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.
After the Japanese beetles ate many leaves off our birch we could now see a huge squirrel’s nest in the treetop. It looked like a two story unit so we called it the “squirrel condo” – however we didn’t see any evidence of squirrels hanging around.
The squirrel condo.
Gary has been trapping squirrels all summer. We’ve brought fourteen squirrels to what we call the “squirrel resort” – an area twelve miles from our house. The “resort” has a lot of mature trees, a meadow and a pond…everything squirrels need to rebuild their lives away from our birdfeeders!
This ladder plus an extension rod was needed to reach the huge nest.
Even though we didn’t see any signs of activity in the nest we decided to take it down. We recruited friends to help. Gary climbed up his highest extension ladder and used a twenty-foot tree trimmer extension pole to reach the nest.
He knocked the nest and much to our surprise, two little ears and a head popped up, then three squirrels scurried away from the nest. I didn’t see where the mama went (maybe she jumped to the evergreen nearby) but I was startled as one juvenile squirrel jumped to the ground and ran close to my feet! The third squirrel, a sibling, clung to a tree branch. He looked scared and confused.
The “timid” squirrel.
Gary began swatting to loosen the nest… the lower portion first. It disengaged but got caught in the tree branches. We managed to whack it out. Next Gary went after the larger section of the nest and knocked it out of the tree right away. It fell to the ground. No traces of the condo remained. The timid squirrel kept clinging to a branch watching our every move.
The makings of a huge nest. It filled a large garbage container.
The other two squirrels must have been nearby because soon we saw the younger squirrel go back up the tree to help his brother (or sister) while the mama squirrel waited at the bottom of the tree trunk.
The mama squirrel looking up the tree at her “teenagers”. Squirrels are typically born in the spring and are on their own 8 months later…we figured the young squirrels were 6-7 months old.
Eventually the two siblings came down but only the brave one ventured away from the tree. The other squirrel climbed back up.
The two siblings coming down the birch.
We continued watching as the mother squirrel led her brave, young one across the street. In the middle of the road he stopped so she picked him up by the neck and carried him the rest of the way, like a mama cat and her kitten. Once safely on the other side they both scampered through the neighbor’s front yard into the back.
The mama leading her young away from the birch tree.
We kept an eye out for mama to return for her other young’un but we never did see her. Later that day we sought out the third squirrel but couldn’t see it in the tree. She must have come back while we were not watching and showed her offspring the way to their new surroundings.
It was entertaining to watch this all unfold…and no squirrels were injured during this process.
Trapping squirrels, knocking out squirrel nests…I wonder what other squirrel adventures we’ll have?
My aloe vera plant started to show signs of distress last winter. In June I set it outside as it’s last hope.
June 16 is when I took this picture of my dying aloe vera plant.
I guess it loved the hot summer sun. It thrived, and I’m glad. Now I hope it will survive another winter indoors…
This is my healthy aloe vera plant today. It’s in a ceramic pot I bought over forty years ago when a friend and I went to Rocky Mountain National Park.
It was hard to tell at first glance but then we saw what seemed to be thousands of butterflies clinging to the trees.
Last week friends told me about a place where they saw these Monarch butterflies roosting on trees. After getting details as to where to find this wonder, Gary and I planned to look for them in the early morning light the next day (before it reached 60 degrees we were told).
We woke early, brewed coffee, poured it into our thermos’ and followed GPS directions to a country church, on a country gravel road that led to the butterflies. We didn’t know if the butterflies would still be – literally – “hanging around” but they were, and we were grateful.
The line of trees where the monarchs were roosting, next to a open field.
It was a sight to behold. Myriads of butterflies clinging to the trees, wings folded in, sleeping or resting. It was a joy to see some flutter their wings, and some take off in clusters soaring in the air over the field of wildflowers, just as the sun was rising…shining on them.
At times a cluster of butterflies would take off.
One of God’s amazing creations.
These beautiful monarch butterflies will begin migrating south to Mexico soon. They make this journey every year…not having been there before yet knowing where to go.
Indeed, a miracle.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 9:10
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty - and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
Psalm 145;6
Going on bike rides has been a great way for Gary and I to get away during this pandemic. Gary bikes frequently with his bike club, but we have gone on rides together too. It’s an activity we both enjoy. And Minnesota has an abundance of bike trails to explore.
One day we went up to Stillwater to ride the “Loop Trail.” This trail goes along the river walk through town, then up the hill to the new, expansive bridge crossing the St. Croix River over into Wisconsin and back to Stillwater, creating a five-mile loop.
The new bridge crossing the St. Croix River in Stillwater.
Another view of the new, expansive Stillwater bridge.This photo was taken in May 2018, showing the newly opened bridge from a distance.
The paved bike trail on the Wisconsin side guides one to a steep, downhill road leading to the historic Stillwater lift bridge, now repurposed as a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. Until recently the old lift bridge was the only bridge, in Stillwater, for vehicles to cross the St. Croix River.
Approaching the steep hill going down towards the old Stillwater bridge.
The old lift bridge made into a new bicycle/pedestrian bridge. The bridge still lifts for tall boat traffic on the St. Croix River.
The old bridge became too congested and a new bridge was built. In comparison, looking at the old lift bridge and the new superhighway bridge, is comical because of the major size difference. It does make for a fun five-mile bicycle ride.
The old lift bridge up close.
After the loop trail we rode past the old, Zephyr train depot, now the Zephyr Theater, on a trail along Brown’s Creek. Another lovely ride, in the shade, slightly uphill for six miles and connects to the Gateway Trail. After we turned around at the intersection of Brown’s Creek and Gateway it felt like we glided down into Stillwater. It was fun.
A view of the old lift bridge in the background…photo taken from the new high bridge in Stillwater, MN.
We were in Stillwater on a weekday and it was bustling. The weather was sunny and hot, a great day to be by water…we ate our lunch on the deck of a restaurant near the river, and after lunch we laid out blankets on the shore and watched the people and boats go by.
A gondola on the St. Croix River.
A view of the St. Croix River and the old lift bridge, lifted up.
Recently we spent a day exploring the bike trails in Owatonna, a town 30 miles south of Northfield.
Our first stop was to get some homemade pie, to-go, for a snack on the trail later. My husband’s bike club often stops for a break at The Kernel to get a piece of pie which the guys claim is delicious. A quick Google search of The Kernel comes up with this review: “American chow, including an all-day breakfast & homemade pie, offered in this unfussy local diner.’” I like the description “unfussy local diner”.
There were many benches along the trail. I like the tree silhouettes on this bench back.
We rode on three short trails along the Straight River, over and under bridges and around a couple hairpin curves on a wide, paved trail, lined with benches, street lamps, and mature trees.
Looking out at the Straight River.
I noticed more than a few bat houses. I’m not sure when they were put up but it seems it was some sort of project at one time.
One of several bat boxes in trees along the path.
…and another bat box…
It was a gorgeous day and a delightful ride.
We stopped to eat our delicious pie selections at a picnic table along the river and spent a long while watching a great blue heron stealthily walk the shoreline looking for fish, or pie perhaps!
The Great Blue Heron.
There were a lot of ducks on or near the river and multiple Canadian Geese on shore. The geese are nice to look at but messy to be around.
Ducks lined along the river bank.
After our initial ride and pie break we drove to explore a different park in Owatonna; Mineral Springs Park. In this park there is a statue of Owatonna next to a plaque explaining the Legend of Owatonna: a frail, Native American princess who was restored to health by drinking water from the mineral springs in the area.
A statue of Owatonna, a native American princess healed by the mineral springs.
Contrary to the legend, the town of Owatonna was named after the Straight River, not the princess. In the Dakota language Wakpá Owóthaŋna means Straight River and it was first settled in 1853 near the river.
The Legend of Princess Owatonna.
There were actual mineral springs gurgling out of a large, water fountain and cistern in the park. We tasted the water…it was cold but had an “irony” taste to it.
The mineral springs water bubbling up through the fountain.
There were more bicycle and walking trails throughout the park.
As we walked the trail along the river we stopped to read a red granite plaque with a Native American letter etched into it, credited to Chief Seattle in 1854. We normally do not stop to read lengthy plaques but after reading the first two sentences we were drawn in and began taking turns reading it out loud.
This red granite stone with a long text we would normally pass by.
The the piece is called Teach Your Children. After doing some research on the internet I found out there is controversy as to how much of this letter was actually written by Chief Seattle and how much of it changed in translation and how much was really a part of one letter… but we enjoyed it none-the-less. We found it very profound and poetic. Here are a few excerpts from this letter:
Teach Your Children
“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? The land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect.”
“Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a stand in it. What he does to the web, he does to himself.”
“We love this earth as a newborn loves his mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you received it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all.”
The credits…
Owatonna has a lot of areas to explore but this day we were focused on bike trails, parks, and pie! We were not disappointed.
