The campus of St. Olaf College is very colorful this time of year. 
Tag: Minnesota
Canadian Geese
The three ponds in our neighborhood attract Canadian Geese, especially this time of year, and geese have been flying over our house many times today. I was out in the garden this morning for a couple of “fly overs”. The windows are open so even in the house I have heard them honking while flying over. It’s a wonderful sound! Loud too!
A Very Special Birthday Card
I sent a card off in the mail this week. I went to the post office to get it stamped and the clerk warned me it would cost extra because it was so thick. I responded it’s OK, I expected that. Then I told him it is a birthday card that I send to my childhood friend and we’ve been sending it back and forth to each other since 1979. That’s 37 years! It began during the push for recycling and the card suggested we save it and send it back to the recipient on her birthday the following year. So we did. We keep adding cardstock for room to write our birthday greetings, thus its thickness.
One year it fell out of her mail box on to the street and vehicles ran over it before she was able to retrieve it. Some of the writing is smeared but most of it is intact.
It’s very special, she’s very special, and we have lots of happy memories together, growing up living across the street from each other.
Happy Birthday Diane.
A Walk in the City
There is a different kind of energy that comes from walking in the city.
I like to hike or walk in parks and enjoy the quietness of the woods, and I like walking in our quiet neighborhoods in my small town but, over the weekend, I went for a walk in the city.
I really enjoyed walking around Lake Harriet on Saturday. It was another fabulous fall day in Minnesota with beautiful sunshine and blue skies with great wisps of white clouds. There were so many people enjoying the great outdoors. It was festive and energizing. There were young and old folks, biking or walking or running, pushing a stroller or wheelchair, or walking a dog/s.
The most unusual, but heartwarming sight, was two runners coming in our direction. They were running side by side but one was clearly leading the other. They wore fluorescent vests. One vest identified a runner assistant, or something on that order, and the other vest identified the runner as a blind runner, with assistant.
I don’t know if they were training for the marathon that was coming up the following day but it was a touching moment to know someone was taking time to help a blind person run. My heart was so happy to see this duo. I didn’t know this kind of service existed, but am glad to know it does.
Sunday was another beautiful day for thousands of runners in the Twin Cities marathon…
Autumn Afternoon
The French doors leading from the dining room table laden with food, were wide open to the outdoor patio where there were tubs of cold drinks. The weather was delightful… a perfectly wonderful autumn afternoon in Minnesota. The skies were blue with lots of sunshine, temperatures in the 70’s and no wind… spirits were high. A great day for an open house.
We were helping our son and daughter-in-love in the kitchen while they invited their neighbors and colleagues over to see their new home. I met a few of the neighbors myself and they were so happy to be invited to the party, to see this new home that replaced the old house they were familiar with, and to meet the young couple new to this old neighborhood. It was a festive atmosphere and, to me, a confirmation that getting together with neighbors and friends, and making opportunities to connect, is good.
It was simple, and simply delightful.
The Sawbill Trail
The Sawbill Trail road is a beautiful drive from Highway 61 to Sawbill Lake, an entry point to the BWCA. We have traveled it many times over the years, since coming up to this part of the north shore.
We drive it for fall colors, looking for wild life, to access certain trails, to see a sunset, and it also holds memories of us running on the road when our sons ran cross-country in high school. At one time all four of us ran (I ran in two 5K’s but that was enough for me). The guys needed to practice so we took them to this beautiful road.
Only the first three miles have been paved for years…the remaining was dirt road so we were pleasantly surprised to see it had been paved this summer, and that the new section was paved with wide shoulders so now it can accommodate cycling.
There are several finished sections of the Gitcha-Gami (Great Sea) bike trail which is why we bring our bicycles along to the cabin. It’s a beautiful trail close to “The Lake” with the plans being one continuous trail from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. For us, coming as far north as Tofte, the Sawbill Trail offers another great biking option.
We were excited as we drove to the top of a three mile hill and parked our car. We unloaded our bikes and put on our helmets and started to pedal. The road was so smooth yet it was a difficult ride because we were biking into the wind. After we turned around (eight miles out) we had the wind at our backs, pushing us along we clipped back at a steady pace.
Back at the car Gary asked me if I wanted to ride down the three mile hill to Hwy 61 (he knows the thrill of going down a big hill.) This hill is the old section of the Sawbill Trail that winds around and takes you down as though you were driving into Lake Superior. This section is without a wide shoulder but has little traffic. He’d drive our car down to meet me at the bottom. I decided to go for it.
I was going fast and it was quite the ride. This summer I considered riding a zip line over waterfalls in Quebec but didn’t. I think the ride down the Sawbill Trail was the thrill for me!
Moonrise
Sometimes we see the full moon rise over the lake.
Lake Superior Psalm
Lake Superior Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall thank him.
He allows me to come to Lake Superior
and hear the calming waves.
He restores my soul.
He guides me on the trails of the Superior Forest
And leads me along the rocky shores.
Even when the waves are rough – even when the lake is calm,
I look forward to coming
And He is with me.
His creation and His majesty, they comfort me.
He anoints me with many blessings
My cup overflows and I am grateful.
Surely I will praise you and follow you
all the days of my life,
I‘m grateful to dwell in your presence
on the shores of Lake Superior.
(Valerie 09/08)
More Pictures of Lake Superior
Sunrises Over Lake Superior
The cabin faces east on the north shore of Lake Superior therefore we see sunrises…I set my alarm so I don’t miss them. I have captured many pictures of beautiful sunrises that are so varied…just like the moods of the lake.
