Jodie – Travel Smart With Jodie

Terrific photo exhibit

Photograph by Randy Olson The photographer captured this electric storm while photographing sandhill cranes at Platte River, Nebraska in 2016. He shot a series of 30-second exposures through the night, hoping lightning would strike during one. The result: a dramatic and rare view of these iconic birds.

Of course you would expect to see rabbits, deer and squirrels at a Lake County Forest Preserve (LCFP). But how about elephants, lions and tigers?

Check out the close encounters of wild life as perfectly captured by the lens of some of the world’s top photographers. The photo exhibit went up May 24 at the LCFP’s Dunn Museum in Libertyville.

Jodie Jacobs

June Strawberry Moon

Last Spring full moon or first Summer full moon (J Jacobs photo) — **Last Spring full moon or first Summer full moon (J Jacobs**

The June 2025 Full Moon already is full even though it is considered at its fullest or most illuminated at 3:44 a.m. Eastern Time on June 11.

The Moon appears full before and after its peak illumination and it will appear all night because Moonrise and Moonset happen at about sunset and sunrise.

Don’t expect it to be tinted pink even though it’s nickname is the Strawberry Moon. As with other full moon names it reflects what is happening in the season and wild strawberries ripen now.

Some Native American names are Berries Ripen Moon, Green Corn Moon, and Hot Moon but Celtic and Old English names include Flower Moon, Planting Moon, Horse Moon and Dyan Moon. Anglo-Saxons called it the Mead Moon when the meadows or meads are mowed.

June’s full Moon, considered the last Full Moon of Spring (or first of Summer), reaches peak illumination June 11 at 3:44 a.m. Eastern Time. See the Full Moon Calculator for your local time.

A Moon usually appears reddish when it’s close to the horizon because the light rays must pass through the densest layers of the atmosphere. Indeed, June’s full moon will be at its lowest point since 2006 because we’re in a lunar standstill.

A lunar standstill or lunistice is when the Moon reaches its furthest north or furthest south point during a month.

More info at Time and Date and Farmers Almanac

Two Chicago area events for your June calendar

Monarch Magic -Saturday, June 7, Sunday, June 8

The Chalet Nursery, a garden and family-friendly plant and holiday destination in Wilmette (north of the Old Orchard shopping mall) is doing a butterfly event June 7-8 that is fun for adults and kids.

You can buy a Monarch Gardening Starter Kit, sample honey, paint your own butterfly, shop inside or at the Pollinator Farm Truck, hear a guest lecture on the monarch’s migration, and kids can participate in a Sprouts Workshop. For event times visit Events + Classes – Chalet

Also, the first 25 families that Saturday and Sunday receive a free seed packet of native wildflowers to help grow their own butterfly habitat.

The Chalet is at 3132 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. For more information visit Events + Classes – Chalet

Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim -June 14, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

The event is at the Fine Arts Building downtown Chicago at Studebaker Theatre 410 S Michigan Ave.

Calling it “To Steve With Love,” Callaway Celebrates Sondheim as a person who changed musical theater and how performing in a one of his shows personally changed her. Doing this as a world-wide tour, she talks about working with Sondheim in between singing some of his music.

“I’ve performed ‘To Steve With Love’ in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Kennedy Center in DC, London, Ireland, and Madrid—but somehow, never in Chicago,” said Callaway. “I’m thrilled to be bringing my Sondheim show to my hometown at long last.”

A Tony and Grammy nominee and Emmy winner, Callaway made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. She went on to star in Baby, Miss Saigon, The Look of Love, The Three Musketeers, and for five years appeared as “Grizabella” in Cats.

“To Steve With Love” premiered at 54 Below in New York City and was recorded live. The album earned a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

For more information visit Chicago, IL – To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim — Liz Callaway

Flower moon appears on Mothers Day

Full Moon ((J Jacobs photo) — Full Moon (J Jacobs photo)

Are the flowers in your garden patch coming up now?

As with some of the other full moon names, the one in May represents what is happening in the season. Thus Native Americans, early settlers and European planters called it, among other names, the Flower Moon.

Celtic and Old English background names include Mothers’ Moon, Bright Moon, Hare Moon, and Grass Moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. No surprise then that in 2025 the May Full Moon happens on Mother’s Day.

It was already mostly full and bright last night, May 8, in Chicago, but it actually gets fuller and reaches full illumination there on Monday, May 12 in the middle of the day at 11:56 a.m.

Flower Moon: Full Moon in May 2025 | The Old Farmer’s Almanac

Different American tribes such as the Dakotas and Algonquins were known to call it by that name. The Cree tribe used Budding Moon.

If looking up tonight, also watch for Spica, a bright star, hovering around the moon, according to Space.

The May Full Moon is a micro moon. Micro moon is applied when the Full Moon’s orbit is farthest from Earth. In this case that would be 405,278 kilometers (251,828 miles) away, according to Time and Date.

It won’t look any smaller and may even appear bigger due to the optical Moon illusion.

Eta Aquarid Meteors

Watch for the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Going on now, its best Chicago area watch dates in 2025 are before dawn May 5-6 when you may catch up to 50 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquarids is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley (1P/Halley). The next time Earth passes through Halley’s path around the Sun is in October as the Oronid meteor shower.

Where to celebrate Earth Day month

Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods) - 2020 All You Need to ...

Earth Day 2025 is Thursday, April 22 but many activity sites have events throughout the month that celebrate and help our Earth stay well. Many events are for all ages. BTW Earth Day was first held April 22, 1970.

In Lake County, IL

Visit the Ryerson Woods Welcome Center, 21950 N Riverwoods Rd., Riverwoods for its Spring Celebration 1 p.m..-4 p.m., Sunday, April 17. Part of the Lake County Forest Preserves, Ryerson Woods will hold nature walks, crafts, sheep herding/shearing demonstrations and games. For more information visit ryersonwoods@LCFPD.org or call 847-968-3321.

For a Playdate With Nature, visit the Old School Forest Preserve at Saint Mary’s Road, south of Route 176 north of Route 60 (Townline Road) in Libertyville on April 18 from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. Meet at shelter C where visitors get to hunt for tadpoles, muck in the mud (dress appropriately) and do mud painting.

Take a “Lunchtime Lake Cleanup” break Friday, April 22. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. at Independence Grove just east of Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville to help clean up the shore.

Learn about “Pond Life” from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, April 22, at Grant Woods, Route 59 and Fairfield Road, Lake Villa.After meeting at the Manroville parking lo visitors get to net and identify small water animals.

In Chicago

Visit the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the Oriental Institute) at the University of Chicago, 1155 E. 58th St., Saturday, April 19 from 1-3 p.m. for Ancient Earth Day. Tickets are needed. Tickets can be found at Eventbrite. Non-member child under 16 is $10.00 +$2.19 Fee. Adults $10.00 +$2.19 Fee. Adults free with paying child. Discover more about ancient plants, animals, and sustainability through family friendly talks, craft activities, and stories. You can even win a prize in our ostrich egg hunt throughout our galleries! All ages welcome! Drop in any time from 1pm – 3pm. Ticket price covers all craft materials.

Lincoln Park Conservatory is hosting an Earth Day event in conjunction with its EcoStewards Workday on April 26, from 9-11 a.m. Meet at the North Pond Nature Sanctuary. Help with field work and pick invasive weeds.

The Chicago Park District is hosting its 40th annual Earth Day Parks Cleanup on April 26 in partnership with Friends of the Parks. City residents can sign up to volunteer on the park district website to take part. Visit chicago park dist. events-earth-day

In other suburbs

The Morton Arboretum in Lisle hosts programs throughout April to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day, including a Food Forest Design Workshop, Forest Therapy Walks and an Arbor Day plant sale. Visit Morton Arboretum for more information.

In Cook County Forest Preserves

Participate in a two-hour cleanup at Caldwell Woods, April 22 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Litter pick-up supplies are available to check out, and drop-ins are welcome.

On April 26 visit the Trailside Museum of Natural History in River Forest to make a bird house, take home a tree and create recycled art from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For more ideas to celebrate visit Earth Day 2025.

A pink full moon

Well, not really pink. That is what the full moon on April 12, 2025 is called.

As you likely know from reading this full moon series, the titles refer either to Native American’s views of the seasons, the European growing times or the flora and fauna early American settlers noticed as seasons changed.

The April Pink full moon derived its title from Phlox subulata, a North American wildflower often called creeping phlox, moss phlox and moss pink.

The 2025 Pink Full Moon is at its height of illumination at 8:22 p.m. EDT (00:22 Greenwich Mean Time April 13). That time is before it reaches apogee, the point where the Moon is farthest from Earth. Thus the April Pink Moon will look small, like a micro-moon. Of course you can watch for the moon to rise above the horizon.

Another important name for the April full moon is the Paschal Moon because it is the first ecclesiastical (14th day in the lunar cycle) full Moon of Spring after the equinox and determines the date of Easter.

Yes, you can watch for the moon at sunset a day or two before April 12 and a day or two afterwards.

For more information visit The Old Farmer’s Almanac , TimeandDate

and EarthSky

Lolla presale info

The mega event in Grant Park downtown Chicago runs July 31-Aug 3

but pre-ticket sales start today, March 20, 2025 at 10 a.m.

Here is the info:

Here’s the ticket link. The guaranteed lowest-price 4-Day Tickets is open only for one hour and is only available today.

Grab your tickets to see Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler, The Creator, Sabrina Carpenter, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Luke Combs, TWICE, A$AP Rocky, Korn, Gracie Abrams, Doechii, Dom Dolla, Cage The Elephant.

Spring really starts this Thursday

Four large white and red parachutes are fully deployed above a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashing into the water.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore land in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, March 18, 2025 after an unpredictably long nine months at the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of NASA/Keegan Barber

We’re celebrating Spring, a good time to applaud the two astronauts’ return to Earth and the change of seasons.

It’s OK to be confused. Those of us recently told to “Spring forward” might have thought our weather was about to change along with our moving one-hour-ahead time.

For many of us in the Midwest it did. We didn’t get much flower and crop growing rain. But we experienced some warmer temps. Strangely enough they came every other day as if Mother Nature was trying to balance the seasonal changes in weather.

Well, now that we are actually checking our phone or2025 paper calendar we see that Spring is marked as happening on Thursday, March 20. Why?

In the Northern Hemisphere Spring is tied to the March Vernal Equinox. That is when the Sun crosses the middle of the equator moving from south to north. It is also the first day of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Chicago, Illinois, that happens at 4:01 am CDT, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Corresponding UTC is at 09:01.)

Remember that Meteorological Spring started on March 1 and runs through May 31 every year no matter the timing of the vernal equinox.

For more information visit Spring Time and Date and Farmers’ almanac Spring

BTW March 2025 may be remembered more as the month our two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station finally returned to Earth in time to celebrate the first day of Spring.

Spring or Summer or Anytime Break

Elvis' mansion at Graceland (Jodie Jacobs photo) — Elvis’ mansion at Graceland (Jodie Jacobs photo)

If looking for a new place to visit this year consider looking in on Elvis’ Graceland, in Memphis, TN.

Once you get past the large entrance/ticket/shop building you can explore the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s 13.8 acre estate. The house alone is definitely worth the trip but there are also the grounds and new exhibits so leave plenty of time.

If you go before the end of 2025 you can catch the “90 for 90 Exhibition.”

It is made up from ninety items from the more than 1.5 items in the Graceland Archives make up the new exhibition that opened in January to celebrate Elvis’ 90th birthday.

They range from the easily recognizable items to the personal ones not in the spotlight.

In addition there is “ELVIS: Dressed to Rock with 15 iconic jumpsuits not seen for two years, now on display in a 21-foot floor-to-ceiling exhibit. To complement the new additions, other jumpsuits were also rotated.

There is also Graceland Live, a new schedule of concerts and shows. Tickets are available now for performances by Wyatt Flores (April 9), Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (April 26), Chris Isaak (May 1), and 311 (May 13), plus the comedy of Nate Jackson (April 19), with additional shows to be announced.

Where to stay

Among the options is the Guest House at Graceland King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

For trip and additional information, visit The Home of Elvis Presley | Graceland. For Memphis info visit Memphis Hotels, Events & Attractions | Memphis Travel

Graceland is at Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116, (901) 332-3322

about nine miles south of central part of Memphis.