We recently took a special starlight tour of the Minnesota State Capitol Building, one of the most majestic and beautiful buildings in Saint Paul. Designed in the late 1890’s by Cass Gilbert and opened to the public in January, 1905, the building towers over the city. The exterior is made of white marble and granite, and the unsupported marble dome is the second largest in the world. At the center of the first floor, under the massive dome, is a brass and glass star representing the North Star State. We toured the chambers of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court, and we climbed to the roof and the base of the capitol dome to see the golden sculpture that’s called the Quadriga. Titled “The Progress of the State” it is a chariot drawn by four horses representing the powers of nature: earth, wind, fire, and water. At night the statues, which are covered with gold leaf, glow with the warmth of the lights illuminating them. From this high vantage point we could see the Cathedral of St. Paul which is down the boulevard from the Capitol, we could see the lights of the High Bridge spanning the Mississippi River, and we could look across the western sky to the downtown skyline of Minneapolis. It was the perfect late summer night to take in the beauty of this wonderful building and its surroundings.
Photography
Daybreak
I woke up in the dark the other morning, crawled out of bed, slipped on my shorts, T-shirt, and hiking boots and headed out the door with my camera. I’ve replayed this scenario so many times over the years. About 10 years ago I was living in Washington and would drive to Mount Rainier to see the sun rise over the mountains. Now I’m in Minnesota and I drive a few blocks and I’m walking through fields of tasseled corn, the temperature already at 80 degrees. In both instances I’m aware of so much more than the view in front of me. There are smells (whether of towering firs and cedars or agriculture fields) and there are sounds (of the creeks and streams that flow from the melting snow or the wind blowing through the corn and giving the geese thermals to float on). No matter where, there is so much that comes to life as the sun crests the horizon and the day breaks. The smoke from the wildfires in the west has drifted our way, giving our sunrises and sunsets a deeper shade of red and orange. This early-morning-time is ripe with the promise of the day (and the adventures) ahead.
Minnesota State Fair fine arts exhibit
The Minnesota State Fair is in full-swing and summer has made its hot and humid comeback too. But there is always cool artwork to be seen in the Fine Arts Exhibit. I’m happy to tell you that my entry “Single tree island, early autumn” was accepted into the exhibit this year. With a 15% acceptance rate, I feel exceptionally honored that my photograph was juried into the exhibit. If you’re attending the fair, be sure to spend some time in the Fine Arts Building. You’ll be treated to some beautiful, imaginative, creative, and unusual art of many kinds – all created by artists from the state of Minnesota.
Fishing through the sunset
On a warm summer’s afternoon we returned to one of our favorite small lakes for some fishing. Our plan was to fish through the sunset and after dark – something I have never done before. The winds died down throughout the evening and set up for a beautiful sunset, with the colors of the sky reflecting in the quiet of the lake’s surface. We’d shared some dinner in the boat and the fishing had been successful. The light in the western sky faded to black, the near-full moon was high in the sky and we were the only ones still out on the water. We pulled out our fly fishing gear and settled in for some night-time fishing. Our eyes adjusted to the darkness and our ears became our “eyes” as we listened for the fish to take the poppers we laid out on the surface. More reliable for me was feeling the fish tug on the fly line. It was beautiful to be out in the dark; the shoreline was discernible with the moonlight, the lake’s surface was like glass, the stars came out overhead, and the night sounds surrounded us. The experience and beauty of this summer’s evening and night on a small lake were now embedded in our memories.
Casting into the clouds
Yesterday was a day of diverse activities – fishing and a glorious wedding celebration; and yet the two were very connected. As the day dawned to overcast skies and thick clouds, we headed out for some fishing. The cool and the clouds eventually broke up and we fished under an amazing sky brimming with filtered sun and brilliant clouds. Our fishing was successful, and we laughed that our outing was in honor of the bride and the groom for their wedding later that afternoon. This joyful couple celebrated their summer wedding outdoors in a grove of trees, surrounded with family and friends all dappled with sunshine. The bride and groom share a love of nature and especially fishing. And how appropriate that the groom, his groomsmen, and the bride’s proud father all wore decorative fishing lures as their boutonnieres!
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