~ Como's Pink Flamingos ~

~ Pink Flamingos ~

The Como Zoo is the smaller of the two zoos that are in Minnesota's Twin Cities area,

but what it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty.

 It is one of the most beautiful zoos I have been to!

These pink Flamingos are just some of the many animal residents Como has.

~~~~~ 

~ Snow Unicorn ~

~ Snow Unicorn ~

The snow is so deep this spring the Unicorns can hardly keep their head above snow!

~~~~~

It's been so long since I've built a snowman I just couldn't resist the sticky snow late yesterday afternoon. It had been a balmy 56 degrees F...an absolute beautiful early Spring day! A day so beautiful after the record breaking cold we had endured all winter, I wanted to spend a little more time outside before heading indoors for the evening.

I was only 10 steps from entering the front door when I turned to look at the enormous snowbank of wet sticky snow. Taking three steps back I bent over and scooped up a mitten full of snow. "Why not." I thought. "Let's have some fun and see what happens."

With no plans as to what to create, I scooped and patted...scooped and patted. Was it a snowman? No. Scoop and pat...scoop and pat. And then I saw the shape of a horse head. Scoop and pat...scoop and pat.

Shape an ear. Scoop and pat...then another ear.

Now the mittens were heavy and wet making them useless for the finer details. So off they came. Using bare hands to shape the horn, then create nostrils, and shave the snow to refine the shape.

 20 minutes later and some very cold hands this guy appeared on top of the huge snowbank just outside the big dining room window. :0)

It certainly isn't my best sculpting, and wouldn't win a snow sculpture contest

but it was an enjoyable time playing as a child in the snow and made me smile. 

Less than 24 hours later Snow Unicorn is disappearing as Unicorns do.

Warmth and rain is quickly making him only an early spring memory.

~~~~~

~ Wishing you beautiful whimsical memories! ~

Time Again For Sailing Ships ~

This past weekend provided another opportunity to view,

closer this time,

those beautiful sailing ships from times past.

Duluth hosted once more a Tall Ships Festival.

Nine amazing tall masted ships sailed into Minnesota's Duluth harbor, 

attracting attention wherever their masts could be seen.

The first to arrive were the Pride of Baltimore II, a 157' two masted schooner, 

the Norwegian white SS Sorlandet, a fully rigged 210' three masted ship built in 1927,

and the Privateer Lynx, a 122' two masted schooner.

~ SS Sorlandet ~

This ship is the oldest fully rigged ship in the world still in operation.

Built as a training vessel, she helped represent Norway at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago.

During World War II the ship became damaged, but was restored and read to sail again in 1948.

Her first engine was installed in 1958. 

~ U.S. Brig Niagara ~

198' two masted brig.

This ship is a reconstruction of the brig used by

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry to win victory in the

1813 Battle of Lake Erie. 

~ The two masted 79' Schooner Hindu shares the water with boats and ships from a more modern era. ~

Trying to capture images of sailing ships only was not easy in the Duluth harbor

busy with ore ships, cruise ships, and various boats large and small.

~~~~~

Waiting for Spring ~

~ Spring Nest ~

 

Oh how I long for warmer days,

the return of summer birds singing sweet songs,

and sounds of frogs peeping in nearby ponds.

The smell of fresh earth,

scents of flower blossoms opening in the apple trees,

and newly fallen rain.

 

I love all of the seasons

but Spring is my favorite,

watching for signs of renewal and rebirth

after short winter days of cold and darkness.

 

Last year Spring arrived to northern Minnesota very early

giving warmth with the sounds and scents I love

to us in middle March.

We wonder, when will it appear this year.

 

When does your Spring arrive?

~*~

 

 



It Rained And It Rained And It Rained

A storm system stalled over us...

and it rained...

and it rained...

and it rained...

a record breaking rain like we have never seen!

Never have we had floods like this.

Really we rarely have floods at all!

Cars now in water up to roof tops,

vehicles dropping into sink holes,

mudslides,

raging waters over a dam,

an entire city being evacuated,

railroads hanging in the air where the ground washed out from beneath it,

the zoo flooded and lost much loved animals,

docks disappearing under swollen lakes,

large sections of roads under water or completely washed out,

stranding many including some of my family.

~ Sideroad leading to Duluth's major shopping area. That is not a lake at the bottom of the hill. It should be lawns, road, and parking lots only. ~

~ Duluth, Minnesota car dealership with flooded vehicles. Parking lots and road should be where water is seen. ~

~ What normally is a well traveled section of road between some of Duluth's major shopping stores and restaurants. Where you see water should only be road and parking lots. ~

~ A frontage road leading to Duluth's major shopping mall. ~

~ Kayakers heading to the flooded parking lot of Duluth's Target store. ~

~ Kayakers paddling to the mall. ~

~ Many sections of road had large bodies of water on them such as the one above... ~

~ ...and this country road outside of Duluth heading towards our home. ~

~ This country driveway was completely under water, leading to a home on the edge of a dangerously high and flooding Cloquet River. ~

It is going to take many days for this amount of water to recede.

Thankfully our home is high enough so we have seen only slight water damage from the amazing amount of water that has fallen from the sky. Some of my gardens however have seen too much water, and rescuing of plants may be needed!



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)

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. ~

After the Storm

~ Pink Daylily ~

~ Mammatus Clouds ~

~ Orange Daylily After the Storm ~

It is not uncommon for Minnesota to see turbulent storms in any of its seasons, from blizzards and heavy snows in winter, to tornados, large hail, and torrential rains in warmer weather. Wednesday began as one such day, with severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings covering nearly the entire state. By late morning we had received significant rainfall, and ancient trees were toppled just blocks from our daughter's house. These storms kept us all on our toes for quite a few hours.

When the heavy weather began to lift I took a venture outside to view the amazing beauty left in its wake. The sky was filled with incredible Mammatus clouds that seemed as if they would drip to earth with an enormous splash.  And every petal on every flower and every leaf was covered with silver drops of rain, each reflecting a tiny version of the world around it.

Today the sun shines and a gentle breeze blows, giving not a hint of the raging storms nature produced for its Minnesota inhabitants two days ago. I wonder what beauty awaits for me to discover today.

Minnesota Sunset

~ Bayfront Sunset ~

Some of the most beautiful sunsets appear after a storm. I was able to capture this image at the waterfront in Duluth.

The Hypnotized Gull

~ Wave Spout ~

Not even a flinch did this gull make as splashes and spouts of Lake Superior water rose above him.

Spring River and Forest

The St. Louis River

Setting Sun in the Forest

Minnesota is blessed with thousands of fresh water lakes, streams, and rivers. This past Sunday we took a 20 minute drive to view the beautiful St. Louis River as the Spring run-off swirled and churned through its solid rock banks where gorgeous trees of pine and cedar thrive, creating a scene of fantasy in the glow of the setting sun.  

The Grand Gitche Gumee

 Lake Superior Moon

Sunset Over Duluth

Duluth Lift Bridge

In anticipation of watching the largest and brightest full moon for 2010 rise with its companion Mars over one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world, my husband and I took a 45 minute drive to the shore yesterday afternoon. We missed the moon as it crested Lake Superior, but were still greeted by a beautiful sight as its golden glow reflected off the slowly forming ice and rippling dark water. Our gaze was then directed to the beautiful sunset silhouetting the city of Duluth in Minnesota, and Superior in Wisconsin.

~ What a beautiful end to the day. ~

To the Zoo

River of Swans

Seahorse Pair

Tree Sunning

Even though the days are slowly getting longer, it will be many, many weeks before the sites and smells of warming earth, fresh Spring rains, and lush green growth will appear here at the tip of Lake Superior. With a large ice storm threatening on the horizon, and tempting updates from cousins sun basking in Hawaii, I am longing for the golden sun, deep blue skies, clear flowing waters, and lush green growth.

My only hope for now is to immerse myself in images taken on a trip with children and grandchildren to the Minnesota Zoo a few summers ago. To think back now on the movement of delicate Seahorses and Seadragons, the rushing sound and salt smell of the indoor tidal pool where star fish live, white swans bathing in a river of green speckled by warm rain drops, and dolphins swimming in a pool of blue. Ahhhhh. I believe this is where I will linger a little. ~ You are wlecome to join me ~