Yesterday was the Minnesota fishing opener – a tradition celebrated across the state. It’s the official opening of fishing for walleye and northern pike. The past few years we’ve joined in this celebration, and we had a grand time again this year. Here are my top five points about the fishing opener: (1) May is not summer yet in Minnesota; long underwear was required this year. (2) Prepare for lines at the boat landing; don’t fret, relax, and enjoy your fellow fishermen and women (everyone has stories to tell). (3) That new foraging minnow you bought the week before was a winner; the northern pike loved it! (4) Northern pike are fighters; you’ll know when they strike your line and that’s part of the fun of catching them. (5) A weekend of cabin-life, fishing, loons and eagles, and a campfire are a great cure for stress and the city life. (Plus, it was a good sign when we won the meat raffle at the bar where we had dinner on our drive up Friday night — we knew the weekend was going to be grand!)
spring
Another sighting of spring
Spring has blossomed quickly in the Twin Cities. Leaves have budded and opened, the grass is green, tulips are in bloom, people are out and about working in their yards and soaking up the sunshine. We even have been serenaded by the returning sound of lawn mowers. I happened upon another spring sighting yesterday when I saw a mother duck with her nine ducklings at a small pond. As she sat on the shoreline, a couple of the ducklings ventured far and wide in the pond, darting right and then left, snapping up bugs wherever they found them. Their erratic behavior made them a photographic challenge, but I found myself smiling and enjoying their playfulness and energy.
Ladies weekend
A sure cure for stress is a weekend trip to a lake up north. Add in a group of wonderful friends and a cabin on a lake and everyone comes away in better spirits. It was ladies weekend on Lake Mary, south of Alexandria. We got out of our cars on Friday night, walked into the cabin and left our stress behind. From then on it was relaxing, laughing, resting, and sharing — it was decompression of the best kind. Throw in a beautiful sunset with the slightest of water ripple near the shore, a sky full of twinkling stars, a deck overlooking the lake with the warmth of the sun on our backs, and wonderful conversation; five friends found it hard to pull ourselves away today to return to the cities and our upcoming Monday.
The beauty and scent of magnolias
With the warmth of the sun, our magnolia tree burst into bloom this past week. The delicate white petals broke from the catkins that had kept them safe throughout the winter. I spent a delightful evening photographing amongst the blossoms. Not only was it a feast for my eyes, but I was treated to the wonderful sweet smell that they give off. A slight breeze would stir and my senses were filled with the light aroma and the brightness of white surrounding me. Perhaps what makes the magnolias so special to me is the brevity with which they are in full bloom. As the week has passed, the wind and rain have already tossed many of the blossoms to the ground, and those that remain are no longer at their peak. Soon the flowers will all be gone and the tree will be covered in green leaves.
Pasque flowers
Snow last Thursday, followed by 65 degrees and sunshine — it all provided moisture and then warmth for the early blooming wildflowers in Minnesota. Amidst a gravel prairie about 50 miles from the Twin Cities is a place where pasque flowers are abundant. And if your timing is good, the entire prairie is filled with these small diminutive flowers. Only two to five inches tall, they are hard to notice from a distance, but it becomes quite magical when you see an entire hillside covered by these flowers. With the warmth of the spring sun, and the golden colors of the late evening, we spent a wonderful few hours amongst the pasque flowers.
lindastaatsphoto.com 