Gary and I are preparing for our upcoming hiking trip in northern England. We will be walking along the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall, an old Roman wall – a former defensive fortification built in 122 AD by the Romans in Britain, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
Our waterproof hiking boots.
We are breaking in our new hiking shoes, and getting used to carrying our new backpacks. We are hiking into the woods at Riverbend Nature Center in Faribault, or the Carleton Arboretum in Northfield. (Although taking a break during these excessively hot and humid days!)
Into the woods…
On a recent hike in Riverbend, we discovered the giant puffball mushrooms. We found them a few years ago along a trail but haven’t seen them since. It’s fun to find these white, almost perfectly round puffballs that range in size from softballs to soccer balls. Apparently, you can eat them. Although I like mushrooms, I don’t want to try any I find on my own in nature.
A puffball mushroom, with a fly sitting on it for perspective. Thank you fly.
I didn’t stop to identify these beautiful mushrooms with my app.
These two puffball mushrooms were the size of softballs.
Deer and turkeys have crossed our paths, and yellow flowers are in bloom all around us as we walk along the different trails, in both parks.
A deer looks at us before darting into the woods.
I see the beautiful, bright color yellow that surrounds us and purposely think summer…because although I like the fall season, I’m not ready for it. Let’s cherish these lazy, hazy days of summer.
Yellow flowers everywhere…Jerusalem Artichokes, false sunflowers, coneflowers, and goldenrod.
On our recent trip up north, with our sons and their families, I thought about this poem I wrote back in 1998, in the midst of raising children, working, and extended family activities. It rings true today, but maybe I’d add some grandchildren to the scene. 😉
On the sea in Norway, but any body of water will do.
There's No Place I'd Rather Be
There’s no place I would rather be
Than by the shore or on the sea.
For at this place my heart’s alive
My body’s at rest, my soul’s revived.
There’s time to reflect, to think, to pray
And time to watch nature at play.
These retreats are made o-so-fair
As different sounds fill the air.
Rushing water or gentle waves
Is what my body and soul craves.
The songbird always sings its song
And gulls or loons may join along.
Creatures dare to come close you see
When I’m quietly sitting with just me.
Through it all my Creator speaks
And I’d like to be there every week.
My world slows down and I rejoice
To be on shore or sea is my choice.
A photo of me(2016) kayaking in Lake Superior harbor watching the Tall Ships parade.
My love language is quality time. So as I looked around at our two sons, their wives, and our four adorable grandchildren, gathered together “up north” at a house on Leech Lake, my heart was full. It was a blessing for me and Gary to have all ten of us together in the same place for a few days!
A beautiful metal design of Leech Lake on the wall in the house. Leech Lake is one of the largest lakes in Minnesota.
It was fun seeing the four cousins together (ages 8, 7, 6, and 3). They immediately connected and had a blast playing with each other: running around, creating secret forts, playing games, digging in the dirt and, of course, time on the boat; swimming and fishing.
The pontoon boat is tied at the end of the dock.
We enjoyed fires, one in an indoor fireplace the first night, and others outside in a fire-pit.
The nice, permanent fire-pit with comfortable chairs for everyone.
We were able to take several pontoon boat rides; this was one of my favorite things to do. I love being on the water. The kids fished off the pontoon boat and Gary, the biggest kid, caught the biggest fish.
Gary’s northern pike.
We anchored the boat in a spot for swimming. And I jumped into the lake! I’m not sure when the last time I jumped out of a boat and into water. Jumping into the lake was a pretty common activity for me during my growing up years…but not so much now.
Swimming in the lake.
But I did it so I could go swimming with the grandkids. They were a great incentive, and it was fun!
Gathering around a big table each night, and eating dinner, was very special. What a wonderful thing to do, to set apart time and all sit down and eat good food together.
The large dining room table in the center of the “cabin”.
I will cherish the memories we created up north. I am so grateful for this undivided time we had together.
It intrigues me, every time I find a painted rock when I’m hiking, or at a picnic area…or in any unexpected place.
Three of my unfinished rocks among the “teacher’s bunny rock” she painted while she supervised our work.
I mentioned this to a friend and she said she paints rocks and asked if I would like to come over sometime and paint rocks with her. Yes, I said enthusiastically. And she invited three others.
The table was all set for our creative endeavors.
She had all the paint, and brushes, and ideas, for us to be successful in our first-time rock-painting “class”, plus a delightful time was had by all.
We were attentive to our projects and having fun!
I learned some good tips. I will find time to paint more rocks, with fun designs and encouraging words, and place them on trails, or in my fairy garden, or who knows where???
On Saturday Gary and I rode a 25-mile bike loop for Tour de SAVE. SAVE is an acronym for Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. The ride was a fundraiser for this organization.
SAVE: Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
After you registered, you could fill out a pennant to wear, naming a person or persons you were riding in memory of. Both Gary and I have personal connections to people who have taken their own lives, but there were a lot of folks riding for the sake of bringing awareness to suicide.
Gary has ridden this event in previous years. This is a jersey from a different year.
SAVE hosts several types of events, including 5K walk/runs, throughout Minnesota and the US. Click here for a link to their website.
Information signs were posted at the registration area.
We had a beautiful morning to ride. The hot and humid weather moved out and cool, dry air moved in. The rural route took us on backroads, past fields and farms. The blue sky boasted white wispy clouds.
Fields of corn and soy beans, and beautiful blue skies and clouds.
Country roads.
After the ride we met friends for lunch, and then walked to Bridge Square in Northfield to listen to some good band music, put on by the Vintage Band Festival, an annual outdoor music event in Northfield.
Minnesota Pipes and Drums, a musical ensemble consisting of bagpipers and drummers, marching up to the bandshell for their allotted time to play for the crowd.
And, of course, we had a dish of ice cream to wrap up a delightful, summer day.
A great place for ice cream in Northfield.
We were grateful for these wonderful organized events; yet we continue to mourn the loss of loved ones lost to suicide.
The last leg of the 25-mile ride was on the Dundas Trail.
We went to see the movie The Sound of Freedom. It’s based on a true story of one man’s bravery in rescuing children from sex-trafficking.
The message at the end of the movie asks people to tell others to go see the movie so more people become aware of this awful travesty and the 150-billion-dollar business in which the USA is one of the top three places where sex-trafficking is prevalent.
On the shores of Lake Superior, I noticed something unusual in the woods near the cabin. There were wooden, painted fairy doors leaning on the base of three different trees.
The working doors had hinges and a small door knob. I was intrigued. I went to each one and opened the door, but there was nothing behind any of the three doors. I was disappointed.
I went into the cabin, found a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote out three short encouraging messages. I folded the paper in two, and placed one behind each fairy door so the next person to open the door will find a treasure.
We just returned from an amazing time on the north shore of Lake Superior. As I’ve written before, it is one of my all-time favorite places to be. When we arrive at the cabin we rent, I sigh a happy sigh when I walk through the door and see the lake through the floor to ceiling windows. It is a marvelous and breathtaking sight that I never grow tired of. I literally feel a calm come over me. I miss it when I’m not there.
During our time at the cabin, we did what we normally do…we enjoy God’s bountiful creation. We bike and hike, drink our morning coffee on the deck, watch the sunrise, have a bon fire on the rocks, relax, read good books, eat delicious food overlooking the lake, and just sit and look at the lake.
I had good intentions of cleaning up my computer files, or deleting photos off my phone, do a little writing, but none of that happened. The lake is alluring and mesmerizing, and we can just sit and do nothing but enjoy the vista for hours…and so we do, and we do not worry about getting anything accomplished. I believe we are being rejuvenated from the inside out.
We traditionally go up to the north shore in September but this year we had reservations in July. The weather was cooler than normal for July, the sunrise is earlier in July…5:20ish…and different kinds of flowers are blooming in July…like beautiful lupines, perky daisies and bright yellow bird’s-foot trefoil.
A photo exposition follows:
A view outside the cabin. I was pleased to see lupines on the property. We started seeing lupine along Scenic Drive as we were driving up. Lupines are not in bloom in September, when we are usually at the cabin.
Seagulls are an added treat to watch.
One of our hikes…overlooking Oberg Lake in summer, 2023.
This is same overlook of Oberg Lake in autumn, 2019.
Streets lined with gold…Highway 61, back roads and bike trails were lined with bird’s-foot trefoill. It was impressive.
This is a bridge on the new section of the Gitchi-Gami bike trail, which we rode on from Cutface Wayside Park into Grand Marais.
Temperance River…a hike we always enjoy, along the gorges of this wild river.
Sunrise on July 16, 2023 at 5:24 am.
We enjoy a bon fire on the rocks outside the cabin.
Clear water reveals the rocks underneath the waters of Lake Superior.
Our hike to Caribou Falls…down 156 steps to see this beautiful waterfalls, then back up 156 steps! It’s worth it. It’s gorgeous.
We enjoy the deck off the cabin.
The lupines outside our cabin…
Our son Tim took a photo of lupines and a single daisy years ago…it was fun to recapture a similar posturing.
Lake Superior…some days it’s calm, other days it’s not…somedays it’s gray, other times it’s blue, sometimes it’s somber…sometimes it’s glistening… with everything in-between. And, sometimes it all happens in a day. (I told Gary these are the kind of glistening diamonds I like.)
I’m so grateful for our time on the shore of Lake Superior.
The other day we rode a new-to-us bike trail, beginning at the west end of the Spring Lake Park Reserve, near Hastings.
A monarch butterfly on butterfly weed. How appropriate.
This beautiful trail meanders along with a prairie on one side (complete with bison), and the Mississippi River on the other. It was hilly, but fun… and is now one of my new favorite trails.
Bison and baby bison (calves).
The prairie wild flowers were in full bloom, bountiful, and showing off. That was a perk, as was having the Mississippi River, on the other side of the trail.
Rudbeckia…or Black-eyed Susan.
But the biggest bonus, and surprise, was at the trailhead where we planned to eat our picnic lunch. There is a bison paddock there where eight bison were brought here to live in a very large, penned-in area.
Mother and babe…maybe…all adults together care for the young.
On this day, we were fortunate to see all eight of them, plus four calves, up close sitting right in front of us as we ate our lunch. Locals told us it was unusual to see them so close.
Up close…
The Bison are being reintroduced to this area where they once lived. They seem to draw a lot of interest. We were told when the project started last fall, they acquired eight females, and four of them were pregnant. Several signs offered different interesting facts about bison.
Standing, lying down, walking around…the bison were active.
The bison were all lying down when we first saw them. And then they would get up and move around. They were fun to watch. A couple hours later when we got back from our bike ride, all twelve were gone, and nowhere to be seen.
A bison calf.
The space where they are corralled is a vast prairie land where they can roam, and are often hidden from view. The beginning mile, or so, of the bike trail is along this paddock.
Cone flowers, black-eyed susans, fleabane…
Seeing the bison, and the river, and the wildflowers, created a great impression for our first ride on this trail. The temperatures had cooled off too, with low dew points. It was awesome.
Prairie Clover, with a beautiful butterfly I could not identify.
I took time on our way back to stop and take pictures of the gorgeous flowers. Often there were butterflies or bees on the flowers.
I didn’t identify this flower.
There were so many different species, and colors, shapes and sizes. I decided to take only a few pictures since I had to keep getting on and off my bike. 😉
A metal Bison sculpture seen along the bike trail. The yard was full of metal art. The artist was identified as Dale Lewis.
This trail is one we will ride again and again, I’m sure. It will be interesting to see how often we see the bison herd, and to see how the landscape changes throughout the seasons.
Other bison seen along the trail… Metal sculptures: Dale Lewis
So fun to see…The bison were all gathered in this one corner of the paddock, near the trailhead.
My corn lilies, as I call them, are in full bloom. I made up their name…to me it is a fitting name as they are tall and the flowers are yellow. I could look up the official name, but I don’t want to. 😉
A perspective as to how tall these lilies grow!
I have grown to really like my corn lilies, but I don’t remember planting them. I do believe they were planted by a bird or something (perhaps a squirrel?). I look forward to them blooming each summer, about this time when corn in the fields is growing tall too.
My beloved corn lilies….
And more corn…when I was a child in the 50’s & 60’s, we all knew the adage, “Knee high by the Fourth of July”. Even us city kids knew the saying. Back at that time, the saying had meaning to the farmers…it was an indication of how well their crops were doing. If not knee high by the the beginning of July they would start to be concerned.
Gary, outstanding (!) in a cornfield on July 5, 2023.
But now-a-days… corn is much higher by July 4. Is it because of the hybrid seeds, new farming methods, more fertilizer? All possibilities. What I know is, the other day as we rode our bicycles past a cornfield we stopped and I took a picture of Gary in the cornfield. The stalks were already taller than him, and he’s 6 feet, 3 inches tall…way beyond “knee high by the Fourth of July”. It was July 5th!
