Monday, September 27, 2010

Forest Ablaze...With Color!

~ Forest Ablaze ~

~ Majestic Maple ~

~ Forest Ablaze II ~


Realizing that many of the area trees were nearing their peak of Fall color, we decided to spend this past Saturday traveling the northern Minnesota countryside in search of Nature's most spectacular colors. Here and there we found reds and some golds...but late Sunday afternoon, as our family was preparing our Faire site for winter, we discovered a small hillside ablaze with an amazing display of orange, peach, yellows, gold, and reds. The beautiful deep blue sky that peeked between the stunning leaves of maple, birch, and aspen allowed rays of golden sunshine to set the hillside on fire with color. This hillside was beautiful, bright, and truly glowing!

~ And...such a short distance from home. ~
:0)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Late Summer in Two Harbors

~ Two Harbors Lighthouse and the Crusader II ~

~ Two Harbors Breakwater ~
                                                                                          
~ Moon Rising at Lake Superior's Agate Bay ~


Late summer images from an evening of fond memories in Two Harbors, Minnesota.

~ I hope everyone had a beautiful summer. ~

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Early Morning Walks

~ And When the Door Opens ~

~ Bumble's Morning ~                                              ~ Deep Enchanted Forest ~

~ Prince, Early Morning Lookout ~


Morning strolls never are lonely at Garden's Keep. With hardly an effort from our clan, they can even become quite amusing!? For as soon as the heavy wooden cottage door opens, our eager troupe of loving cats quickly gather, usually in quite predictable fashion.

With Carbon, the stout, golden eyed jet black short hair, strolls are taken very seriously, and feels his duty is to stay close (very, very close) to his human's feet, ready to sound the alert if anything is alarming, staying with one until he feels he has delivered his human safely back through the cottage door (unless of course something shakes his courage, such as the neighbor's dog)...Dutiful Carbon.

Fuzzy, a solid grey, green eyed long hair with feet the size of half dollars and a face containing an ever present cheshire smile, is the silliest of cats. For him a walk is a slow meandering saunter with an occasional sit down. His amazing attention too is focused on his human's feet, so when they stop to enable his human to view a newly opened flower, check for a potential agate in the gravel, or listen to beautiful morning bird songs, he absolutely must bound to and stand on them, front feet on top of one, back feet on the other, smiling up with his cheshire smile and purring all the while...Silly Fuzzy.

Bert, with long silky black hair and gold eyes, is adopted grandfather cat to all. Older and wise, the only disturbance he may receive from the cat clan as he strolls calmly along is an occasional lick on his cheek, rub and cat tail hug on his neck, or a shadow walk as they plaster their body next to his (no space between) walking in step with his...Wise old Bert.

Bumble, the beautiful blue eyed, seal point shorthair earned his name when very young. Sleeping very soundly as a kitten, his brother and sisters would rambunctiously play around and over him. Only slowly awakening when bit on the ear by little kitten teeth, his creamy, fat, fuzzy body looked like a Bumble from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Now mature, Bumble is the well rounded easy going cat, calm yet playful, gentle, and respectful, who loves to find the perfect spot to pose for a good portrait. Strolls for him are family/clan time, with an occasional investigation into dark holes in long grasses or short grasshopper chases...Beautiful gentle Bumble.

Tigger, green eyed, grey tabby striped shorthair prefers to spend her time watching strolls from the perfect vantage perch indoors. She loves her humans, but on her time, and without the cat clan near...Queen Tigger.

And Prince, ah yes...Prince. The golden green eyed, light grey, tabby striped youngster who is still finding himself. Proud kitty is he, quickly striding up to any and all, then dashing off to chase a little leaf, an animated bug, and up a tree to sprightly leap off in the joy of life...Energizer kitty is Prince.

Such is a well attended, always entertaining morning walk with the Garden's Keep cat clan...a stroll through the pasture is a tale for another time.