Yes, it is spring according to the calendar. No, the state of Minnesota must not be subscribing to the usual calendar this year. As I write this, we are having our fifth straight day of snow; some days it’s been snow flurries, and a couple of days we’ve had inches of the heavy white flakes pile up again requiring snow shoveling. Everyone is grumpy and anxious for green grass, blue sky, and temperatures higher than 40 degrees. I was hopeful when I heard and saw my first red-winged blackbird on Tuesday morning. I’m sure he was a bit confused as we all are. With that said, I could NOT bring myself to post yet another photo with snow in it. Instead there’s only a small bit of snow in this photo from Two Harbors. This is the breakwater light at the entrance to the harbors. On a warm evening, it was delightful to watch the sun set behind the clouds and hear the lap of the waters of Lake Superior as they came into the harbor.
Photography
A weekend on the North Shore
Last weekend we decided to go to the North Shore of Lake Superior. We left the Twin Cities Saturday morning in rain, drove through the fog and into the sunshine in Duluth, and drove along the shore to 50 degree temps. We were looking for a unique place to spend the night and found the perfect spot – the Two Harbors Lighthouse Station. Neither of us had spent the night in a lighthouse, and this was the perfect time. This lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake Superior, with the first lighting in April, 1892. The area was a major shipping point for iron ores and the lighthouse was crucial in providing safe passage into Agate Bay Harbor. A keeper in residence was assigned to the lighthouse until 1981 when the Coast Guard fully automated the station. Fourteen years ago the Lake County Historical Society opened the residence as a bed and breakfast, and a unique and wonderful one! Saturday night, as we came “home” to the lighthouse with a sky-full of stars sparkling above, it was easy to imagine what life was like a century ago. On Easter morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and noticed that the sky was fluctuating between sunshine and snow showers. Spring is fickle this year, and especially in northern Minnesota. When we left the lighthouse we drove inland on county backgrounds, going in and out of the snow squalls, reminding ourselves that spring will be arriving. Eventually.
Spring’s welcome
I awoke on the first day of spring, stepped outside, and inhaled. Brrrrrrr; the temperature was 4 degrees and all the hairs on the inside of my nose froze. As I looked around, the landscape was knee-deep in snow. There was nary a blade of grass to be seen or a flower shoot to encourage to grow, but there was a blue sky above and a bright sun shining. Spring (as commonly defined with blooming trees, flowers, and green grass) has not physically arrived in Minnesota yet…we remain hopeful. Rather than post another photo of snow, I went searching for evidence that we were at least starting the transition from winter to spring. I headed to the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul where I joyfully found it is not frozen solid, but the water is actually flowing in this area. There were chunks of ice drifting by on their journey southward from our cold northern climes. As I stopped and listened I could hear geese calling and I saw ducks flying into the open water. And there was also a hint of warmth in the bright sunshine. Soon our snow will be gone and we will see green grass and green leaves and know that spring truly has arrived.
Picnic in the snow
Our wintry landscape added another 10 inches of snow last Monday and Tuesday. The snow started lightly but it quickly became much heavier, and continued for almost 24 hours. The end result was a beautifully outlined landscape with snow up to your knees and drifts that were deeper. After it was over, I ventured to the picnic grounds at Como Park. The snow was piled deep to the benches, leaving the picnic tables to appear like they were floating atop the drifted snow. And the trees were graced with the wet snow that was clinging to their bark and branches. It was quiet and peaceful at this time, waiting for the transition from winter to spring and the people who will be flocking to the area for picnics in the park.
Orchids
I took some time this morning to photograph at the McNeely Conservatory at Como Park. Their winter flower show is always a welcome breath of bright colors and greenery, helping us get through the cold months of winter and snow. I spent over an hour in the Sunken Garden photographing the pink cyclamen, the blue pansies, and the gold and maroon primroses that were all blooming brightly. And I was joined by many others too as we all were soaking in the promise of spring. As I was leaving the gardens I noticed a collection of orchids that were arranged on a table near the exit. There was nothing special about them, but they caught my eye. The diffused light was coming in at an angle across the hallway, and it appeared to me that the orchids had arranged themselves. Their delicate stems gracefully supported the blossoms that arched upward as well as the blossoms that hung delicately over the edge of one of the pots. Their casual arrangement struck me as a beautiful sight – a pleasant contrast to the planned and orderly display of flowers in the Sunken Garden.
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