Ravinia

This past weekend was a perfect summer weekend. On Saturday evening, we took the train north of the city to Ravinia Park, an outdoor music venue, to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The concert was incredible! Two of the three pieces they played were by Antonin Dvořak, quite possibly my favorite composer. He is a fellow Bohemian (Czech) and he grew up near my favorite place in the world (Prague!!), so I might be a bit biased, but I truly love his music!

The Orchestra played in a huge shell and many people had tickets to watch them from there. Outside of the shell, there were people everywhere with picnics set out on the lawn. Everywhere I looked, if there wasn’t a building or a path, people were sitting on a blanket or lawn chair. We got there about an hour early and found a little lawn space under a tree very close to the shell.

My view from my honey's lap :)

We had such a great time relaxing to the sound of cicadas and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

On Sunday, my good friend Claire came to visit! After church and brunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and sunbathing at the beach while hubby played golf with his friends. Could there be a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the summer? I didn’t realize just how much I enjoy the beach until Sunday. I am certainly going to make a point of spending more time there, especially now that the water is so warm.

Summer always meant gardening, canning, and restoration work with my Mom. I love doing all of those things but a summer spent at beaches, at outdoor concerts, and traveling, all with my hubby, is something I can definitely get used to.