I went out to Blackhawk Springs for the first time this season. It’s been waaaay too long. I absolutely love the parks and reserves on Rockford’s south side. They’re beautiful and really give you the feeling of being untouched and set aside from mankind’s influence. Rock Cut State Park is nice, and very large, but between the Speedway car engines you can hear racing even in the deepest parts of the woods and the crowds -I just like the smaller out of the way parks.
Blackhawk Springs is gorgeous for walking, and has a really nice paved trail that circles down near the Kishwaukee River. 
There’s also a natural trail that leads down to the actual springs, which have been maintained better in recent years than I remember them being before. The deeper parts of the forest are quiet, and the energies are nice in general. Lots of small creeks flowing between the springs areas and the river.
I was out there doing some photography for a friend’s senior pictures, and found a great thistle. I went to get a nice macro shot of it and discovered it had a denizen among the purple spikes. This is one of my favorite photos in a while.
Bastian is at his second full day of second grade right now. Monday was a half-day, but he said it went well and he has the “nicest 2nd grade teacher in the whole school” but didn’t want to answer all my questions that afternoon. He’s 7 going on 17 these days, and acts like he’s too cool to give me details on his day. We haven’t quite got all the school supplies on his list, but I sent him with all the staples -crayons, markers, paints, pencils, etc… We’ll get the rest of it between now and our next double payday.
I’m working on picking up a second job, nothing steady but a chance to make extra cash here and there when it’s available. The best part is, if I get it, I’ll be learning to operate DJing software and MC events. I absolutely love event-planning. Wish me luck (we could use the $$$).
