Yesterday was the epitome of an early fall day – cloudy and cool in the morning, but clearing skies and warm sun. We took advantage of the day and left the Cities early, heading west to Howard Lake, Minnesota. Our first stop was Swenson Gardens, the essential place for peonies. We had visited there a year ago, but this time we were getting advice on dividing and planting peonies. Keith and Becky offered they personal help and guidance and we left with plenty of information and three new peony plants for our home garden. As the sun was breaking through the clouds, we wandered south a few miles to Carlson’s Orchard. The bakery and restaurant were doing a bustling business, and a wait was required but certainly worth every minute. We had a delicious lunch, followed by fresh apple pie a la mode. The orchard was filled with apples, and the beautiful red Haralsons stood out against the blue and white sky and green of the trees and grass. One more stop at a winery for some tasting and a glass of wine in the sun made for a full and relaxing day.
fall
Moving to winter
Thanksgiving morning we awoke to steel-gray skies and bare grass – on the late end of autumn. As the morning progressed, the first snow began to fall. In sheets of white, it settled on the grass and the trees, the shrubs and the plants. It’s coating was magical and beautiful, as if saying that autumn was past, and winter was moving in. I realized that I was looking forward to winter’s first snowfall, and I felt like a child — I marveled at the whiteness and how it seemed to make everything clean. As I headed out with my camera, the world seemed new to me. The lines between open water and ice were forming. The outline of trees became more noticeable as they were coated in white and stood stark in the landscape. The geese were high overhead, winging their way to open water, fields for food, or further south. And the gray skies overhead kept the sky close in — the time of winter and quiet, the time to reflect and recharge.
Mid-November Minnesota fishing
Climate change, global warming, el nino – for whatever reason, today had the promise of sunshine and temperatures in the 50’s – almost unheard of for mid-November in Minnesota. Last year at this time we had a layer of snow and highs near 30 degrees. So when a day comes like today, it warrants savoring. We drove north to Mille Lacs Lake and set out for some end of the season fishing. On the south side of the lake we were protected from the wind that was blowing across the cooling lake. Although we came up short for our fishing luck, we considered ourselves enormously fortunate for being able to enjoy a beautiful day on a big lake. As we were pulling off the lake, the sun was starting to set and painting the sky with beautiful shades of blue and pink. The bare trees, the blue water, and the rocks along the shore all seemed to be celebrating this unusual day for mid-November in Minnesota.
Fall colors in the Ordway Japanese Garden
There are so many lovely “hidden gems” in the Twin Cities, and one just happens to be in my neighborhood. Como Park, which includes a conservatory, zoo, carousel, golf course, lake, swimming pool, picnic areas, and many trails, also holds a lovely Japanese garden tucked away down a winding path. In the early morning hours with the colors of autumn on display, I found myself humbled and amazed at the quiet and the beauty in the garden. The fallen leaves seemed to have a purpose in their random display, as if saying that all is right in this changing landscape. The colors spoke to me, begging to be remembered as they will be quickly replaced with the white of snow. This year’s change of seasons has been hurried, yet here in the Japanese garden there was a stillness and quiet reminding me that each season holds its own purpose and to trust in the changes of fall prior to the long nights of winter.
Fall colors at Wild River State Park
A week ago I made a quick drive north of Saint Paul to one of my favorite Minnesota state parks, Wild River. Located along the St. Croix River, the park seems to always have some glorious fall colors. On arriving before dawn, I made sure to be by the river as the sun rose over the Wisconsin bluffs to the east. As quickly as the sun cleared the bluffs, the clouds moved in and the light changed. After an hour of cloudy and gray skies, I wandered up onto the hillside and the main area of the park. While walking down the hiking path the sunlight broke through the clouds for about five minutes. Through the golden leaves on the trees, the woods were bathed in a luminous light that was ever so brief. The clouds moved back in, the winds picked up causing the leaves to scatter along the path, and eventually the rain began.
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