Fall colors are peaking in some areas of Minnesota and today promised unusually warm temperatures with blue skies — a perfect combination for an early morning canoe trip on the St. Croix River. As we put the canoe into the water south of Taylors Falls, dawn was just breaking, the morning was crisp and quiet, and the water was calm. We paddled south and had the river to ourselves. Slowly the sun crested the bluffs on the Wisconsin side of the river, and the light was golden on the Minnesota hillsides. Our trip was filled with wonder at the basalt cliffs that fall straight into the river, and at the beauty of this gorge. A short stop for coffee and some pear bread on a sand bar was accompanied by an eagle flying overhead. The morning was magical in its stillness and color, and this National Scenic Riverway renewed our appreciation for the beauty of fall and the area we live in.
fall
Full moonrise
Last weekend’s super moon and lunar eclipse was an event followed by many people. I found myself in the agricultural fields of the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota at the time of the moonrise. The weather had been glorious with warm temperatures and a southerly breeze, and as the sun set the sky remained clear. Slowly the full moon rose on the eastern horizon, clearing the corn fields that surrounded me, accompanied by the sound of the wind rattling through the dry corn stalks. Although I was in the middle of the city, it seemed like I was distant and not in an urban area. But what surprised me the most, were the number of people that had come out to do the same thing I was doing. The gravel road between the fields was lined with cars. People were sitting in chairs or sitting in their cars, and people were walking — all there to marvel in the size of this full moon and then to observe the lunar eclipse. Another 18 years is a long time until the next event like this, hence the urgency for many of us to enjoy it this time.
Fall is in the air
The winds have been from the south, bringing warm and summer-like temperatures into Minnesota. But the days are shorter and nature is anticipating the change of seasons into fall. Some of the trees have started the change in colors – a glorious outburst to the beauty of nature and autumn. I was riding my bicycle on the Gateway Trail yesterday. The sunshine was warm and I was breaking a sweat but the air didn’t have the fresh green smell of summer. The path was littered with dried leaves that had already fallen, and they crackled as my bike tires ran over them — reminding me of being a child and using clothespins to attach playing cards to my bike so they would snap through the spokes. The sound was delightful and I found myself swerving to ride through the leaves on the trail. Change is in the air.
The luminous light in northern Minnesota
I wanted to share another image from our vacation in northern Minnesota. I am always amazed at the light when we are in this area. Perhaps it’s because the sky appears so large and the lakes help to reflect all the light that’s around. This particular evening the sun was getting lower in the western sky, slanting to the east. It cast a golden glow on the trees along Jack the Horse Lake. The clouds to the south were a luminous white and pink, dusted with the glow of the setting sun. And the calmness of the evening allowed the colors to be reflected in the smooth lake surface – a scene that still takes my breath away. Calmness, light, stillness, luminosity, and beauty.
A new year with a look back to 2014
I was reading another photographer’s blog and she had posted her 12 favorite photos of the past year. With a nod to Kim Manley Ort, I culled through 4,142 images to pick 12 photos that were my favorites. Some have personal meanings, like the family photo after my mother’s death or the Royal typewriter that has been passed down through my father’s family. Others transport me to a cold winter morning (much like today!) or an unusually emerald-green lake with a sandy beach in north central Minnesota. The year took twists and turns that weren’t expected, yet I’m learning to embrace the changes, meet the challenges, and appreciate each day that is given – with joy and wonder. May the coming year be filled with 365 such days!
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