The weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday have been hectic. Filled with things to do, people to see, places to go, packages to get, and the usual commotion of the season. The tree sat unadorned in the house for a week, asking for my attention. Then family came to visit from Kansas, and I was reminded of what the holiday is really about. My niece helped me decorate the tree; it now sparkles with lights, and the ornaments are carefully chosen in honor of people, places, or times of our lives. The packages got wrapped and wait to be given to those we care about. We filled the days of family with sharing, remembering, laughing, and new adventures — all those things that are familiar and special. And now that Christmas Eve is here, I pause and appreciate the family and friends that are important to me. May your holidays be merry and filled with love, and may good memories stay dear in your heart.
Photography
Moving to winter
Thanksgiving morning we awoke to steel-gray skies and bare grass – on the late end of autumn. As the morning progressed, the first snow began to fall. In sheets of white, it settled on the grass and the trees, the shrubs and the plants. It’s coating was magical and beautiful, as if saying that autumn was past, and winter was moving in. I realized that I was looking forward to winter’s first snowfall, and I felt like a child — I marveled at the whiteness and how it seemed to make everything clean. As I headed out with my camera, the world seemed new to me. The lines between open water and ice were forming. The outline of trees became more noticeable as they were coated in white and stood stark in the landscape. The geese were high overhead, winging their way to open water, fields for food, or further south. And the gray skies overhead kept the sky close in — the time of winter and quiet, the time to reflect and recharge.
Morning hoarfrost
I’ve just returned from a weekend with a collection of girlfriends – time spent relaxing, sharing, and getting caught up. We were outside of Alexandria, Minnesota in the central part of the state. The seasons are changing quickly and while we have no snow in the Twin Cities, there is snow on the landscape in Alexandria where the temperatures have remained below freezing. Gravel roads that once gave up dust are becoming hard and frozen. Lakes are forming ice from the shorelines inward, and the progress is noticeable from day-to-day. I awoke early this morning to photograph, and stepped out into a wonderland of hoarfrost. The trees and vegetation were covered with frost – all outlined in white, and the colors of the sunrise shone on the eastern horizon as day was breaking. A boat had been hauled out of the lake and was in its winter’s resting place, far from the shoreline. In the distance I could hear geese as they were headed south in search of open waters. The change of seasons was clearly noticeable this morning as we are moving closer to the heart of winter.
Mid-November Minnesota fishing
Climate change, global warming, el nino – for whatever reason, today had the promise of sunshine and temperatures in the 50’s – almost unheard of for mid-November in Minnesota. Last year at this time we had a layer of snow and highs near 30 degrees. So when a day comes like today, it warrants savoring. We drove north to Mille Lacs Lake and set out for some end of the season fishing. On the south side of the lake we were protected from the wind that was blowing across the cooling lake. Although we came up short for our fishing luck, we considered ourselves enormously fortunate for being able to enjoy a beautiful day on a big lake. As we were pulling off the lake, the sun was starting to set and painting the sky with beautiful shades of blue and pink. The bare trees, the blue water, and the rocks along the shore all seemed to be celebrating this unusual day for mid-November in Minnesota.
100 years of the McNeely Conservatory
Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the McNeely Conservatory in Como Park. I’ve been fortunate to enjoy it in my neighborhood for the past 10 years, and even in that time there have been many changes. Throughout the seasons the conservatory has welcomed people to its warmth and its plethora of beautiful flowers. In a state where we have a definitive four seasons, it’s been delightful to have an oasis of green and color during the wintertime when our landscape is reduced to black and white. This weekend the Conservatory was filled with the music of 1915 including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Muddy Waters. The changes I’ve seen in 10 years can’t begin to compare to the changes in a century. I trust that the conservatory will be around in another 100 years, and that people will continue to marvel at the Victorian glass houses that have attracted visitors for all these years.
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