While driving up north you leave the busyness of the city and daily routines behind, and life slows down. The scattered lakes among evergreen trees, blue skies, fresh air, loon calls and the full, super moon reflecting on the water…
Morning has broken…offering an easy, peaceful feeling.
…all its natural beauty reenergizes and restores…and it feels a little closer to heaven.
So, when I saw a coaster with the saying “Heaven feels a little closer at the lake” I immediately purchased it for my friend. Every year she invites me to her cabin on Daggett Lake, near Crosslake, Minnesota, and every year it does seem we are a little closer to heaven while we are there.
And so it was again, this past week, up at the lake.
There was a twist in plans this year, for an annual get away (this would be #36) with my friend Frances. During the past year, she and her husband moved to Vermont. We wondered, what will we do for our trip this year? Then, there was a fundraising auction and she won a bid for a beachfront condo.
Beachfront condo…
She asked if I wanted to join her on Fenwick Island, a coastal resort town in Delaware. Sure, I said, even though I had never heard of Fenwick Island. And then, we decided to include our husbands…that was the twist…that was new for us…and we had a delightful time.
The four of us…
The criteria for our get-aways include three things: some body of water to enjoy, thrift stores and/or antique shops to peruse, and gardens to meander. Would Fenwick Island meet these criteria?
The Atlantic Ocean
The condo was facing the Atlantic Ocean and we had lovely weather so we could walk along the beach and sit on the balcony… a wonderful fulfillment for our water requirement.
We had a fun time trying on matching shirts (which we did buy).
One day all four of us drove to a nearby, historic town with tree-lined streets, and quaint boutiques – we found sidewalk sales and ice cream. Another day we left the husbands behind, and sought out the thrift stores and antique shops we always enjoy. There is usually no problem finding these kinds of stores anywhere.
A landscape by Piet Oudolf, a Dutch garden designer.
The third requirement is all about gardens, and we found out the Delaware Botanical Garden was only a half an hour away! How convenient.
Could this be Nessie???
The four of us walked the trails, and in addition to lovely flowers, there were other surprises along the way.
This “nest” was created as an outdoor classroom at the botanical garden.
Apparently two volunteers at the botanical garden are clever at creating sculptures with natural materials from the forest floor. They were very creative, and fun to discover as we meandered through the grounds.
A turtle – a clever use of tree trunk slices for the turtle’s shell, with green moss in-between the spaces.
A snail…
A spider and its web…
Another blessing was seeing the nearly full moon (officially the following evening) over the Atlantic Ocean, the night before we left Fenwick Island.
Grasses and sand dunes, ocean, moon…
We could see its refection on the wet sand…so amazing.
Moon’s reflection on the sand.
Our criteria was met…we had a great time…with added blessings.
Our trip to Duluth to see the Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” also provided an opportunity to witness some beautiful and interesting scenes of the magnificent Lake Superior.
We walked the sandy trail to the shores of Lake Superior on Park Point.
Sand and snow on the shore of Lake Superior.
A sandy beach on Park Point, Lake Superior.
We arrived on a bright and sunny day. Except for an small accumulation of snow -remnants of a recent snowfall- the shores of Lake Superior look like an ocean beach. There were no tropical temperatures though!
Lake Superior scene from our balcony.
Moonrise over Lake Superior.
As the sun set, the skies remained clear so we could see the full moon rise and shine (however, the clear skies kept the temperatures below freezing!)
Morning light: 6:39 am the next morning.
The next morning a cloud bank appeared over the lake.
Morning light: 7:10 am
The silhouette of a ship in the mystical misty fog rising from Lake Superior.
A freighter heading towards the canal in the early morning light.
I went out on the balcony, which faced north, to take a few photos. As I leaned over the balcony and turned to the east, I saw the stunning sunrise and images over the lake.
Sunrise: 7:24 am
Sunrise over Lake Superior.
I’m not even sure how I captured this zoomed photo, but I like it.
I do so enjoy this lake! It’s very entertaining.
Where sky and sea meet on Lake Superior. This photo was taken at 9:10 am, a few hours after the beautiful orange, sunrise.
There are millions of lights in Bentleyville. Here strings of lights were made to look like brick!
Tucked into the middle of a string of mild November days, was one unseasonably, frigid night when the temperature dipped to 9 degrees with windchills of -11*. And that is the night we had arranged to tour Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” in Duluth, Minnesota. When planning this adventure weeks before, we had no idea we’d be walking through this spectacular Christmas light display in freezing temperatures.
The full moon and the tall, center tree of Bentleyville, which changes colors constantly. photo by ta.
We packed all our warm winter gear and headed up to northern Minnesota. We had reserved a hotel room within walking distance of Bentleyville. It was a clear night with a beautiful full moon.
The full moon rising over Lake Superior (11/27/23, 5:33 pm)
As we left our hotel, the temperatures were dropping, and the winds were picking up, and we could feel the strong, freezing wind gusts (17 miles an hour).
We entered Bentleyville through this tunnel of lights.
A tree farm light display…
But we did it! We walked to the event. We walked all around the event in the cold. And we had fun, and felt a sense of accomplishment too. Bentleyville is an impressive place. Explore Minnesota informs that Bentleyville is America’s largest free walk-through (Christmas) lighting display.
So many lights and so much to see.
Bentleyville was celebrating its 20th anniversary. Nathan Bentley started the “Tour of Lights” in 2003 at his farm outside of Duluth. Each year he added more and more lights. It grew bigger and better every year, and of course, became more popular. Duluth’s Mayor invited him to move his display to the Bayfront Festival Park in 2008, and so he did.
One of my favorite light displays…there were many!
Another favorite: This ornament was stunning.
As we walked through tunnels of lights looking at all the different theme displays, cheerful Christmas music was playing making it even more festive…we could hardly mind the frigid temperatures.
This tunnel had pretty blue icicle lights.
Free cocoa, cookies and popcorn were handed out. There were fire pits burning in different places, but because the wind was so strong it was hard to get warm, even next to the fire.
One of the many fire pits around Bentleyville.
We did snap a few pictures, but quickly put our mittens back on…the fingers got cold very fast!
Because it was so cold outside, there was no line to see Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus.
Back at the hotel we took off our many layers of jackets and scarves, hats and mittens, and made ourselves some hot chocolate and sat by fireplace in the lobby. We felt invigorated, while warming up by the cozy fire.
A Viking Ship. So many displays including: a manger scene, the Duluth lift bridge, dinosaurs, Disney characters, sea creatures, and much more. I can’t even begin to describe how many lights displays there were.
A reindeer waving from a classic car.
We can say we had merry time in spite of the freezing temps – which just made it more memorable. We’re hardy Minnesotans after all!
Dubuque is Iowa’s oldest city. It was founded in 1833, 13 years before Iowa became a state. The French-Canadian fur trader names Julien Dubuque was instrumental in settling the area, thus its name.
The city has designed a lovely river walk in Port Dubuque, along the Mississippi River. On my recent trip there, my friend and I walked along it several times.
The River Walk along the Mississippi River.
We also sat on benches and watched a lot of river traffic…barges, tugboats, speedboats, etc. I always enjoy watching the “boats go by.”
This recreational boat looks so small next to a long barge and tugboat, on the Mississippi River.
The Shot Tower.
The Shot Tower is located one end of the river walk. It is a national landmark, being one of only a few remaining historic shot towers in the United States.
A visual of how the shot tower made lead shots.
I recently learned what a shot tower is, and found it interesting. According to the plaque, “The Shot Tower was constructed in 1854 to manufacture lead shot ammunition. Molten lead was poured from the top of the tower and passed through a series of sieves to form the shot into its proper size. The shot then landed in a tank of cold water at the bottom of the tower.” Thus, making the ammunition.
“Solidarity” mural.
There are 30 murals around town, resulting from an event called “Taking it to the Streets”. We noticed several of the murals. I assume there would be a map at the chamber of commerce so one could locate all of them and learn about them. We did not look into this, but there was one mural directly across from our hotel. It was titled Solidarity. It was painted by 75 volunteers, painting side-by-side in one- hour shifts, on this paint-by-number style public art piece; 105’ long X 25” tall.
The Town Clock.
We walked by the Town Clock. This Town Clock was originally erected in 1873 on top of a building on Main Street, then the clock was moved to the Town Clock Plaza in 1971, where it is today. The clock supposedly maintains accurate time within half second. It stands 110’ tall.
The Grand Opera House, still offering live performances (pre and post Covid of course.)
We also walked by the Grand Opera House which was built in 1890. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Closer look at the Grand Opera House stone design.
A super moon was scheduled to rise on our last night in Dubuque, so we purposely went to find a bench on the river walk to sit and watch the full moon rise over the Mississippi River. It did not disappoint!
The full, super moon rising over the river.
We had a wonderful time in this historic river town…There is so much more this city has to offer. We’ll be back.
I mentioned the special trip my son gave me as a birthday gift one year, before either of my sons were married. It was a significant birthday and my oldest son said he’d like to take me to London. I had been there once before, when we visited him after his semester studying at Oxford University. I enjoyed London a lot and was excited to be going back. This was a wonderful, thoughtful gift. What I didn’t know is I was in for another amazing gift, and a great big surprise while in London.
An enchanting evening…the London Eye under the full moon, a photo from a page in my album.
Michael and I had spent a lovely, long day in Oxford the day before so we were having a leisurely breakfast the next morning. It was a traditional English breakfast, buffet style, at our hotel. After our first trip to the breakfast bar my son said he wanted another bowl of muesli and I got another cup of coffee. A while later he said he wanted a third bowl of muesli so I had another cup of coffee.
Little did I know he was stalling….and during that third bowl of muesli in comes my younger son. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Tim was living in Mozambique, Africa at the time and in he walks, up to our breakfast table in the London hotel, to surprise me… and I was 100% totally surprised!!! What a moment. I started to cry and then laugh and then excitedly I settled down to visit (my husband had known all about this rendezvous and managed to keep their secret).
Wonderful breakfast surprise.
My two sons and I spent a few more days together in London and some very special memories were made for this mom, that I will never forget and always treasure. My heart was full.
When we planned our mini-trip up north to visit my uncle in Brainerd we decided to swing by the “Lake” on the way home…Lake Superior that is. Yes, it was two hours away but it sounded like a good idea so we did it, and I’m glad.
I took this photo of the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior on Monday after most of the clouds lifted.
I knew of a resort on the lake not too far north of Duluth. We’ve thought about staying there before but it never worked, besides they had a two night minimum stay. But I called last minute to see if they would accept a one night stay and he said yes. And, he included an early check-in and a late check-out time. How nice is that?
A view of the cabin from the shore edge.
There was a full moon that night, but the forecast was for cloudy skies. On our drive over from Brainerd to Duluth we kept seeing peaks of sun through those clouds. I tried not to get too excited. Eventually the sky mostly cleared and we had a beautiful afternoon and saw a stunning moonrise over Lake Superior that night. I was excited!
This photo I took on Monday late afternoon showing beautiful tinges reflecting the sunset, although we were facing east.
Our cabin was right on the water. The cabins were originally built in 1932 so there were no zoning restrictions at that time. It was a cozy, one room log cabin with a wood burning fireplace and a bundle of wood included in the price.
Looking out the cabin’s patio door to deck and water below.
Fire wood arranged in fireplace…just light a match!
The patio door led to the deck overlooking the lake.
The deck. They use plexiglass for the railing so not to block the view.
One of my favorite moments was walking into the cabin and seeing a stuffed black bear sitting at the kitchen table, welcoming us. That whimsical touch warms my heart. I love it when people do things like that.
Our friendly greeter.
More whimsical art in the cabin.
The cloudy morning turned into a beautiful afternoon and we were in a lovely cabin right on the water… I was in my happy place. I brought soup for supper, and after dinner we lit a fire and watched the moon rise over Lake Superior.
The March full moon.
When we crawled into bed (all in one room) we moved the sofa so we could see the fire embers fade away as we fell asleep.
The wood-burning fireplace was in the corner so we could look out to view the moonrise while enjoying the fire.
I wondered if it would be clear in the morning to see a sunrise. That would be too good to be true. I didn’t set my alarm, although the sunrise was at 7:30. We were up in time and we did see a glorious sunrise over the lake.
March sunrise over Lake Superior.
We definitely got our “Lake Superior” fix….with everything falling into place and I’m grateful!
A little bit of dramatic winter ice on some rocks near the cabin.
Looking out over the expansive dark lake, at night Gazing at the full moon rising Reflecting a sparkling path on the water Streaming it’s light directly towards shore Guiding my eyes upward Resembling a cathedral between the trees. Behold, A moon cathedral, God-made, inviting praise for His beautiful creation.
When I learned the full, “snow moon” this month was a super moon I thought it might be fun to take the grandkids to see the moon from the top of Regent’s Hall at St. Olaf College. Not only would the four flights of stairs give them an outlet for some of their energy, it would be fun to see the view from the top atrium with three walls of windows. We piled in our cars and drove to St. Olaf at the scheduled moonrise time, walked along the winding sidewalk up to the building, and then inside climbed stairs up to the top floor.
4th Floor Atrium at Regent’s Hall, St. Olaf College.
When we reached to 4th floor we looked East but we couldn’t see the moon. What I hadn’t thought of was other buildings being in the way of the moonrise. Argh… However, we went to a different area and were able to see the beautiful moon after it rose.
The grandkids looking at the full moon. It’s always hard to capture the beauty of the moon, especially with an iPhone.
Although we didn’t see what I thought we would see, it was still a fun adventure. There were other displays to look at: several Owls and a large pileated woodpecker in glass cabinets, and a turtle in an aquarium.
In one display case there were a couple pieces of artwork. I particularly liked the one with a lone bird sitting in a tree with peach colored blossoms.
Nature vs. Nurture – Corinne Kieras
After we walked down the hall to draw on an old-fashion chalkboard for a bit, I came back and noticed a second image in the picture… a woman’s face. It was an optical illusion. Very clever!
The piece on display is credited to a St. Olaf student, Corinne Kieras. She’s a Psychology and Computer Science Major. Her piece is called Nature vs. Nurture. I have included a photo of her artist’s statement.
