It was a hot and steamy holiday weekend. We left the rush of the cities behind and headed north to the quiet of the woods and lakes, spending the weekend near the shore of Lake Superior. In the northern part of Wisconsin between the towns of Washburn and Ashland is an inlet of Lake Superior called Chequamegon Bay (pronounced “sha-wahma-gann”). The name comes from the Ojibwe term meaning “sand bar place.” (Those of you that have followed my blog will remember that in the cold of winter we have snowshoed across this bay over the frozen lake.) After a hot and humid day the clouds were beginning to roll in over the hills to the west. The sun had just enough energy left to break through some of the clouds and lend its lengthy reflection to the rippling waters of the lake at it moved below the hills. Wading in the cold waters of Lake Superior and savoring the calm and color that the sunset provided was the perfect way to close out a long summer’s day in the north.
summer
Racing at the Velodrome
On a beautiful summer’s evening this past week we ventured north to the National Sports Center Velodrome to watch the cycling races. The Velodrome track is made of narrow strips of a specialized wood that has 43-degree banking in the turns, and the bicycles that are ridden here have no brakes and only one gear. The racing we saw was fast and furious along with a requisite amount of strategy and planning. The riders, both men and women that race here give it their all. I admire their skill level and the physical endurance they possess. As the riders raced into the evening, the nearly-full moon rose, the sun set and the lights at the track came on. On this warm evening the crowd was entertained with top-notch racing.
Foxtail barley
Anytime I am in my car my eyes are scanning the scenery and landscape. As I’ve been driving to work this past week I’ve been watching the foxtail barley grasses maturing. Because these grasses grow along the sides of the highways and roads and in the medians, there’s a small window of opportunity to photograph them. Once they get tall enough they are mowed down so as not to impair the sight lines of the drivers. This evening I was fortunate to beat the mowers and had a delightful (and eventful) time of photographing these soft and reflective grasses. What you don’t see in this photo is the state highway just on the horizon behind the foxtail barley. Evidently as someone was driving by they must have noticed me sitting on the ground and worried that something was amiss. The next thing I knew I heard sirens and an EMT was pulling up by the side of the road wanting to know if I was okay. After I assured them I was fine and explained that I was photographing they were on their way. It is nice to know that there are caring people here in Minnesota.
Roses after the rainfall
We’ve had a couple of days of constant and sometimes heavy rainfall. Although it’s wonderful for the lawns it’s also pelted some of the flowers. We have a beautiful John Cabot climbing rose in the backyard that has been full of blooms. With the weight of the rain it has pulled some of the canes so far forward that the blooms have been touching the lawn. Those blooms that were past their prime have been knocked down and have created a carpet of petals on the lawn under the bush. At first I wanted to clean up all the petals, and yet upon a closer look I realized that they were truly quite lovely as they lay scattered about. Sometimes the “untidiness” of nature has lessons for us all to learn.
White cosmos
Earlier this week I found myself at the Munsinger Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It was late in the day and the sun was getting lower in the sky. These beautiful gardens are located right along the Mississippi River. I’d been here earlier in the year when the tulips, daffodils, and iris were brilliantly proclaiming spring, but now it seems that the flowers are bravely holding on to our last bit of summer. They bloom as if the days were still long and the nights were still warm. They dance in the setting sun and promise that although fall is almost upon us, they will return with their lovely faces and welcome us to warm weather again next year.
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