One of the constants of the weather in Minnesota is the wind. We seem to attract the winds from all four directions, whether it’s a northern clipper coming down from Canada, a warm tropical surge coming from the Gulf Coast to the south, a wintry mix blowing across the northern Rockies from the west, or a wrap-around wind that skirts Lake Superior to the east. So when the air is calm and still it is most noticeable, and so it was one recent evening. A good friend (and wonderful photography scout) of mine was driving around Lake Como and noticed that the lake surface was as smooth as glass. I packed up my camera and headed over to the lake. The sky was filled with dark gray and blue clouds although there was a thin line of clearing to the south. I headed to a small bay where I knew I could include the pink clearing in my photo. As I walked up to the shoreline I found a flock of wood ducks who were not overly pleased that I was coming to their area. Their swimming out into the lake created a bit of water movement in the bay — just enough to blur the beautiful reflection that I was seeing in the water. It wasn’t until I got home and was looking at the photos on my computer that I saw the effect of their movement, and although subtle, I liked the end-result.
autumn
Change of seasons
We are quickly slipping from fall into winter. Once Mother Nature has made up her mind it seems that the changes become so much more noticeable. Although our days have been unseasonably warm, this past week we had two mornings of frost. That and the shorter daylight seem to have triggered some major changes. These two images were taken one week apart — the top image was last weekend and the bottom image was this morning. The colors are gone, the leaves have dropped (except for a few hold-outs), and even the sky has changed to its winter shade of gray. There is some mention of snow flurries possible later this week so we are hurriedly preparing the yard and garden beds for winter’s cold. As with the change back to standard time we all seem to change our outlooks. We’re looking forward to soups and heavier “comfort” meals, along with the upcoming holidays.
And with the calendar change to November I’m happy to announce my 2011 holiday card collection and my 2012 desk calendar collection. Both of these can be found on separate pages at the top of my blog. This is my eighth year of offering cards and calendars and you’re sure to find something to delight anyone’s tastes. Some of the photographs you’ll recognize as images that have been posted to my blog, but many of them are new photos. Browse and enjoy! And email me with any questions.
Enjoy this time of changing seasons!
Reds of fall
While the east coast is digging out from its blanket of white, we’ve been enjoying a prolonged and beautiful fall. Many of the trees have lost their leaves and yet some are just now coming into their brilliant last burst of color. One of the best things about this year’s prolonged autumn is that you don’t have to drive far to see the colors — they’re in the neighborhood parks and up and down the streets. And with some sunny blue-sky days like we had last week it was the perfect time to get out for some photographing. This image is from a small park three blocks from our home. The sun was low in the sky about a half hour before sunset when I stopped by the park. Although this single leaf is tattered it was putting on its own brilliant display of fall colors. I’m not sure if the leaf was still there the next day as we had some gusty winds that brought much of the color down to the ground, but for this one evening this leaf was there to be appreciated and photographed.
Kansas high school football
This past weekend we journeyed south to Kansas. My family lives there, and the main intent of our trip was to see my nephew play football. Tanner is a senior at Paola High School and Friday, October 14th was homecoming night with a football rivalry between the Paola Panthers and the Osawatomie Trojans. It was a beautiful midwest, late-fall evening. The crowd of parents, students, and residents gathered early to enjoy tailgating and conversation. The homecoming presentations were made, stands filled with fans for both teams, the fireworks went off, the teams took the field, and the game began. Although Osawatomie scored first the tone of the game soon shifted to all Paola. By the time the full moon was rising in the east and the first half ended Paola was leading 48 to 12. The final score was Paola 62 and Osawatomie 18. I’m proud to say my nephew had 116 yards rushing and averaged over 19 yards per carry. And as Paola also won their game two nights ago they can now look forward to the playoffs. Congratulations Tanner, and go Paola!
Sheyenne River Valley, North Dakota
We headed out last weekend for one final camping trip before the snow flies. Our original plans had us going to the southwest corner of Minnesota, but a prediction of one to two inches of rain changed our minds. Looking for “drier pastures” we drove to North Dakota. Nestled in the southeast corner of the state is the Sheyenne River Valley that seemed to have the potential for unlimited exploring. One of the national scenic byways runs through this river valley, and we found ourselves meandering down gravel roads taking in the scenery. The peak fall color was already past although there were spots of gold mixed in with the rich maroon and brown of the oaks. The valley is wonderfully scenic and has beautiful rolling hills, as well as much history. We camped at Fort Ransom State Park near the spot where the original Fort Ransom was established in 1867. After the fort was dismantled in the mid 1870’s the valley was opened for homesteading. Many of the early settlers in this area were Norwegian farmers, and their heritage and influence is evident. Within the state park is the original homestead of Andrew Sunne who settled on the land in 1884. His home and original barn are still on the site. This photograph is of a cabin that is on the Sunne site, looking out over part of the river valley. What wonderful sights the Sunnes must have seen out their cabin windows, seeing the river and hillsides and following the progression of all four seasons.
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