This past Friday I took a trek northwards to Spring Grove to visit the fabled Richardson Corn Maze. I wasn't quite sure what to expect...I had heard that the maze was huge, but aside from that I knew very little about it. I arrived in the late afternoon, and, after a brief orientation from a maze guide, I found myself stepping into a labyrinth woven of eight-foot stalks of corn.

What I had heard about the maze beforehand was immediately confirmed - this thing was indeed enormous. I strolled past the pumpkin patch and petting zoo, and watched as kids rolled around a small-scale racetrack on go carts. Looking ahead, I stepped through the archway and was swallowed up by the monstrous vegetation. The theme of this year's maze is the 2008 election, and my map showed an aerial view of the maze pattern - a cartoon donkey and elephant trying to reach the White House. Luckily for me there were numbered check points throughout the maze corresponding to those on my map, or I might have felt like one of the lost hikers from the Blair Witch Project. Consulting the map, I made my way toward one of the elevated foot bridges and climbed it for a higher view.

The bridges were definitely a nice touch - from the elevated platform I looked out across the tops of the plants, and was able to orient myself amidst the winding paths. I soaked in the panoramic view, from the big red barn and 50-foot lookout tour to the west to tiny houses off in the distance to the east. The maze itself wound for several miles, so I was in for some good exercise if I was to complete the entire stretch and visit each checkpoint (each checkpoint holds a hole punch with a unique imprint, and to properly complete the maze one needs a stamp from each location as proof of visitation).

Climbing back down into the maze of maize, I wound my way through the donkey towards the White House. Voiced drifted in and out of earshot as groups of explorers crossed paths and traced opposite sides of the rows. At times I felt like Alice in Wonderland wandering the rose bushes as the tops of the ears eclipsed my view, and, as someone six feet tall, I could only imagine how enchanting the maze would be to a youngster. I worked my way around the trunk of the elephant and took a rest on top of another bridge to gain some perspective.

After an unknown length of time ( I left my phone in my car), I wound my way determinedly towards my starting point. Perhaps stoked up by the hiking, my appetite crept into my thoughts and I found myself thinking about corn bread and corn chowder. I made my way back out of the maze and decided to climb the lookout tower for a higher view. The view from up top was sensational, as I was able to take in the full panorama of the surrounding area and bear witness to the colorful hues and long shadows cast by the setting sun.

Climbing back down, I stopped by the petting zoo and fed some grass to a quartet of gats, who seemed to enjoy being petted and scratched on the head. I walked through some pine trees and discovered a huge rest area of picnic tables and fire pits, all permeated by a natural pine scent courtesy of the surround trees. My first trip to the Richardson Corn Maze left a positive impression on me, and I reflected on my way home that the farm is one of the few places I could think of offhand that offers fresh air, natural beauty, and recreation for people of all ages.

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Seeing a show at the Lincolnshire Marriott was a truly unique experience. The set up of the theatre was great because no matter where you sit, you have a great view of the stage. The different plays are all set up to where the performers use the entire stage and face all different ways. That allows everyone in the audience to have the best seat in the house.

I went with my grandma to see the play 'The Fully Monty'. The show was amazing. There was never a dull moment. The entire audience was laughing and clapping the whole time. This show in particular was great because the peformers sometimes acted in the isles, so we were right next to them.

All of the people working at the theatre were very helpful. They all were in charge of certain sections, so they knew exactly where your seat is. Another great thing about this is that the parking is free and all of the parking spots are just a short walk away.

I would pick to see a play at the Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre over anywhere else becasue like I said before no matter where you sit you have a perfect view. Other theatres have restricted viewing seats and many of their seats are far away, but this definitely isn't the case at the Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre. Here are several shows that are coming up at the Lincolnshire Marriott and their dates:

All Shook up - Currently playing through December 7, 2008
Disney's Aladdin - October 30, 2008 - December 30, 2008
The Bowery Boys - December 10, 2008 - February 15, 2009

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Last week my neighbor and I headed over to Illinois Beach State Park in Zion to soak in some sun and spend some time by the water. Although both of us are from Lake County originally, neither of us had been down to the beach in years, and we were eager to get reacquainted with one of our favorite childhood locations. After taking Route 41 to Wadsworth Road we would our way towards Lake Michigan, trees enveloping us as the residential area gave way to the state park.

We drove past the visitors' center, and a couple of deer eyed us with curiosity from a nearby patch of trees. Setting out on foot, we decided to take a stroll up the length of the beach and see what we could find. It was a perfect day to be at the beach; the weather was sunny with the temperature hovering in the upper 70's and a slight breeze rolling in off of the lake. Veering off of the waterfront, we followed a path through some small dunes that led into the woods. The path would its way through some sandy moguls, and I climbed up and down as we headed north, the warm sand feeling like a treat to my bare feet.

We continued through the trees and tall grass, and an enormous shape flapping overhead turned out to be a Great Blue Heron, the bird heading southwest in the direction of the marshes. A detour to the west took us alongside the campground, where several campers sat in front of tents and trailers, chatting and basking in the afternoon sun. We passed the old beach house where families and couples were sunning and frolicking in the water and decided that it was time for a swim.

Slipping into the lake provided a shock for about a half a minute, and then the water felt very comfortable as my body adjusted to the temperature. The rocks beneath our feet were completely smooth, and it felt like we were walking on some sort of elaborately polished tile. We swam out about chin-deep and then decided to go a little further, to where the depth was about eight feet. A little further out and we were able to stand comfortably in the chest-deep water on the sand bar. A flock of seagulls floating about twenty yards beyond us kept us under a watchful eye, unsure of our intentions.

The water temperature felt like it had to be in the 70's, and up and down the beach I could see dozens of people of all ages floating and splashing in the waves. Heading in to shore, I stopped and took a seat where the waves lapped the beach, and my eyes scanned the smooth rocks all around the water's edge. Most of the stones were oval-shaped and completely smooth and came in just about every color imaginable. Some rocks were brilliantly multi-colored, and looking closely at some revealed tiny fossils of unknown origin.

Heading back up the beach, my eyes stayed mostly on the rainbow of rocks, and I found many with curious markings and patterns. Continuing southwards, we arrived at a point that was different than I remembered. Giant rocks formed a hillside that connected the dunes to the water, undoubtedly placed there in an effort to prevent erosion. Given the choice of climbing up around to the sandy boardwalk or wading around them in the water, we chose to wade. The waves lapped us around waist-height, and the sand was extra-soft underfoot as we passed on. Finding ourselves back on dry beach, we soaked in a little more sun and dusted off the sand before heading back home. Though the beach had shifted shape a little bit since my last visit, I found it to be every bit as enjoyable as the beach I remembered as a kid, and vowed to make a return trip as soon as possible.

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For the first time ever, I've started going to Farmer's Markets this year to pick up fresh produce and flowers. It's nice to be able to shop outdoors and enjoy the weather and at the same time get truly fresh fruit and vegetables. Lake Bluff has had a Farmers Market in their downtown Market Square area every Friday since June which will continue through the middle of October. I stopped by their Farmer's Market on Friday to check it out and was pleasantly surprised. Although it was raining on and off in the morning the Farmers market was still set-up and luckily when I arrived the rain held up for awhile.
I have to say I was pretty impressed with the selection at this one. Many of the Farmer's Markets I've been to have a great selection, however, it is mostly the standard items like fruits, vegetables, etc. This one had so many different booths with a wide variety of not only produce but lots of other foods as well. There were two booths that had baked goods. They were selling scones, fresh bread, muffins, cakes and pies. There was also a booth selling homemade toffee and other chocolates and they had a lot of samples to test out.
One booth that stood out to me was a booth with flowers. They put together huge bouquets with sunflowers and other colorful flowers and were selling the bouqets very reasonably. I liked that they were already put together and were bright and colorful.

Another booth I stopped at for awhile had lots of different types of olive oils and vinegars. The olive oils were scented with a variety of herbs like garlic and basil. You were able to test out the different types on bread which was helpful too before buying a bottle of it. The vinegars were aged differently and had a variety of flavors as well. I love balsamic vinegars and they had some great ones.

One of the booths had freshly squeezed lemonade which was delicious. The vegetables and fruit were also great. I stocked up on uor favorites and everything looked very fresh which was nice.

I plan on returning to the Lake Bluff Farmer's Market again next Friday to check it out again. I came home with a lot of wonderful things that I wasn't expecting which is always a great treat! There were also some booths I didn't get a chance to look at closely which I hope to do next week as well.

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Before going back to school, my friends and I decided to go back to school shopping at Gurnee Mills. I prefer going to Gurnee Mills over some other places because they have such good deals. They also have such a wide variety of stores, so no matter who you are shopping with there are stores for everyone.

I love the new BCBG outlet store. They have such cute clothes and they are all at outlet prices. Another one of my favorites is the Abercrombie and Fitch Outlet. You can re-vamp your wardrobe for such a low price when shopping there.

When I go to Gurnee Mills with my dad and brother we always stop in Bass Pro Shops. Usually I don't like my dad's choice of where to shop, but I love going into Bass Pro Shops. There is so much to look at. While my dad looks through all of the fishing and hunting gear, I walk around and look at the huge fish tank and walk on the bridge over their indoor pond. It is so big inside and they have pretty much anything you would need for the great outdoors.

We usually either eat in one of the two food courts, or we have a long lunch at Ruby Tuesday. The food court is nice because if everyone has a tast for something different, there are a bunch of restaurants to choose from. Also, since they have two food courts you never have to walk too far to find something to eat.

If you go with kids its always fun to go to Rinkside Sports. Even if you are not with kids, my friends and I love to go there. We can eat, play games, and ice-skate all in the same place.

There are a ton of places to park, so no matter where you park there are great stores throughout the whole mall. It is easy to spend your whole day there.

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My Family had the opportunity to experience Zion's 60th Annual Jubilee Days Festival. It is an annual event held each year over the Labor Day weekend. It originally started as a celebration of the harvest and God's blessing on the community, the festival has grow to be a celebration of Zion's unique heritage. This year's theme is; Zion is on the move.
There was plenty to keep my family of 5 busy during the festival. We took a walk around the pond in Shiloh Park and visited the various talented crafters. My daughter found plenty of items she wanted but decided on a dress for her doll. While shopping my children could hear the Civil War re-enactment coming from the other side of the park so we headed that way. What a great show. They really were realistic. Watching the actors shoot off the cannons was the crowd's favorite part. There was a demonstration for the kids on how to march and they taught them how to fire a gun. Well, it was a wooden gun that shoots rubberbands. The kids had a blast. The tents that they had pitched really demonstrated to us what it was like for them during the Civil War.
On Sunday evening there was a concert in the park "Full Score Orchestra" which lead up to a very colorful and exciting fireworks display.On Monday we attended a cook out at the new Fire Station in Zion and watched the Parade. A few of my family's favorites in the parade were the Zion Park District's Hannah Montana, the Marines and their statue, the gigantic shopping cart from Jewel, and the Topps Canine Unit demonstration. It was a great way to end the summer and are looking forward to next year's festival.

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This past weekend found me making the brief trek over the border into Wisconsin for a much-anticipated trip to the Bristol Renaissance Faire. The last time I had been to the faire was a few years back, and I was eager to see what the 2008 incarnation would look like. I parked my car and strolled up the hilly field, through the gated archway, and back into the Middle Ages.

If the forested glen I had entered wasn't actually a renaissance-era village, it was a very convincing facsimile. Old-world shops and houses stood nestled between the trees, and throngs of villagers strolled about dressed in what looked to be the height of fashion four centuries ago. Sting music floated through the air and the aroma of cooking food hit my nostrils, and I found myself in front of booths offering everything from roasted turkey legs to marinated mushrooms, fruit-filled crepes, and vegetable tempura. Satisfying myself with a beverage for the meantime, I followed the sounds of cheers and shouts to a ring of people in the center of the square.

In the midst of the ring, a young man swirled and cracked a long whip, snapping the end of it in a rhythmic motion to produce a sound like a firecracker. After some jokes and more demonstration, a volunteer was procured from the audience and give elbow-length rubber gloves and two flowers, which he held out to either side at arms length. The whip-wielder proceeded to amaze the crowd by snapping the flowers in half from several yards away with casual cracks of the whip, and then snapped the remaining stems in half to the consternation of the volunteer and delight of the audience.

We continued on to shops displaying some interesting, hand-made wood sculpture, then took in a demonstration on glass blowing, where freshly-formed pieces were being inserted and removed from a fiery-hot oven. The resulting objects were colorful, exquisitely-formed glass work that astonished us onlookers with their hand-made beauty.

A large crowd was cheering for an on-stage entertainer in mid-performance, and just beyond them I noticed the always-humorous "Vegetable Justice" booth, where a man in fake stocks held his head and hand through holes in a wooden wall and heckled fair-goers as they hurled tomatoes at him from a few yards away. The heckler succeeded in riling people up through light-hearted wisecracks about their appearance, and the crowd cheered when one of the tomatoes found its mark.

I stopped at a booth just beyond Vegetable Justice and purchased a dill pickle from a maiden vending them from a large barrel. Watching the festivities unfolding around me,m I saw a marble statue that turned out to be a young women painted and costumed in white from head to toe. her movements were slow and subtle, and she surprised several passersby, a couple of whom had their pictures taken with her. I saw that the joust was not yet in session, and I browsed through some fascinating scuptures of strange, shrunken head and amiable forest gnomes. Fairies and warlocks mingles about with people in more contemporary dress, and a fellow who may have been a knight strolled by with a hooded falcon perched on his wrist.

The sound of trumpets rang out, and I sat and watched as a cavalcade paraded by me, a man in front beating a drum as others with long spears marched behind him. I continued on before stopping to take in some theatre, where lively troupe performed some comedy to the amusement of the crowd from a two-story stage set. I took in a stilt walker and giant, costumed jester on my final round of the village. On my way out, some exquisite music caught my ear, and I stopped to take in some harp music from a maiden sitting beside a tree. Upon leaving, I felt pleased that the faire had preserved the magic that had drawn me in the past, and I resolved that I wouldn't let so much time pass before my next visit.

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