Walkin' and Walkers

Even though the temperature was a mere 12 degrees and the wind chill below zero, the group met at Lakewood Forest Preserve and trudged 4 miles through the 3 inches of snow. A coyote allowed itself to be seen as we began, and several dozen deer crossed in from of us or tried to remain unseen in the dense woods as we passed. Thus the "walkin'" part of the title.



The "Walkers" refers to breakfast -- a wonderful meal at Walker Brothers Restaurant in Lake Zurich...



... where four of the six of us had my favorite, Venicia Benedict, an eggs benedict with spinach and bacon ("Poached Eggs with fresh sautéed spinach, mushrooms and bits of our crisp bacon on a toasted English muffin blanketed with rich hollandaise sauce and a garnish of pico de gallo") accompanied by three delicious and light pancakes, all of which is seen here...



... making a meal covering my 4 of my 5 favorite food groups -- meat, dairy, grain, and vegetable. (The only missing food group is chocolate!)

Tonight, Ellen and I have our final rehearsal before the concerts Saturday and Sunday, and all next week will be final production week for my church choir/orchestra/drama Christmas presentation involving 3 performances next weekend.