Life’s been treating me fairly well and keeping me far too occupied. Recently, I took an overdue trip to Chicago with my family.

It’s been more than just a bucket list destination. So many reasons to go and far too many things to do in that blustery city. “Windy City” is not just a cute nickname.

The famous Chicago Skydeck was not-so-cutely closed when I went due to high winds. Trust me, that little diversion didn’t deprive me of a Chicagorific adventure.

Left to right: Art Institute of Chicago; Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”; The L Train was a convenient 5-minute walk from our hotel and took us right into the heart of Chicago

I was fortunate to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, but in retrospect I wish I’d had more time to take in the staggering number of exhibits. I had my own Cameron Frye moment with the famous Seurat masterpiece. It’s only now that I’m home that I seriously regret not going to The Green Mill, a renowned Chicago hot-spot for Jazz lovers. Then again, I don’t know how kid-friendly the place is and I was carting two under-aged offspring. I think a parents-only revisit is something I must plan soon.

In announcements, I am very happy to have the 2017 Shadow Abuse calendar restocked and available in my Storenvy shop.

Copies available now at http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/products/18543973-new-2017-calendar-shadow-abuse

The first printing sold out quickly! The new calendar features large-scale reproductions of pages from the book Shadow Abuse, and if you have the 2016 calendar, I assure you these are all different. If you visit my shop, you’ll also see several new full-scale signed reproductions of drawings from Shadow Abuse. And in response to requests, the “headless snowmen” artwork from my Christmas greeting card is now a signed print. Click here to see it.

In upcoming events, I’m taking part in the very-soon-to-happen Frost Bite show in Toronto. Expect to see lots of wonderful things to delight your soul and make holiday gift purchasing easy for you. I’m aiming to unveil a brand new Christmas card that conveys the sentiment that I think we all need during the holidays. I’ll post a peek here just before the show starts. Frost Bite happens Sunday, December 11 at 11am to 8pm. Once again, it’s at Pia Bouman School for Ballet, 6 Noble Street, Toronto.

Click here to go to the event’s official facebook page. You can also go to the website for more information: http://theBazaarofTheBizarre.org/