This past weekend found us traveling south to Kansas to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. Looking for a way to enjoy the unseasonably warm and sunny weather, we ventured west from the Kansas City area to Manhattan, Kansas. After driving into the Flint Hills we came upon the Konza Prairie, a preserve of The Nature Conservancy that is managed as a biological station by Kansas State University. The late fall colors were golden across the 8600 acres of the prairie. It was a joy to hike through this area surrounded by a sea of grasses blowing in the wind, as they must have done when the early settlers came through this same land hundreds of years ago.
landscapes
Harvest and Thanksgiving
Yesterday I was south of the Cities near the town of New Trier, Minnesota. This is a beautiful farming area with an abundance of rolling hills. The harvest has been late this year, hampered by rain and cooler temperatures. But on this unusually sunny and warm day there was much activity in the fields — something for which many farmers were quite thankful. As we head into the week of Thanksgiving I’m focusing on the bounty of my life and all those things I have to be thankful for: a roof over my head and a job, plenty of good food to eat, good health, good friends, good family, and a wonderful freedom we enjoy in this country. May we all realize the good fortune we have.
A late evening’s moment in time
Stop from your hurried day and slow down. Stay in one place, calm your mind. Pay attention to what is around you and in front of you: at the end of this late autumn day the sun is slowing sliding to the horizon, having lost its earlier summer warmth. The slough in front of me is filled with grasses and cattails, and the wind is rushing across them causing them to dance to its rhythm. The sound of the wind is only challenged by the large flock of geese that has taken wing and is rising from the water. The cacophony of their honking is carried across this same wind to my ears. On this evening I am filled with joy, gratitude, and wonder for everything that has come together for this short moment in time.
Unexpected finds
How often is it that one starts to go to point A, makes a wrong turn, finds point B, and discovers something unexpected and remarkable? One late afternoon this past week, I was headed north out of Saint Paul to meet a friend. With an extra 25 to 30 minutes to spare, I got off the interstate to wander to a side highway. Fortunately (?) I missed the turn and continued east, and stumbled into the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area. My GPS showed lakes and sloughs on either side of me. As I wandered down an unpaved road I came to a dike. The sun was low in the sky and bathed the gold and red leaves in a warm evening light, offering up this late fall color, accompanied by the sounds of geese honking overhead. All this beauty of nature was unexpectedly waiting for me on the outskirts of the city, yet it transported me to a wild and natural area far removed from the day’s hustle and bustle.
Autumn carpet
This may have been our last weekend for fall color here in the Twin Cities. As the past week progressed we had cooler temps, rain, and more wind, culminating in yet another early snowfall on Friday. With all these conditions the leaves have been falling much more regularly, carpeting the lawns, sidewalks, and streets. I took a walk along the Mississippi River Road on the Saint Paul side of the River. The temps were mild and there were many people enjoying the sights and smells of autumn. Along the path I saw a small grouping of trees that had lost all their red leaves. At first I was disappointed that I hadn’t seen their vibrant display a few days earlier, and then I realized that the leaves were still just as stunning except that they were carpeting the ground. By lying down on this lush carpet (and confusing many of the passers-by), I was able to focus on the covering of red and gold and remind myself that sometimes the beauty of fall isn’t just at eye level and on the trees, but is often spread out before us at our feet.
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