On a beautiful summer’s evening this past week we ventured north to the National Sports Center Velodrome to watch the cycling races. The Velodrome track is made of narrow strips of a specialized wood that has 43-degree banking in the turns, and the bicycles that are ridden here have no brakes and only one gear. The racing we saw was fast and furious along with a requisite amount of strategy and planning. The riders, both men and women that race here give it their all. I admire their skill level and the physical endurance they possess. As the riders raced into the evening, the nearly-full moon rose, the sun set and the lights at the track came on. On this warm evening the crowd was entertained with top-notch racing.
Photography
Foxtail barley
Anytime I am in my car my eyes are scanning the scenery and landscape. As I’ve been driving to work this past week I’ve been watching the foxtail barley grasses maturing. Because these grasses grow along the sides of the highways and roads and in the medians, there’s a small window of opportunity to photograph them. Once they get tall enough they are mowed down so as not to impair the sight lines of the drivers. This evening I was fortunate to beat the mowers and had a delightful (and eventful) time of photographing these soft and reflective grasses. What you don’t see in this photo is the state highway just on the horizon behind the foxtail barley. Evidently as someone was driving by they must have noticed me sitting on the ground and worried that something was amiss. The next thing I knew I heard sirens and an EMT was pulling up by the side of the road wanting to know if I was okay. After I assured them I was fine and explained that I was photographing they were on their way. It is nice to know that there are caring people here in Minnesota.
Roses after the rainfall
We’ve had a couple of days of constant and sometimes heavy rainfall. Although it’s wonderful for the lawns it’s also pelted some of the flowers. We have a beautiful John Cabot climbing rose in the backyard that has been full of blooms. With the weight of the rain it has pulled some of the canes so far forward that the blooms have been touching the lawn. Those blooms that were past their prime have been knocked down and have created a carpet of petals on the lawn under the bush. At first I wanted to clean up all the petals, and yet upon a closer look I realized that they were truly quite lovely as they lay scattered about. Sometimes the “untidiness” of nature has lessons for us all to learn.
Peonies and roses of late spring
Our spring garden is in full bloom right now — a delight to all the senses! We have three peony bushes that are all beautiful. The white bush is one we purchased here in Minnesota, but the two pink bushes are from my parents’ yard in Overland Park, Kansas. It’s always a treat to see it bloom and think of them. Our roses are also in full bloom, making for a wonderful and delightful compliment in this arrangement. The John Cabot roses in this image are from a large climbing bush in the backyard. Our early spring and summer weather has the gardens about two weeks ahead of their normal schedule, but I’m not hearing anyone complaining. It is such a treat to enjoy the blooms not only outside in the garden, but to be able to bring them inside to brighten our home.
Earning my fishing license
Yes, I’m finally earning my Minnesota fishing license this year. Last week we were catching northern pike on a northern Minnesota lake. Today we ventured south of the Twin Cities in search of bullheads. Prior to this I don’t believe I’d even heard of bullheads let alone known what they looked like. As it turns out, they’re a bottom feeder similar to catfish. Although they aren’t very big I’ve learned they do like to flop around a lot. On a beautiful sunny early afternoon we headed out on the lake, accompanied by pelicans circling overhead. We paddled our canoe to a likely area for bullhead success. Within a few minutes we had our first bullhead on the line, followed by another and another. Our success was measured by a total of 11 bullheads. I have yet to eat one so I can’t attest to their flavor, but I can say that the fishing adventure was great fun and a delightful way to spend time in the outdoors on a lovely lake.
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