Ten years ago on July 31st, I invited a man from Saint Paul, Minnesota to a tour of the Tacoma, Washington area where I was living. We spent the day talking and sharing while walking along Commencement Bay and exploring Wright Park and Point Defiance Park. It was a beautiful summer’s day and we became good friends and learned much about each other. As the day was coming to an end, I suggested we go to Gig Harbor and enjoy the full moon-rise over Mount Rainier. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day. Fast forward ten years, and I invite him to dinner to celebrate that first date in 2005. It’s another beautiful summer’s evening, with dinner on a patio in Saint Paul accompanied by yet another full moonrise only this one is more rare being a blue moon. Between dinner and dessert, this same man from ten years ago asked how the evening could be more memorable, and then got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. In these ten years we’ve shared joys and sorrows, births and deaths, and life’s share of ups and downs. We both appreciate all we’ve been through and the love we share. It was easy to answer his question with a “yes.”
full moon
July’s full moonrise
Yesterday was the full moon of July. I’d heard it referred to as the “supermoon” – appearing immense in size due to its proximity to the earth. As rainstorms moved into the area in the afternoon, I had given up any hope of seeing the moonrise. But the clouds parted and the skies cleared about 6:00pm. We had gone out for a night of fishing (which was not so weather-dependent), yet we lucked out in so many ways. The fish were biting, the sunset was beautiful, and it was quickly followed by the rising of the pink full moon. It cleared the trees on the east side of the lake, and let its reflection glisten in the still water below. For a short while it hung in the sky between the trees and the upper clouds, then quickly slid out of sight into the clouds. We stayed on the water for another half hour, and as we headed to the landing the moon cleared the clouds again, this time shining clear and white.
Moonset over the autumn prairie
With delightful autumn weather forecast for the day, we headed out before sunrise this morning to Wild River State Park. This Minnesota park is north of the Twin Cities and is located on the St. Croix River. Although there was the promise of afternoon temps in the upper 70’s, the morning had a cool feel to it. We drove down to the canoe landing on the river and could see the fingers of fog stretching into the air and creating a veil over the fall colors on the Wisconsin shoreline. As we turned the opposite direction facing away from the river, we were greeted by the full moon as it was making its way behind the hillside. The prairie stretched out before us filled with golden grasses; the birdhouses were empty at this early time of the morning. The hillside was brilliant with the colors of fall – golds, oranges, reds – all in a hush before the sunlight brought them out into a blaze of bright color. Silently we watched the moon descend behind the hill and turned our attentions back to the river, accompanied by the geese and the ducks that were flying by.
Blue moon sailing
Every two and half years or so we are treated to a blue moon – the second full moon in one month. With relatively clear skies last Friday night we headed to a nearby lake to enjoy a picnic on the shore and watch for the moonrise. We were joined by a large group of children trying their luck fishing as well as a number of people out bicycling or walking – all enjoying the evening. As luck would have it, a bank of low clouds was hovering on the east horizon, and the moon was hardly visible as it first slipped over the lake. But as it continued its rise in the sky it cleared the clouds and shone brightly, reflecting in the water below, and lighting the path for this sailboat as it made its way back to the marina. A beautiful night and a wonderful way to bring a close to the end of August.
How we celebrate the full moon in Minnesota
This past weekend brought us the biggest and brightest full moon, and we were fortunate to have clear skies. And since it’s Minnesota, and it’s cold here, this is one of the most popular outdoor activities — ice fishing. It’s still a bit unnerving to me to drive out on a frozen lake, but that’s exactly what we did on Saturday night. What we found was a large community of houses and people enjoying the evening with fishing and snowmobiling. And the full moon didn’t let us down — it rose large and beautiful over a calm winter’s evening. Later we unpacked our snowshoes and wandered through a beautiful scientific & natural area near the St. Croix River, illuminated completely by the full moon. It was a perfect way to enjoy a beautiful Minnesota winter’s evening.
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