fog

Waiting for the fog to lift

lindastaatsphoto2 Comments

It was early morning when I launched my kayak into the lake. The smell of fireworks from the previous night’s celebrations hung heavy in the air. There was no wind, no movement; the fog had developed overnight and was now suspended low over the lake.

This is my favorite time of day – the after dawn quiet when the world slowly awakens, before the rush and hurry of another 24 hours. I paddled as quietly as I could, rustling up some ducks that were gliding through the lily pads. Someone had recently been sitting on this dock, throwing their fishing line into the lake, and hoping for a bite. The rod was left leaning against the bench but at the ready for the return of the angler. Perhaps that person was waiting for the fog to lift.

Fog and snow

lindastaatsphotoLeave a comment

Try as it might, spring has not arrived. Maybe for a day or two, but then it departs and we are back in winter.

The other morning we awoke to another dusting of snow. This time it was accompanied by a light fog hanging in the air, softening the branches in the distance and blurring this face of winter. Eventually the fog lifted and the snow melted. And then a day or two later the process repeated. So now we wait. Will there be another snow or will we round that final corner from winter to spring?

Summer and stillness

lindastaatsphotoLeave a comment

Summer seems to be associated with activities — the longer days give us more time to play and enjoy the sun, warmth, and water.  But sometimes we’re reminded that quiet and peacefulness are just as important during the summer.  We’d had heavy rains the previous day and the temperatures were moderate.  In the morning we woke to a thick fog that initially covered the entire lake and blocked the trees on the opposite shore.  As the sun feebly tried to break through the fog, the shoreline became more visible.  There was no wind –  only stillness.  It was a quiet and tranquil time.  The fog was in no hurry to burn off, and the morning was taking its own sweet time.  It seemed to be a reminder to slow down and enjoy all the moods of summer as it will soon fade into autumn.

Fog on the Mississippi River

lindastaatsphoto1 Comment

fog-and-fall-color-ms-river-bluffs_14225-staatsWe have some wonderful friends near Wabasha, Minnesota that have a vineyard on the bluff above the Mississippi River.  Each year we journey south to help with the harvest, and today the grapes were calling us.  We left the Twin Cities with a clear sunrise, but as we headed towards the river the fog became thicker and thicker.  Even when we got to Lake Pepin, where the Mississippi is so wide it’s called a lake, there was no lake to see.  I love to photograph in the fog because it can create a clean palette to work with designs and lines, and we stopped along our trip so I could do just that.  But as we headed up the bluff, away from the river to the vineyard, we broke out into the sunshine once again.  Some of the trees in the area are just starting to show some yellows and golds for fall colors.  From the top of the bluff I was amazed to see the layers in this photograph:  the grape vines are loaded with grapes, the trees are showing some color, the Mississippi River is socked in with fog, and the Wisconsin bluffs are visible on the other side with blue sky above.  It was a beautiful day to be outside picking grapes, visiting our friends and the others that were gathered to help with the harvest.

Sunrise down a gravel road

lindastaatsphotoLeave a comment

County road sunrise7D_13742_StaatsI awoke this morning before the sunrise, grabbed my camera, and headed out the door.  We were in Kansas for a family wedding.  The weather had been as perfect as is possible for August in Kansas – low humidity, sunshine, and temps in the 80’s.  But this morning the air was fresh and cooled, and the fog hung low in the valleys.  As I drove down gravel roads, the dust hung in the golden air and the sunlight glistened off the telephone lines and the grasses.  My nephew and his lovely bride were married in a garden setting yesterday, surrounded by family and friends.  It was lovely and it was just as they had hoped – a true expression of who they are individually and who they are as a couple.  As I was greeting the morning with an appreciation of the scenery and a new day, I was hoping that this first day of their life as husband and wife would be a beautiful omen of their future together.  Congrats to them; and I’m so proud of their family that has showered them with love.