Just as the calendar shows us passing the autumnal equinox last week, it seems that nature is truly slipping into fall here in Minnesota. Our nights are getting cooler and the sun is lacking the heat it had even a few weeks ago. Yesterday morning we got up early to drive south to Wabasha, a town that sits right on the Mississippi River in the heart of the bluff country. The air was heavy with moisture and we drove through thick fog in places. As we were going to be helping some friends harvest grapes in their vineyard, we had been hoping for a sunny and warm day. When we arrived at their home overlooking the Mississippi River Valley we were still in the fog, but I was delighted to be able to divert my attention from the grapes to photographing their gardens. These fall-colored mums were in full bloom, and upon closer examination I saw that they were laced with the dew of this damp morning. The fog and low clouds eventually gave way to sunshine and a warm-enough fall day as we worked throughout the morning and afternoon picking grapes. The time passed quickly with conversation amongst friends, and our fingers and hands became stained and coated with the color and smell of the ripe grapes. By the time we drove home after a celebratory dinner preceded by a toast to the wine harvest, the clouds had passed and the sky was filled with a full canopy of stars overhead.
Minnesota
A summer bucket list
I have certain expectations and rites that I associate with the season of summer. My bucket list includes: (1) a baseball game with cold beer and popcorn, (2) putting the canoe in the water, (3) sharing a late-night bottle of wine on the deck, (4) eating cherry tomatoes fresh-picked from the vine, (5) watching a sunset, (6) a bicycle ride on an early Saturday morning that includes a stop for breakfast, (7) fishing (hopefully successfully!), (8) a chocolate malt from the dairy barn at the Minnesota State Fair, (9) swimming or wading or dangling my feet in a cool lake when the temperature is scorching, and (10) sleeping in a tent. Up until last week I’d checked off all my items except the last one, so my mission was to go camping. We ventured off to the southeast corner of Minnesota. Passing through acres and acres of corn and soybeans in the center of the state, we eventually came into the rolling hills and bluff country that’s to the west of the Mississippi River. The landscape is beautiful, with two-lane highways and county roads that curve and twist and go up to the tops of the bluffs and then sky-rocket down into the valleys. We found our way to a Minnesota State Park that’s nestled in one of those valleys – Beaver Creek Valley State Park. The park is situated so the creek flows right through it. Even to get to our tent site the road crossed the creek four different times. We weren’t driving on bridges, we were actually fording the creek and driving through it. We set up our tent at the base of a hillside nestled among the trees. Our days were spent hiking and exploring the park and the valley, along with this far southeastern corner of Minnesota. With all our outdoor activities, hot temps, and warm sunshine we slept well in our tent under the canopy of trees in the valley with the full moon high above in the sky. And just across the road from our campsite we could hear Beaver Creek, babbling its way throughout the campground and the valley.
The joy of library books
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend I needed to return a book to the library. For some reason whenever I return one book I always leave with multiple books — it’s just the way I do things. Today I had a list of books I was hoping to find. I knew I would be happy if just one of those books was available for check out. But today was my lucky day as I found three of my hoped-for books on the shelves. Not to be disappointed though, I found two other books that caught my eye. With a smile on my face I breezed through the self check-out and walked out of the library into the afternoon sunshine. I was surprised by the great feeling and happiness that I felt carrying my pile of books — I felt lucky and fortunate to appreciate the joy of reading and books. You can tell a little bit about me by my selection of books. I have photography books, books about the midwest plains, a couple of books about the canoe and boundary waters area of northern Minnesota, and a book about a woman who returns to her roots in Kansas (my native state). So later this weekend you’ll likely find me relaxing on the deck with a cool drink and immersing myself in one or more of my library books.
Late summer gardening
I was doing some garden work this weekend – pruning flowers, pulling weeds, and trying to tidy up a summer’s worth of growth. We’ve had an unusually wet summer which has allowed some plants to grow like weeds (and even the weeds have been growing prolifically too!). As I was going about my work I was surprised to find this grasshopper sitting and watching all I was doing. He didn’t attempt to jump away, but rather he seemed content to be out in the open and observing. He had a great place to sit, perched on the head of the black-eyed susan. It’s always fun to find creatures in the garden, whether it’s grasshoppers, bees, butterflies, or even the occasional dried shell left behind by a cicada. Within a few weeks many of the creatures will have left the area in preparation for fall and then winter. And hopefully my pruning will be done and the garden beds will be put to rest and covered before the first snowfall.
The art of summer
The other night I came home and found a purple pail sitting by the sidewalk steps. It’s not something that’s usually there but when I peered inside I saw it was full of big pieces of colored chalk. I didn’t think much of it until later in the evening when I saw two of the neighborhood girls drawing hopscotch squares on the sidewalk. Again, I didn’t think much of it….until the next morning. As I headed out the door for an early morning walk I was thrilled to find that the entire sidewalk on our block had been covered with artwork. These industrious young girls had taken their chalk and drawn a meandering path the length of the block and had numbered each square. In some sections the blocks have different shapes and are sometimes side by side. But each and every block is numbered, starting at #1 and ending at #600. I was delighted to see such creative artwork right at our front steps! Although many of us adults wouldn’t think to do what these girls did, they certainly enjoyed this project. It made me think back to the summers of my childhood when I spent countless hours on my bicycle, afternoons spent at the swimming pool in our neighborhood, or the days spent tying together the white flowers from the clover to make a clover chain that stretched from my house to my girlfriend’s house. I flourished and grew up in those summers, and only now appreciate them for all the experiences I’ve carried with me into my adulthood. So to these neighborhood girls I say “thanks – you’ve shared a child’s joy of summer and art with our entire neighborhood.”
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