I needed my two-year-old granddaughter to walk Honeymoon Trail with me. I wanted to go at her “stop and look at every thing” pace….only I would stop and take pictures.
But she had already gone back home when we drove on this dirt road one rainy afternoon up north. Even in the rain the colors were stunning.
However, the next day the rain had stopped so we decided to ride our bikes on Honeymoon Trail. This road is a segment of one of the suggested Fall Color Tours on the north shore.
We’ve been going up to this area for 30+ years so we know this road and have always enjoyed it in autumn. But we don’t always see it so colorful. It was amazing.
It’s easier to stop on a bike to take pictures than stopping in the truck. These photos are taken with my iPhone. I can’t imagine having a specialized camera and capturing more of the beauty.
I just couldn’t get enough of the fall colors and I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t walking.
Our ride was great fun and it was a new adventure for us…riding our bikes one Honeymoon Trail.
While driving back to the cabin we saw a wolf cross the road. That was a first for us. I was not quick enough with the camera.
Southeastern Minnesota is a beautiful part of our state. Recently we drove through green forested, rolling hills, along winding roads, dotted with small farms and small towns, to a cute, little camping cabin in a state park for a camping weekend.
SE Minnesota
One of the small towns we passed through was Houston, population 979. It is the trailhead for the Root River State Trail. The recreational trail (bicycles, walkers, runners) begins in Houston and has 42 miles of paved trail that leads through Lanesboro and on in to Fountain, MN. It connects with the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail, which adds an additional 18 miles of paved trails, and makes for a great trail system.
One day we drove to Houston to begin a biking adventure, and during our brief time in Houston we discovered a few interesting things.
First, outside the trail center was a wooden bench carved in the shape of a mother owl spreading her wings over her owlets. It is a beautiful piece of art…and functional art for all to enjoy.
A beautiful carved bench outside the Houston Trail Center building.
Then, right in the back yard of the center as we started down the trail we passed two sandhill cranes in the park. On our way back the cranes were in the same area so we stopped to take photos. Sandhill cranes are big, beautiful, sleek birds and are always a delight to see.
Two sandhill cranes going this way….
…and that way.
While looking at the cranes we noticed something else in the grass…a sundial of some sort. We quickly found the sign that explained it: an Analemmatic Sundial. We had never seen a “clock” quite like this…
The explanation/instruction sign.
On the ground is a cement square plaque with roman numerals indicating different hours. There is a rectangle plaque within the square with the twelve months etched in certain places. You step on the month and notice where your shadow falls and it indicates the hour of the day….and it was accurate! How does that work?
The Analemmatic Sundial.
I had never heard of this word analemmatic. I looked it up and it means: a plot or graph of the position of the sun in the sky at a certain time of day at one locale measured throughout the year.
We enjoyed seeing these different sightings in Houston and we had a great bike ride on this end of the Root River trail.
I had the opportunity to go to Colorado for a week to help take care of my two adorable two grandchildren who live there. Their mother went to her sister’s wedding while my son and their two children stayed behind. So I gladly offered my assistance.
On top of the world.
While there, my son and grandkids and I took a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. Our son’s new home in Colorado is about an hour from the park. My husband and I visited the park when we drove out to Colorado in late April so this was my second trip to the park within six months.
The beginning of the Old Fall River Road, and the beginning of snow (late April).
In April, the Old Fall River Road was closed to vehicles. It is only open for traffic July through September so Gary and I decided to hike along the popular, historic road to Chasm Falls, a couple miles up the road.
Old Fall River Road – hairpin turn in late April.
As we started hiking… it started snowing… so we had a peaceful hike up and back down the hairpin-curved road, with snow-globe style snowflakes gently falling.
The beginning of the Old Fall River Road in RMNP, in August.
In August, the Old Fall River Road is open to traffic so my son slowly drove along the winding, nine-mile dirt road to the Alpine Visitor Center, one of the highest points you can drive to in the park.
I love this photo of Ezra…he is color coordinated with the colors surrounding him in nature. Photo by TB.
We parked the car at the Alpine Center and continued hiking up a trail to the top – 12,005’.
Climbing up the trail to 12,005′.
It was a beautiful day and the vistas were fantastic, at the top and all the way up the mountain.
My son near the sign designating the altitudle.
We drove down the mountain on the Trail Ridge Road since the Old Fall River Road is one-way only.
A postcard I bought in the center.
The Trail Ridge Road is a wonderful smooth, paved road that crosses through the park. We stopped for a picnic supper part way down and continued to enjoy the beauty surrounding us.
A colorful wildflower in bloom, the Indian Paintbrush.
During both visits to the park, in April and in August, we saw elk.
Elk in August (RMNP).Elk in late April (RMNP).
I’m grateful I was able to be in RMNP with my son and my grandchildren. I’m grateful to have a senior pass that gets me, and the passengers in the vehicle I’m in, free admittance to national parks. I’m grateful we have so many national parks in the US to explore.
Many scenes in the 1993 Hollywood movie Grumpy Old Men were filmed in the small river town of Wabasha, Minnesota. It put Wabasha “on the map” and was their claim to fame for a long time. However, there is another cultural highlight in Wabasha…it is home to the National Eagle Center. The organization began in 1989 and built a beautiful building along the scenic Mississippi River in 2006.
Our book club took a field trip to the center one day in July, and it was very interesting.
The bridge in Wabasha, between Minnesota and Wisconsin, over the Mississippi River.
After taking a coffee break at the Chickadee Cottage in Lake City, we happened to arrive at the Eagle Center right before an eleven o’clock presentation. The presenter was very interesting and informative, an educator, and part entertainer! She kept us engaged for an hour and we didn’t want the session to end. She said she could have continued speaking because there is so much to teach about the eagles.
Was’aka, one of the eagle ambassadors. (Our presenter is not in the photo.)
When we spoke to her after the program she told us she became interested in eagles (and sharks!) at a young age so when she retired (from being a lawyer) she felt it was a good time to step in and volunteer at the eagle center. We were fortunate to be a part of her class session.
A few tidbits…eagles weigh only 6-8 pounds, keep their nests very clean by “shooting their poop” out of the nest about eight feet! They get their white feathers about the age of 5, and they do a beautiful cartwheel dance as part of their mating ritual. But there is much more.
My photo of a photograph of two eagles doing a cartwheel dance.
The eagles at the center are there because they no longer can survive on their own in the wild. They get quality care at the center while the researchers study them. The center has a viewing platform and is a great place to spot eagles along the river, especially in the winter because there is open water at this site, and that’s where eagles gather.
Three eagles in the viewing area.
During the program an eagle, Was’aka, was brought into the room to show off to the audience.
The beautiful Was’aka.
There are plaques describing each bird on display.
Was’aka is blind in one eye, therefore he cannot hunt for himself. He is beautiful! There were additional eagles available for viewing also, including a golden eagle.
A sign at Slippery’s Bar and Grill.
We did succumb to a Grumpy Old Men’s icon and ate lunch at Slippery’s Bar and Grill, apparently made famous by the movie. However, we chose it simply because it was the only place we could eat outside, along the mighty Mississippi. The food was good.
A bench in town depicting the two grumpy old men from the movie: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
Wabasha is little over an hour’s drive from Northfield so it’s an easy day trip and well worth it.
Bearutiful Santa Barbara: Ocean on one side, mountains on the other.
We were in southern California last week, with our son and his beautiful family, when a 6.4 and 7.1 earthquake hit, on two separate mornings. The significantly high-magnitude earthquakes happened over 100 miles from where we were staying. We didn’t feel any tremors from either one, but a lot of folks in our area did. It was interesting to find out about the earthquakes simply by hearing others talking about their experiences. I’m grateful there were no injuries, and we were safe.
A view of the rooftop pool area.
Another event of significance on our visit to southern California was the Independence Day fireworks.
We were able to witness some outstanding fireworks set off over the ocean beach, and we were able to watch them from the rooftop pool area of our hotel, one block away from the water. The rooftop area has incredible 360* views and it was a special place to ouuu and ahhh over the stunning display.
Lemon trees growing in pots…their fragrance is delightful.
Various flowers growing all over the waterfront area added additional color to our 4th of July trip to Santa Barbara. Here are a few photographs.
We toured an old historic mansion in southwestern Wisconsin called the Villa Louis. I always enjoy looking at houses…old and new.
The front of the Villa Louis. This is a photo of a sketch off the brochure.
A bit of history: The Villa Louis sits on 25 acres along the Mississippi. An original brick house was built in 1843 by Hercules Dousman. He earned his fortune in fur trade, lumber trade and being a “frontier entrepreneur”. Hercules Dousman died in 1868 and his wife (Jane) and their son, Louis, inherited the house.
The side of Villa Louis that faces the Mississippi River.
Louis had it torn down and rebuilt in 1871. Louis died at the young age of 37 and the house was left to his widow and five children who lived in the house until 1913. The estate stayed in the family until the Wisconsin Historical Society acquired it in 1952.
The dining room set up for a 10 year old’s birthday party. Note the photo in the foreground…photos were used to help restore the room to it’s original look.
In the mid-1990’s the Historical Society began a major project restoring the house back to how it looked in the years between 1893 to 1898.
The elegant guest bedroom.
The restoration of this particular home is unique because there is a large collection of historic photographs showing different areas of the house, from the late 1800’s, and they were used to re-create the rooms.
I liked this wallpaper on the main level. It was reprinted for the restoration project.
In addition to the photographs, the historical society acquired 90% of the original furniture. When the family was notified of the restoration project by the historical society, three of the four siblings (the fifth child had died) gave back their possessions, which they inherited when they sold the house. The brochure states the restoration project was “unusually well documented.”
The cook stove.
The day we visited was hot and humid so it was great to walk into the air-conditioned mansion…air-conditioned to preserve the antiques. Our young tour guide was knowledgeable and delightful. The photographs and original furniture makes the house feel authentic as you step inside, and step back in time. It was charming and lovely.
A different view of the beautiful dining room.
There are several events that happen at the Villa Louis. One is the annual Villa Louis Carriage Classic, a carriage parade and driving competition, with folks dressed in period costume. That sounds like a fun event.
A few years ago a colleague started sending me postcards from her destinations on business trips, now she will occasional send one from a fun trip destination. I soon started reciprocating and sent her postcards from places I’d visited.
A postcard I recently received in the mail from a friend.
Postcards do seem like something from the past…something people do not send anymore. They tend to send their own snapshots from their cell phone in an email or text message…and what can be better than that? Immediate messages and up-to-date photos. But postcards can be fun too.
I found the ZITS comic strip below amusing.
A ZITS comic Strip.
I began looking at postcards again while traveling, and I buy one or two to get a different perspective than I get on my iPhone camera but in some places it’s hard to find postcards.
For instance, last week my friend and I went into a variety store in a tourist town and asked “Do you have any postcards?” No was the reply, and it happened a second time at the next store. As we continued down the street we saw a carousal of postcards and stepped into the shop to take a look. There were winter scenes and fall scenes but it was springtime and we were seeing such vibrant spring colors, but then we found a collage print and that would do.
The homemade postcard of Galena.
However, the postcards seemed a bit different…a little smaller than normal and the back was blank…no “postage here” or a line separating the message from the address…so we asked the clerk and he said he made the postcards himself (and he worked for the Post Office so he knew the size was OK.) How fun is that? I bought the postcard and sent it off. The personal connection with the photographer made it so much more fun and interesting.
The postcard maker and postal worker. I got permission to post his picture but I didn’t get his name.
I will continue to buy postcards, and send some occasionally…keeping a few postcard stamps available in my purse.
A 100 year commemorative postcard for Rocky Mountain National Park…opened 1915.
A postcard I purchased at a museum store; a drawing by Minnesota artist Adam Turman titled: Cardinal
I bought this postcard in Austria featuring a painting entitled Portrait d’Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Woman in Gold), by Gustav Klimp
My friend and I celebrated our 30thannual “girls get-away” this week. We were more like girls when we took our first trip together in 1989, to Seattle. We didn’t know then that this tradition would continue thirty years, without missing a year.
A rabbit sculpture on a river walk along the Mississippi.
Rabbit up close…photo by FR.
She lives in Indiana, I live in Minnesota and at least once a year we get together to catch up on life. We always have a great time; we share stories of our sons (and now grandchildren) and bring each other up to date on our lives, while shopping thrift stores and antique shops, strolling along a river (or being near some type of water), and visiting botanical gardens and/or garden centers. Those activities make up our criteria for where we meet.
A wonderful flower pot in a store front.
We met 37 years ago at church during greeting time (she lived in Minnesota at that time.) I had an infant and she was pregnant with her first child. After her son was born I offered to bring her lunch. I brought tuna fish sandwiches in a brown paper bag! But, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. On almost every trip someone asks if we are sisters…and we have begun to say yes.
May 2019. The Mississippi is to the left.
We were near the Mississippi River this year and the spring greens and blooming trees were spectacular.
Vibrant spring greens.
Brilliant colorful blooming trees.
A train rolling on tracks along the Mississippi River.
Out the window of a restaurant where we ate dinner one evening.My attempt to capture the beauty and perspective of this sweeping view of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
We enjoyed sitting on a bench along the river at twilight…this robin stayed with us, first on the ground and then in the tree.
Before we left Minnesota we decided on what play we would like to see while we were in London.
A promo for Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” hanging in tube station.
We chose an Agatha Christie murder mystery, The Mousetrap. playing at St. Martin’s Theatre. It happens to be the longest running play in London…It’s first performance was in 1952!
St. Martin’s Theatre in London.
We enjoyed the play and didn’t know “who done it” until the end. I was so worried I would overhear someone talking about the ending… and I didn’t want to know! But I never heard any clues… and we were surprised when the murderer was revealed. I like surprises.
Anticipating the murder mystery.
At the end of the play, as the performers were taking their bows, the culprit stepped forward and said now we were all partners in crime…and he asked us not to disclose the secret of “who done it” to anyone, so as to preserve the suspense of the play.
On a street corner in London is this memorial to Agatha Christie, an English author who wrote over 80 mysteries.
This request must work…it’s been playing for 67 years, and we didn’t know “who done it” until the end of the production.
