We moved into our house 25 years ago and we were younger then! I have always liked our house. Lately I realized having a hand railing at the front door would be a nice touch for us and for our guests. There are a couple of steps to navigate so having something to hold on to would be helpful.
For 25 years there was no railing by the front door.
So, several days before the 8″ October snowfall, we went off to the big box store to buy a railing and hardware.
The railing before it was painted.
My husband went to work. First, the railing was measured and cut to size. Then some circular extensions were needed to be cut out so the hardware spacing was “up to code” as to how far the railing came out from the wall. Next the oak wood was primed, then painted, then put up with extra long screws.
The finished railing.
It turned out well. It’s a great addition, and improvement, to our house.
Lingering thoughts from the glorious, snowless, time up on the north shore…
Sparkles, like dazzling diamonds, are twinkling in a wide swath on the waters of Lake Superior, reflecting the sun. It is one precious view that money can’t buy.
Sparlking water.
The white foam waves clap against the rocky shoreline, producing a lovely sound and creating dancing droplets in the air. The blue water mirrors the blue sky and the temperatures are above normal for October.
White foam wavesCool blue gentle laps.
Gold leaves, like coins, carpet the hiking trail that leads up the Minnesota mountain through leafless trees to the top. Once on top the views are stunning. The yellow birches and dark evergreens create the gorgeous contrast for this time of year.
Golden trails.
All along the shore, there are only a few maple trees with colors of red and orange but it is the yellow leaves mixed with the evergreens that create the new and different pattern for us along the shore of Lake Superior.
Yellows and greens and blues, o my.
This wondrous place always takes my breath away and is always hard to describe…my soul feels at home in this holy place and I’m so grateful to be in the moments that pass too quickly up here on the north shore… a reflection of God’s glory.
Twinkle, twinkle.
I often try to describe how spectacular it is through words and photos but they do not do it justice. But then, who can describe the Lord?
Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
The Oberg Mountain trail is one of our favorite hikes on the north shore. It’s a fairly easy 2.2 mile hike…climbing up and circling around the summit. There are eight fantastic overlooks along the loop trail. Some places look out over Lake Superior….
Leveaux Mountain from the top of Oberg.
…other areas view the inland forest and Oberg Lake. It’s a hike that never disappoints and is always enjoyable.
Looking inland towards Oberg Lake with the colorful maples past peak.
This year as we approached the top I saw a sign posted that looked like it could be another Story Walk – like the one we discovered at Forestville State Park a few weeks ago.
However, the sign project on top of Oberg was not a storybook walk. It was referred to as a themed hike.
Along the trail several signs were posted near trees to identify them and talk about their characteristics, or tell stories about their species. The United States Department of Agriculture logo was listed on each sign so I assume it was their project, in collaboration with the Forest Service.
I’ve often thought, while hiking through the forest, that it would be helpful if all the trees and flowers and bushes and plants in the forest could all have little signs identifying themselves – so I liked the concept of this themed hike.
Although I can identify a lot of the common trees there are many more trees I do not know.
I’ve noticed these sweet, little seedlings growing next to the trail. They are soft and elegant.
I was happy to learn about these precious, little pine trees I have seen lining the hiking trails. Sign number 10 identified them as Princess Pine…a fitting title I think.
Over all there were eleven trees highlighted on this trail: White Cedar, Mountain Maple, Quaking Aspen, Beaked Hazelnut, Sugar Maple, Red Pine, Black Ash, Balsam Fir, White Spruce, Princess Pine and Paper Birch.
According to the last sign they plan to create another themed hike about a different topic…hopefully next year.
I’m thankful for these intentional ways different organizations are helping the public learn about nature, out in nature.
Here are some photos from our time up on the north shore of Lake Superior. Some stories (and more photos) will follow later, but for now I want to share some pictures of the various sunrises and some of the spectacular colors we enjoyed while up north. The beauty is indescribable.
The sunrise on the first day.
The sunrise on the second day.
Some colorful foliage along the shore.From the top of Oberg Mountain overlooking the lake with yellows from the birch/aspens in contrast with the evergreen trees.
A lone tree in it’s glory against the fall blue sky.
Another view of the yellow and dark green combination.The awesome Lake Superior.Beauty along the roads close to the lake. There are maple trees inland but their colorful leaves had been blown off the trees.
Except there was an occasional maple tree in full color near the lake.
Sunrise on the third day; the sun clouded over but soon broke through.Tamarack trees, also know as larch trees; they are deciduous trees with needles that turn yellow in autumn and fall off.
Tall red pines, mistakenly called Norway pines by the immigrants from Norway because they resembled trees back in Norway.
Dramatic morning light as it get closer to sunrise.Finally, the sun pops up…and it melted the clouds away that morning, making way for another clear and beautiful day on the north shore.
I’m delighted to be up on the north shore of Lake Superior. We are in our happy place. I’ve been anxiously waiting for our time to check in, relax and be renewed in this very special place.
My happy place.
The drive up was gorgeous…many golds and yellows leaves along the highway, interspersed with evergreens. The beautiful sunny sky and warm October day added to our pleasure.
Beauty along the highway.
We made our usual stops along the way: Canal Park in Duluth…
Duluth’s aerial bridge.
The light house at Canal Park.
A ship coming to port in Duluth.
…Gooseberry Falls State Park for a picnic lunch, Black Beach and then Tettegouche State Park for a quick hike before arriving at our beloved rental cabin on the shores of Lake Superior.
Gooseberry Falls.
Black Beach.
Once we unpacked and settled in we were looking through the books at the cabin and one stood out in particular… we laughed that this book was in our cabin. The title? Outwitting Squirrels. This adds to our reading pleasure during this 2020 squirrel capturing season.
The book we found in the cabin…how appropriate for our squirrel adventures this summer.
We have always enjoyed buckling ourselves into our car seats and taking scenic drives, heading out of town on country roads. It’s fun to see the varied landscapes in our great state.
Photo taken last week, on the outskirts of Northfield.
When the pandemic took hold we started to take more frequent rides to get us out of the house.
Dramatic clouds over the corn field.
Last week we drove a short 20 miles loop around Northfield and were mesmerized by the sky. These dramatic photos were snapped when we quickly pulled over to the side of the road a couple of times.
The colors and lighting of these clouds are beautiful.
This particular evening we were on a road where you could see a whole lot of sky. The sky is always fun to watch. It has so many displays: blue with soft, white, fluffy clouds or clear blue with no clouds, and sometimes stormy skies with dark, angry clouds.
This is what the sky looked like when we left our house.
On our way back to town we saw this gorgeous sunset.
Evening of September 30, 2020.
I’m compelled to include the photo below, taken in July 2018 (pre-pandemic) on a drive west of Northfield. It was eerie. Soon after I took the photo it began to rain. Fortunately it was not a tornado.
We entered Forestville State Park into the GPS system in our car and ended up on a dirt road in the middle of two tall cornfields with the system declaring we had “reached our destination!”
Following the red truck down the gravel road.
We pulled over and as we got out our map, a red pick up truck pulled up along side us and stopped. We rolled down our window and he asked, “Are you looking for the state park? “ We said, “Yes.” He said, “Follow me.” So we did. He stopped a couple miles up the road at his farm and gave us directions from there to the park. He laughed and told us he meets the nicest folks at the end of his driveway… every weekend. They find themselves where we did, in the cornfields looking for the state park.
The beautiful golden cornfields under an interesting sky.
Along our route that morning we saw colors of autumn. Yellow, red and orange leaves on the trees and stunning golden corn stalks in the fields so we didn’t mind this beautiful detour… and we did find the state park.
Once there we met up with friends. They greeted us with a campfire. We planned to do some hiking.
Along the Story Walk trail.
The park has set up a wonderful Story Walk along one park trail. I had seen this Story Walk idea in Faribault. I had checked out a few storyboards downtown. The title of the featured book in Faribault was Eric Carle’s, From Head to Toe.
My comfy slippers.
(That morning in Faribault has a side story… I left our house and drove 25 minutes south to Faribault to run some errands. When I got out at my first stop I realized I had my slippers on! It was too far to go back home and change shoes so I ran my errands in my slippers!)
I purchased the book.
Back to Forestville State Park. The book featured on the Story Walk was One North Star by Phyllis Root.
Look for “Eight yellow pond lilies float, seven great blue herons…”
Each page of the book was placed behind plastic on a sign staked to the ground, spaced several hundred feet apart on the trail.
Look for “Nine mosquitoes whine, eight small cranberries…”
As you walk along the trail you stop to read another page of the story. This book is a beautifully illustrated, counting book featuring Minnesota animals and flowers. We stopped at each page to read and count. It was fun!
“Who else lives here? You do.”
I enjoyed the book so much I bought a copy at the park office.
I can only imagine how much fun this Story Walk would be for children. It is engaging. We were wishing our grandchildren were along, hiking this Story Walk trail with us.
