A few will be available in the near future as fine art prints through my TurtleBug Photography site.

Loved the lights on this one. The sky was back-lit from the tollway in the distance. Sort of a haunted fall-meets-winter look.

Oops…someone dropped some rather large ornaments all over the field... — Oops…someone dropped some rather large ornaments all over the field…

One of my favorite shots of the night - total Dr. Who lights. — One of my favorite shots of the night – total Dr. Who lights.

While the other photo reminded me of Dr. Who, this one reminds me of Harry Potter. I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

Loved, loved, loved seeing the lights shining through the trees.

Nighttime tree shots are always fun when converted to black & white.

Another stunning example of nature's wonders. — Another stunning example of nature’s wonders.

We're so very glad The Morton Arboretum started hosting this event each year - it truly is a magical way to spend a winter evening! — We’re so very glad The Morton Arboretum started hosting this event each year – it truly is a magical way to spend a winter evening!

The lights on some of the trees changes colors every few minutes - loved the blues & greens! — The lights on some of the trees changes colors every few minutes – I liked the blues & greens during this color cycle.

Shooting from across the pond, I feel like we've somehow ended up in Miami. hahaha — Shooting from across the pond, I feel like we’ve somehow ended up in Miami. hahaha

There are lots of fun, interactive displays as well - you can "conduct" the light orchestra, hug a tree to make it change colors, sing to the trees to make the lights move to the rhythm of your voice…lots of fun stuff! — There are lots of fun, interactive displays as well – you can “conduct” the light orchestra, hug a tree to make it change colors, and even sing to the trees to make the lights move to the rhythm of your voice.

Once you’ve had all the fun you can have meandering through the forest lights, you’ll head back to The Morton Arboretum’s main Guest Center where they have a wonderful shop full of unique, nature-related gifts as well as a great restaurant area. This year they also had different food & beverage kiosks outside, too.

If you’re in the Chicagoland area, be sure to head over to see Illuminations when it re-opens in early-December — bundle up, put on those snow pants and get into nature! Details for this next year’s Illuminations display will be available in mid-fall via The Morton Arboretum.