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Right in Our Region ........................ Cover & p. 16 5 Terrific Family-Friendly Bike Trails Your Outings .............................................. 13, 23 Make a Splash at Otter Cove; Grab a Pint at CLB’s Expanded Patio Inspiration & Worship .......................................14 David or Solomon?

Your Remodel ................................................... 19 Why Everyone’s Bringing the Indoors Out Your Health ....................................................... 21 What Happens After Cancer Treatments Your Home .........................................................25 What to Know About Your Water System Your Outdoor Living ..........................................27 Style Abounds in the Outdoor Living Area Your Fun ............................................................ 28

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Bill Hughes

Executive Editor/Web Editor Chris Linden

Managing Editor Jermaine Pigee

Editor Emeritus Janine Pumilia Graphics Director Samantha Behling Graphic Designer Ashley Smith

Contributing Writer Anna Girgenti, Toni Rocha, Peggy Werner

General Sales Manager Brent Hughes

Sales Manager Brad Hughes

Advertising Sales Representatives Brian Hughes, Jeremy Jones, Lisa Brandt, Nita Lasky

Administration & Circulation Manager Lisa Hughes

Distribution Kelly Fairbairn Published by Hughes Media Corp. 222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104 (815) 316-2300, Fax: (815) 316-2301 lhughes@northwestquarterly.com

Smart Living. Copyright 2021 by Hughes Media Corp., 222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Memory Lane

Summer has a way of taking me down memory lane.

I can’t help but think about family vacations to Yellowstone and Door County, summer youth group trips, college years working at the pool or the first time I took my kids camping. How can I forget the time I went to a wedding and met the girl I’d one day marry? Our children are summer babies.

Yet, many of those happy times are also tempered with a sense of love and loss. One smell of the junipers and I’m transported to my grandparents’ patio. A cool breeze and the whiff of laundry soap reminds me of Grandma’s house. The clock turns 1:15 and I’m reminded of my childhood friend Phillip, whom you could always bet would call right on time. How many summer afternoons were spent in his basement, giving his mom gray hairs?

We took the kids camping a few weeks ago, and what an adventure it was. Through hot, sticky nights in the tent we made more happy memories surrounded by nature. Sleeping on our squishy old air mattresses, though, I couldn’t help but think of a more recent loss.

Through my high school years, you could guarantee one thing on any youth group overnight: my brother and I would be sleeping next to Brian – and Brian was a snorer of epic proportions. We were buddies and like brothers, so it was all part of the experience. In later years, we spent so much time together that we called him “No. 3,” like he was my parents’ third child. This summer, Brian lost his battle with ataxia, a neurological disease that slowed him down these past few years. It was tough watching his struggles, but he had an amazing spirit of perseverance and faith in God. You could always count on Brian to find an adventure, to find the joys in life, and to make friends wherever he went.

We lost him too soon, but I’m grateful for the time we had and those lessons he taught me about life. In a thousand small ways, he keeps reminding me of happy days.

Chris Linden Executive Editor

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Your Outings

Make a Splash at Otter Cove in St. Charles

By Erika Young, St. Charles Park District

Otter Cove Aquatic Park offers water fun for everyone this summer. This his friends. Join them and race down the Salexciting water attraction, surrounded by lots of open green space at James O. Breen Community Park, in St. Charles, offers thrills and relaxation for all ages.

Exciting activities are sure to appeal to every water enthusiast, from the most energetic cannon baller to the most laidback floater.

Favorites include a 25-yard pool; a zero-depth entry activity pool; a shallow pool just for toddlers; a splash park with water wheels, dumping buckets and spray cannons; a sand/water play area; and rides that twist, turn and twirl through water features that shoot, spray and spin. There’s even a sand volleyball court to round out your beach-time excursion.

All around Otter Cove, you’ll notice the favorite hangouts of a river otter and amander Slides. Enjoy an inner tube ride along Turtle Creek. Flitter around Dragonfly Den. Hop all over the Frog Bog. Exercise in the Crayfish Canal. Have some fun in the sun playing sand volleyball. Pack a picnic lunch or purchase a snack from The Dive concession stand. Cabanas are available every day for rent on a first-come, first-served basis. And speaking of rentals, guests can also book private events such as birthday parties at Otter Cove. When it comes to fun in and around the water, it’s never too early for swimmers to learn. Otter Cove offers a swim lesson program for ages 6 months to adult, with options for a group setting or private instruction. There’s even an option for children on the autism spectrum.

For more details and information, or to purchase single-day and season passes, visit ottercove.org. ❚

Otter Cove Aquatic Park is located at 3615 Campton Hills Road, in St. Charles, (630) 513-4377, ottercove.org.