With moderating temperatures, we headed out for some snowshoeing last night. North of the Cities is a small Isanti County Park called Wayside Prairie County Park. We pulled into the parking lot an hour or so before sunset with the hopes of exploring this small park. We traipsed across the frozen lake, following snowmobile tracks, to the southern shoreline. This lovely little cabin was perched on the hillside, overlooking the frozen lake to the west. With its tiki torches still attached to the dock supports and the yellow lawn chair overturned at the end of the dock, it looked like the party had ended right before the start of winter. As we gazed at the sunset reflection in the window of the cabin, it was fun to dream of what this little lake is like in the middle of a warm summer, after the spring melt. We toasted the summer to come, then turned around and snowshoed back across the lake, remembering that winter will loosen its hold on us eventually.
Author: lindastaatsphoto
Coping with winter
Our long winter is continuing with more sub-zero temperatures and more snow. Just when we thought it was safe to put away the heavy coats and boots, another ten inches of white snow comes falling down. As we wake up to -14 degrees this morning, and look at a predicted high of -1 for this afternoon, we are all trying to find our sense of hope and humor. The other day this lovely pink & white scene caught my eye as I rounded a corner. I really loved the snow resting on the backs of the flamingos, and the ones with their hands in the snow (maybe they know something we haven’t picked up on yet?). Eventually spring will come, the snow will melt, and we will see the ground again. Until that time, we’ll look for a warmer forecast and try to keep our optimism and humor.
NSPJ Remembers Stan Staats
A wonderful tribute to my father and the legacy he left with his architectural career. Thanks, Howard and the people of NSPJ.
A family gathered together
This is a photograph of a family that’s come together to support one another amid a series of losses the past six months. There is love and caring, trust and help. We’ve shared our laughter, our tears, our sorrow, and our togetherness; we’ve opened our hearts to one another, and we’ve learned new things about each other in the process. When one of us was down, there was someone to listen to us, someone to comfort us, someone to hold us close. There was someone to take the lead when decisions needed to be made or tasks needed to be accomplished. I have a renewed appreciation for each of the people in this photograph.
With the recent deaths in my family I now understand first-hand the importance of photographing and preserving the memories that we collect over a lifetime. This photograph was taken after the funeral service for my mother. There was a mixture of sorrow and celebration in all of our hearts, but this is my family and I’m so very proud of our love and connection – something instilled in us all by both my mother and my father.
A mother’s love
My family has come together yet again, this time to be with my mother. Since living by herself four months after my father’s death, she didn’t have the strength/will to battle the health issues she was facing. On Tuesday she passed away with my brothers and me by her side. As we process through this, I know this is how she’d want it, as family was first and foremost for her.
The night of her death, this photo fell out of a file folder – a visual reminder of the closeness, protectiveness, and love my mother gave to me, as well as my brothers, my nieces and nephews, and our extended family.
As we gather to celebrate her life, I know she will be proud of her family — seeing us all together to help one another through our sorrow and loss.
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