We always enjoy our trips to Lake Superior. We never grow tired of sitting on the rocks, watching the waves roll in. Or crash in…depending on the weather.
And I seem to always get caught up in looking at the rocks…large and small, that roll onto shore with the waves. I love how the rocks feel so smooth after years and years of tumbling in the water. I like their colors too.
Beautiful Lake Superior rocks.
For years we had a great spot, near a cabin we rented, where we could collect fairly large stones and brought them home; a few each year. We used them to line our back garden.
Lake Superior rocks lining our garden in the back.
I also have accumulated smaller rocks that I pocketed here and there. They were adding up so I started to place them around our front flowers, but due to some work we had done recently we had to remove them. I took the smooth stones and created a new apron for our shed.
Shed apron before….
The original shed apron was a conglomeration of pieces of limestone and other rocks I’ve found in the area. Over the years I just started putting them by the door of the shed and it eventually formed an apron. I liked the idea and decided to pull out all the old mismatched rocks and remake the apron with our pretty Lake Superior Rocks.
The new stone apron. This will grow larger as more rocks are collected!
It was a fun project and I was pleased with the result.
Apparently the city of Faribault has been hosting concerts in the park for over 100 years. That’s impressive. Currently the outdoor concert series are held at Central Park. I don’t know if the concerts have always been at that location, but it is lovely, and there is a permanent band shell there.
An email from the Kings of Swings announcing their gig.
We were alerted the band scheduled to play last week was a popular Faribault band, Kings of Swing. We have heard the band several times before and really liked their music so we packed up some drinks, a snack, our lawn chairs and headed to Faribault’s Central Park. We found a shady place to sit back, relax, and listen to some great, jazzy music.
The band shell in Central Park.
It was well-attended and people did cooperate by physical-distancing themselves from others. There were folks of all ages enjoying themselves. We saw, and talked, to a few friends we haven’t seen since March, the beginnings of this pandemic. That was special too.
And we really enjoyed sitting there people-watching. Near us was a woman with a big bubble wand, creating giant bubbles and having a good time, while providing enjoyment for onlookers too.
A child at heart…
Every once in a while a couple would get up to dance to the music together, on the lawn.
Dancing to the music.
There was an over all sense of merriment in the air, so for an hour and a half we listened to some great music and the only way you knew we were in a pandemic was the presence of physical- distancing and some folks wearing masks.
A beautiful evening in Central Park, in Faribault.
This was the last concert of the summer series, although they announced a couple encore concerts planned for September 3 and 11.
I’m grateful the city of Faribault continued with their summer concert series in spite of the pandemic. It was a nice way to spend an evening. It felt “normal.”
The honey locust tree in our front yard, placed purposely outside our kitchen window 25 year ago, quickly became one of our favorite trees.
This is a view of the front of our house in 1994. You can see the honey locust tree, one of the three spruce trees and a maple tree in the back that we planted when we moved in, in 1994.This photo is from the same viewpoint as above in 2020, after the locust was trimmed.
We planted several trees in our yard back then, and we are very happy we did. They were small trees, and now they have grown to be very large trees! A realtor once said the best kind of tree is the one planted 20 years ago.
The honey locust before it’s big trim.
But many branches of our beloved locust tree have been slowing dying in the past few years so we needed to decide if we cut it down… or trim the dead branches off and hope it starts growing again. We had a hard time thinking of cutting it down so we chose the latter.
The dead branches on the honey locust.
It was interesting to see three workers and two huge trucks show up at our house. One truck settled into the driveway. It had a cherry picker bucket that hoisted one guy towards the tops of the trees to start cutting the dead wood.
Trimming the honey locust.
Two guys went at the trees fast and furious and seemed to know what they were doing (we only hope!). Another worker piled up the branches for the other truck to extend an arm with a claw and pick up all the debris then haul it away.
Our newly trimmed honey suckle, looking good in the evening sun.
And since the tree trimmer was coming we decided to have our crabapple tree get a good trim too.
The crabapple tree before it’s major trim.
The crabapple tree after its trim.
I had an errand to run so I left before the workers were done and I came home to a cleaned up yard and two smartly trimmed trees about 45 minutes later.
Our honey locust, trimmed. I think my flower bed is back to a sun garden…
We will hope it isn’t too much of a shock for our honey locust and that it will start thriving again.
My friend and writing companion, Sheri Eichhorn, and I have a lot of fun writing haikus for just about any word. Haiku is a writing pattern of 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Here are a few summer time haikus…I wrote a few and so did Sheri.
Shade from the hot sun
Wonderfully delicious
and very welcomed. (VB)
Bright, sunny flower in a garden in Colorado.
Sparkles in the night
There is magic in the air
Twinkling fireflies. (VB)
Fireflies at night
Blinking in the forest glen
It is enchanting.(VB)
This is a unique card, received from a friend.
Bicycles ask us
to be both the passenger
and provide the fuel. (SE)
Two wheels on a frame
Around and around they go
Bicycles are fun.(VB)
Bicycles never
run out of fuel until
you climb off the bike. (SE)
And since this is the summer of the pandemic, a few haikus about that…
A “masked statue” in Golden, CO.
Pandemic. That word...
it hurts to hear it, it hurts
to know—it lives here. (SE)
Global pandemic
Novel coronavirus
Took us by surprise.(VB)
The distance we’ve come
from normal with this virus
feels too much too far. (SE)
I like coffee…and coffee shops. So does my husband. My town, Northfield, supports six coffee shops for 20,000+ people. It seems coffee shops are one business that usually “makes it” in small towns.
An antique creamer filled with milk set next to a coffee cup for perspective.
I remember traveling with my parents when I was younger and going to cafes in small towns, where my mom and dad would get their coffee. At that time there was only one kind of coffee to choose from (well…maybe two…caffeinated and decaffeinated). If you wanted cream it came in little, individual glass bottle sealed with a paper cap. I liked to drink any left over cream my dad didn’t use in his coffee.
It seems coffee shops are the new “cafes”. It’s easier to find a coffee shop in small towns, than a cafe.
This coffeehouse had curbside apeal.
On our way home from our recent road trip to Colorado we decided to get off the interstate for the last 400 miles of our drive. Instead of staying on Interstate 80 we took back roads through parts of Nebraska and Iowa into Minnesota. We made fine time with less traffic and less rush.
In the entrance to Milady Coffeehouse is a mural of the May brothers, and three antique bicycles on display, which we always like to see.
On road trips usually our first task when we start out is to find coffee. We have a cup of coffee at the hotel but we always look forward to getting a better cup of coffee at a coffee shop.
The kitchen wall and more tables in the balcony.
We scouted out one coffee shop along the new route, not far from the hotel, but when we got there we discovered it was closed on Sundays. So we went on to the next town searching for the next coffee shop, which happened to be Fremont, Nebraska.
Set up for streaming a church service on the big screen.
We were delighted with our find of Milady Coffeehouse in the historic downtown area, not far off our route. It was housed in an old restored building, the May Brothers Building built in 1881, with eclectic décor and delicious coffee choices.
Brick, crystal chandelier and metal art…a fun combination.
It was not crowded so we enjoyed looking around. There was a small stage with a big screen TV and they were preparing to stream a church service, with social distancing. There were groupings of sofa and chairs, counter with stools, hi-top tables with chairs, all around the large gathering space.
A lone person at the window table.A door to separate the space if needed.
The name Milady comes from a brand of coffee that the May brothers sold within the same walls 130 years ago, when it was the May Brother’s Wholesale Grocery. There was an old “Milady” coffee tin and jar on display.
It was a fun diversion for our coffee break that morning, to find such a great place on the back roads. Too bad this wonderful coffee shop is 330 miles away.
While in Colorado we looked for outdoor areas to explore. Red Rocks Park came to our attention so we took the grandchildren along for another adventure.
Driving into the park, through a red rock.
Red Rocks Park is known for it’s naturally formed, world-famous open-air amphitheater.
Looking down from on top of the amphitheater.
This amphitheater is surrounded by huge, beautiful red rock outcroppings which provide natural acoustics and amazing ambience for the amphitheater.
The natural outcropping on one side of the theater.The other side of the theater lined with red rock outcroppings.
We had not heard of this gem and little did we know how famous it was for its concerts (including big name bands and orchestras) and how long it has been in use. It opened in 1941. The Beatles performed there in 1964.
On stage, looking out into the bleacher seating.A natural shelf in the red rocks behind the stage area.
The grandchildren wanted to walk down the many flight of stairs to the “stage area”. We did, and then hiked back up.
Another side view.
There were people sightseeing, and some locals were using the rows of stone bleachers for their exercise routine. The capacity of the theater is 9,525 seats!
It’s hard to get perspective of the vastness of this theater that has 9,525 seats.
Another look down to the stage, and beyond.
The amphitheater is in the Red Rocks Park, which also has hiking and biking trails.
When I mentioned how we enjoyed Red Rocks Park to a friend who previously lived in Colorado, I learned she and her husband had attended a couple of concerts at the amphitheater. I hope to attend some day, when concerts can resume in this beautiful outdoor venue.
Looking up from the stage area into the bleacher seats.
While on a different hike in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado we came upon another outdoor amphitheater called the Sunrise Amphitheater. This was not nearly as elaborate but it was built in a beautiful setting facing east and meant for folks to come and watch the sunrise.
Trolls made a comeback
The vintage trolls went away
but returned transformed.
My three vintage troll dolls.
Before we left on our road trip to Colorado I was going through a closet and found a bag of old trolls. They were the ones from the 1960’s that I used to play with when I was a little girl. I decided I would bring them to Colorado to see if my grandchildren would be interested in playing with them… Zoey was.
The vintage trolls were a big hit. Inside the bag were three “regular-sized” troll dolls, approximately 3” tall with wild hair (well, one troll had thinning hair!), two baby troll dolls, and a lot of trolls-size clothes.
Troll with thinning hair, and a baby troll doll.
I sat down with Zoey to look through the clothes and surprised myself with all the clothes I had made for my trolls, mostly from felt material. I do remember my neighborhood friend, Diane, and I playing with our troll dolls for hours on end when we were growing up, but I did not remember making all the clothes until I saw them again.
Some of the clothes I made for my trolls in the 60’s.
Most of the clothes were cuts in the felt fabric but there were also a couple of outfits that I had stitched together and/or trimmed with sequins and such.
It was very fun for me to look at these pieces of clothing I made for my trolls. I remember the fun we had dressing them up and then changing their outfits. I left my trolls behind in Colorado knowing Zoey was enjoying the trolls too…dressing them up and then changing the outfits.
I know trolls have made a comeback and look a bit different these days. I wonder what The Troll movie is about? I may watch it now that I’ve been reintroduced to my trolls. According to Wikipedia, “The dolls were first created in 1959 and became one of the United States’ biggest toy fads in the early 1960s.”
We have returned from a road trip to Colorado, to visit our youngest son and his family. We had a great time and good weather (hot but dry).
We were happy to watch the kids while our son and his wife took off for a few days. The first day of our time alone with the grandkids, we planned to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. Because of COVID-19 one has to make reservations to drive into the park, which we did long before we left for Colorado. This made the park less crowded than normal. What a perk!
The Rocky Mountains
Our time for entering the park was 10 am (with a grace period). It would take an hour from our son’s home to get to Estes Park, the entrance to RMNP. That morning, we were on our own to get the kids ready. After packing a picnic lunch, finding jackets, getting shoes and sunscreen, loading up the car and getting the kids settled in their car seats, our first stop was at the neighborhood gas station. We pulled up to the pump and stopped. After the busy morning I turned to the kids in the back seat and asked, “OK, how are you guys doing? Are you comfortable?”
Zoey (5) said, “yes” and Ezra (4) said – in all seriousness – “yes, but I’d be more comfortable with a donut!” It made us laugh out loud and we went into the station and bought some donuts!
The Old Fall River Road…one-way, gravel, narrow, along the edge, nine miles long.
The day went well. It was sunny with spectacular views. We drove on the Old Fall River Road, a one-way, gravel road which twists and turns its way up through the mountains.
At 12,005′
At the top we stopped at the visitor’s center and hiked the remaining Alpine Ridge Trail to 12,005’. We had brought some children’s binoculars for the kids and they were a big hit.
Zoey looking through the binoculars.
On our way down the mountain we drove along the Trail Ridge Road, a two-way, paved road. We stopped for lunch in a picnic area, and hiked on another trail along a river.
Forging a creek on a hike.
We had a lot of fun playing in Rocky Mountain National Park with our grandchildren.
Cannon Valley Trail is a favorite bike trail that we ride several times a season.
The CVT is a sanctuary for me. A canopy of trees welcomes me and I feel I’m entering a special space. The trail is mostly shaded, and a lot of it follows the Cannon River, which adds to the ambiance of the trail.
When out of tree cover, the Cannon Valley Trail passes fields of wild flowers. I like that it was an old railroad line and therefore fairly flat, and it’s paved. And… it is close to home. After traveling to other trails to ride in new territory, it is always good to come home to this sanctuary trail.
Recently we discovered another trail that we really enjoyed. It’s the Trout Run Trail in Decorah, Iowa. Although it’s not very convenient location-wise, it is very scenic and now another favorite.
The route is only eleven miles but seems longer because there are many hills on half of the trail. It makes a loop around Decorah and travels through a farmer’s field, rolling hills, and city parks. The vistas at the top of the hills are breathtaking…beautiful landscapes, small farms and fields, winding roads, and green forests.
At the top of the first hill we climbed on the Trout Run Trail.Through corn fields, on both sides of the trail.
This loop also passes Decorah’s Fish Hatchery where the well-known eagle cam is but we couldn’t spot the eagle’s nest. The rainbow trout in the tanks were fun to watch…several tanks filled with hundreds of trout in one tank, all swimming and splashing about. We didn’t see an eagle at the hatchery, although they are often seen hanging out there we’re told.
Deborah Fish Hatchery
However, on our ride through a city park, along the Root River, we spotted an eagle in a field eating, what looked to be, a rabbit, and a vulture was close by waiting for leftovers I guess.
We watched this eagle eating his prey…In this photo the eagle took flight for a short distance.
At the end of our ride on a very hot and humid day, we drove into town and bought ourselves some ice cream from the Whippy Dip, a popular local ice cream place in Decorah.
Ice cream and bike rides go together. It’s a fun treat to look forward to at the end of a ride.
There are several beautiful yellow lilies growing in my front flower garden.
I don’t remember planting them, but I must have. I don’t know the name of them…but I’ve nick-named them “corn lilies” because they remind me of corn stalks. They start to shoot up around the time corn is planted in the fields and they grow very fast, they grow very tall, and their stem and foliage remind me of corn stalks. The blossom is yellow…it’s a mystery to me…I know there is an official name but I like the name I have given them.
They grow tall…
When the corn lilies finish blooming my Star Gazer lilies open up. I remember planting them…they are my favorite lily and I look forward to seeing their blossoms every year. It will be a few more weeks before they bloom.
Another favorite flower that has just started to bloom is my Cardinal Wyszynski clematis. I bought this in memory of my mother and it climbs up the arbor on our deck, opposite the honeysuckle. I love the color of this clematis (and the name).
On my daily walk I pass a lot of gardens and wildflowers and enjoy seeing this perky sunflower in bloom right now.
Matthew 6:28-29 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”
