autumn

Fall flight

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In my last post I promised to share images from our camping trip to the west. But that will have to wait – fall has arrived in all its glory here in northwestern Wisconsin. The colors started to turn in early October, but we then had a week of unusually warm weather both during the day and the night. With that, the change of colors seemed to stall. And then strong and gusty winds blew all the color onto the ground.

A second phase soon developed, and our rich autumn colors have progressed to peak. It is a glorious time to be out and about. Every road and every field is alight with color. The golds and yellows, reds and oranges, and the deep russet of the oaks – they are all appearing in a symphony of color right now.

With this there is a great migration of birds coming through and starting their journey south. The loons were gone by the first few days of October. The males left first and were followed later by the females, leaving the young ones to fend for themselves and then to head south on their own. It’s amazing to me that these loons that were only born a few months ago can navigate their way south by themselves.

The Canada geese and the wood ducks are gathering. The sandhill cranes are feeding in the harvested fields. Soon all of these will be leaving. The last birds to come through our area seem to be the hooded mergansers. They will arrive and yet leave a short time later. And then our lakes will start to freeze.

But this is the time to know that the cycle of seasons continues once again, and we can appreciate Mother Nature’s palette of colors before we transition to winter.

Autumn and other transitions

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We have officially transitioned to fall with the autumnal equinox today. Our daylight hours become shorter and the darkness of night becomes longer. There’s a change in the air, and here in the North the sun is losing its intensity and its heat. The green leaves aren’t the same deep shade of green, and in many places the yellows, oranges, and reds are starting to dot our landscape.

I have also gone through a transition these past months, as we have sold our house in Minnesota and have moved to our cabin in northwest Wisconsin. Just as the days become shorter gradually, it became clear to us, gradually, that this move was in our best interests. And yet it’s hard to pack up and move from a house, a neighborhood, a community that you’ve been a part of for 20 years.

After the move we headed out on a 3-week camping trip – a chance to escape from packing and unpacking, loading and unloading. We took our 16-foot Scamp travel trailer and headed west through the Dakotas, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana. It was a grand adventure and an opportunity to explore our National Parks and forests and be in much different landscapes. I’m planning to share some of those images and stories in the future. The image in this post was from a week ago on a prairie in northwest Minnesota near the Red River Valley where the goldenrod was already in its fall display of yellow.

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate the autumnal equinox, I would suggest spending some time in nature – get out for a walk, breathe in the autumn air and notice the difference from even a month ago, and enjoy a sunset. Nature has a wonderful way of helping us through transitions as it is always cycling from one season to the next, from one sunrise to sunset to sunrise again.

Thankful

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What a rich world we inhabit, with so many things to be thankful for! As our seasons change in the North it’s been wistful to say goodbye to the colors and brightness of fall. The leaves have fallen, allowing the sunlight to stream unhindered through the canopy of trees. The wind rustles branches rather than dried leaves. With a bench in a strategic spot, I paused on my walk in the woods to listen, to observe, to think.

And within a short span the calendar changed, the wind direction shifted, and winter slid in. November came and the winds blew cold coming out of the Canadian prairies and brought the snow. It was beautiful to watch it float down. The flakes silently landed on the trees. Others melted as they hit the water surface. For this moment the world was calm. And quiet. And beautiful.

With snow falling down around me, I gave a nod of thanks for the scene surrounding me and the changing seasons. Thankful for family and friends, near and far, and for those that came before me, and for all the love that surrounds me. Thankful for the paths I’ve followed, the adventures I’ve taken, and the lessons I’ve learned. Thankful for all the simple things – a roof over my head, clothes, heat, five working senses, and my health. I look forward to the lessons to be learned in this upcoming winter season.

From fall to winter in four days

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We sailed into November with lovely fall weather in the Northland. Sunshine and warm temperatures were welcome and enjoyed, while everyone held their breath knowing we were running on borrowed time. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we even launched the boat and went fishing in open water – the latest fishing we’ve ever done in November. The next morning we awakened to a beautiful sunrise with bits of ice on the surface, especially near the shoreline. But the sun and the wind that blew across the lake caused the ice to break up during the day.

With a high temperature of 27 degrees on Friday there was more ice that formed on the lake surface. The wind blew throughout the day, but it wasn’t enough to break up all the ice. As the sun was setting there was more ice and less open water, resulting in some fascinating reflections in the lake surface.

Saturday morning dawned with clouds and cold, and a lake surface completely frozen over. The ice remained all day as the frigid temperatures settled in and the sunshine was intermittent.

And by Sunday there was a dusting of snow and continual snow showers throughout the day. The ground was hard and frozen, and the lake was solid ice – perhaps for the remainder of winter.

And just like that we transitioned from fall to winter in a short four days. Yes, we’ll see more temperatures above freezing and yes, we’ll see plenty more temps hovering around 0 degrees. But with this quick change of seasons I’m convinced even more we need to savor each day, appreciate the changes that take place, and embrace each season for all its beauty.

A last look at fall, plus calendars & holiday cards

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Fall was here last Sunday, in all her resplendent colors. The sun shone brightly and illuminated the reds and yellows. That night the temperatures dipped, the frost came and the leaves dried, taking their brilliant colors with them. Monday was gray and chilly, and it snowed overnight. And just like that fall is gone and winter is here.

That also means that the winter holidays are fast approaching, and I’m again offering my holiday cards and desk calendars. There are four unique card scenes to choose from – two winter landscape cards and two poinsettia cards. These are a special way to send your greetings and to connect with family and friends.

There are two 5×7″ calendars – one of nature scenes and one of floral images. These easily fit into a frame that can sit on your desk, or a magnetic frame you can place on your refrigerator – a quick way to reference the month and day, and to brighten your surroundings.

Information about both the holiday cards and calendars can be found on my website under the respective tabs/headings. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or comments.

And in the vein of our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, thank you for following along to my blog. It’s a real pleasure for me to share my adventures and the views of my surroundings.