Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Some friends of ours are doing great video work in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The link is here and in the Places I Love in the sidebar.

No Snow, Just Cold

We didn’t get any of the snow the last few days that some of you got. We did get the cold. Beautiful sunny days; really cold nights. The river refroze. Check out the picture taken on Easter Sunday with the one I posted from 3/26/2007. In thirty years here, living on the bank of the LF river, we’ve never seen a refreeze. Of course, the ice out was several weeks early.

Pileated Woodpecker; ice out on the river

I've been somewhat camera-lazy lately, so I thought I'd better get outside and "record" the changing of the seasons. Monday morning, I could see that the river had risen, but the ice was still floating, in large chunks. But I had to leave for a few hours. When I got back, the ice was gone! That is not only fast, but really early. The state had record breaking temperatures, as much as 10 degrees above the previous record.

But the camera was out and I did record a few interesting sights; whether they are good photos is another question.

I could clearly hear the loud call of the Pileated Woodpecker. They are shy birds, but not hard to spot, since their length is about 16 - 19 inches. Their call reminds me of the wild sounds in the background of an old Tarzan movie.

The purple finches are back from their winter travels. The pine grosbeaks are just leaving for the north. And there have been ducks on the river.

Pine and snow.

Not the end of winter.......

yet.

Autumn Ivy, Leaving of another sort

Fabric inspiration, anyone?

Leafy Fall Views

 

Our View

This river may be small, but it is ours and this is our view. Someone with a good arm can throw a rock across it. With the current heat and drought, I could wade across it and not get my shorts wet. But when the water is up a bit, we can actually swim, or at least float in a tube, right here. Up or down stream, it is shallow enough in summer that one's butt drags on the bottom when one sits in an inner tube.

And unlike almost any of you who may read this blog, we could get in a canoe here and paddle to Canada on this river.

If any of you want to know the name and location of this river, please email me privately and I'll answer. 

Why winter is easier than summer....

....If you live at a water-access only cabin.
(Pic. taken by a friend. I don't live at the lake.)

End of Summer, Beginning of Fall

Usually a trickle, now a torrent

Minneopa Fall, Minneopa State Park, Sept. 2005. A few days after 6 - 9 inches of rain fell in the river basin.

Daytime "star"

Morning at Minneopa State Park, Sept 2005

Reflected Sky, Lake Vermilion

Ohhh, Chilly. Fall is in the air. Ice on the grass this morning. Picture taken by my friend Dave O, Lake Vermilion. Don't fall in. Just enjoy.

World Trade Center Tribute

Taken at the World Trade Center Site Oct. 2003. The cross shows hope.

Peaceful Sky

Every morning the first thing I check is the sky. I always want to know if the sun will be out and the evidence is whether the sky is blue and/or if the sun is highlighting the tops of the trees. One can't really look at the sun directly for very long, nor take a photo of it with amature photo equipment. There are so many things we have to "know" by studying other evidence.

These days, the sun is getting up later and later, so during my first look at the sky, I may see the pre-sunrise light. I also look to see evidence of the wind.

These sky pictures were taken late morning.

Looking Up

In preparation for the Why is the Sky Blue challenge, I've been looking up. Here is the Northern Minnesota Sky in July, 2005.

Wildlife "at our doorstep"

The River.