Zoo

We went for a bit of a drive and had a very nice walk around a zoo.  Not as big as big city zoos…I have to constantly remind myself that the animals are there for a reason. Education being the biggest reason and animals that cannot be returned to the wild.

 

A monkey…sad looking isn’t he/she?

A big old Grizzly Bear… Adam and I watched them for quite awhile.  Their enclosure is small.

I watched this Peacock for a long time also.  So long that Adam and I got left behind.  Eventually everyone found me enjoying the monkeys antics and the shade.

It was a warm day 80F or  26C  eh.

We all went out for lunch (Andy,Jen, Noah, Adam and Jamie and her three daughters.)  We visited an antique shop and then said our goodbyes and headed home to Chance.  Great Nephew Mason visited with Chance several times during the day…so he was in good hands…it was way to warm to take him with us.

 

I saw my first Black Swan.  They were beautiful.

Road Trip

The weather is rainy, cloudy and cool barely 50 degrees F or 10 C eh! It was a good day for a road trip.  We originally had a destination in mind, but decided to just meander on Highway 71 South.

We don’t see many of these Wind Turbines.   This one was someplace along Hwy 71 near Long Prairie.

The Clarissa/ Long Prairie area has Amish.  You can usually tell by the horse poop on the roadways.

We saw some baleage.  Hay that is baled at a higher moisture content and sealed in white plastic bags.

We ended up in Osakis…then over to Little Falls…visiting antique shops along the way.  Each one is interesting as are the proprietors..from a 1950’s wannabe to a little old lady with huge hair that was all her own…teased and I am certain hair sprayed to be stiff as a board.

Marbles have gone up in price.  The going price for marbles is 12 cents each.  It used to be a 10 cents. 

I only bought this small bag of marbles because of the shooter.  12 cents is a bargain for a shooter.

Three Polish ornaments and two Shiny Brites were purchased…40 cents each, a bargain I couldn’t pass up.

It was good to get away for a day.  We returned home just in time to warm up leftover lasagna for supper.  Cook once eat twice that is our menu plan this week.

Frosty

Jack Frost paid a visit.  At times yesterday the sun almost made an appearance, my eyes started to hurt and water but the sun didn’t make it through the clouds ( since my cataract surgery my eyes are sensitive to bright light). 

The frost was beautiful.  I had to do some Museum business so we went to town and headed north to Itasca State Park.

The entrance to the park we wanted to use was closed, so we took a different way home.  Today we discovered something we didn’t know.  A historical site marker for a CCC Camp where Far Guy’s Dad was in 1935.  The snow was too deep to explore the area properly and too far from the highway to get good photos.  We will return to the newly discovered spot when some snow melts.

Bad Medicine Lake  just off that point is an island obliterated by the fog.

Came home to stalk some snooty Chickadees.

I also found some time to play with manual settings on my camera.  So far it has been a frustrating experience…I must be a slow learner.  One day I took no photos at all I was so disgusted. I am sticking to it one miserable shot at a time until I either master it or go back to automatic settings.

It was 27 F or –2 C yesterday.  Wonderful warm weather that we all appreciate after that cold spell. 

A little good news, the High Efficiency LP Furnace is apparently quite efficient.  We called for a LP Fill and the delivery guy said that many people have filled twice and three times to our once.  We used 231 gallons in 106 days…not too bad for as cold as it has been.  I have the thermostat programed perhaps that helps too.  We still miss the outside wood heat, but we are adjusting.

The Rookery

On Sunday afternoons I usually get to pick someplace that I would like to go for an adventure.  Last Sunday I asked to go to the rookery.  We have not been there since 2009.

We stopped by a local auction sale, didn’t buy a thing but got to visit with friends…then were were off to the rookery.  Jo drew us a map so we wouldn’t wander around Hubbard County half the day.

The first thing I noticed was the smell of very odiferous dead fish and there were just a few fish skeletons on the road with bit of decaying meat still attached to their bones.  Uffda..then  the croaking sound of young herons wanting to be fed. It was a symphony of many little voices which must drive the parents up the wall or at least far out into the lake to fish where it is quieter.

I had a better camera this time around.  I wrote about the Great Blue Herons before, you can find that blog post here..it is not for the faint of heart..they do not feed all the chicks that hatch..it is the survival of the fittest:( 

Big Tracks!

Yesterday we heard that there was a wolf in the area.  We saw him earlier in the winter, although there was some argument whether he was a wolf or a coyote.

Well the proof is in the tracks.

Far Guy says that this guy is twice as big as Chance..and Chance weighs 60 Ibs.  There was a little new snow ..so the tracks were fresh and easy to spot. He seems to have been hunting rabbits.

It was a great afternoon to see where the deer have been.

This is the Dead Beaver Area in the dead of winter. It looks safe enough..but there is quite a current under that snow cover.

This is where we found the most tracks.  The wolf was using the road as a trail. We let Chance out of the car..to get a good smell of the area. He liked walking the groomed snowmobile trail!  Apparently the wolf was not in the area..because Chance was quite happy.

He chose to come back over the snow bank the same spot he went in..and he so kindly stopped on command for a photo! He loves afternoon adventures. 

The snow settled some..and we got a little more..here is the snowstick.

Holding at the twenty inch mark. The last snow really settled..it must have been heavy snow:)  

Art and beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Recently I was sitting with Far Guy and Chance in downtown Bemidji, we were all waiting for Trica to run an errand.  I became bored and noticed one of the numerous beaver statues that are all around downtown on the corners.  I decided it may be worth a photograph..after all they looked artsy fartsy.  I wandered around the statue and took a number of photos..I really didn’t take time to inspect the work of art before my photo session.  People walked by and smiled..I just kept taking my photos, of the front, of the back and from the sides..it was a very colorful fiberglass beaver. Whoever painted it did a wonderful job.

 

The City of Bemidji commissioned nine local artists to paint designs on fiberglass beaver sculptures.  They will be on display in the downtown area for a year and then they will be auctioned off.

Little did I know that one of the beavers had been causing quite a ruckus in this small Scandinavian town.

I have been enjoying a news black out for the summer and fall..there is just no good news anymore. Far Guy keeps me up to date but there are a few news stories he apparently forgot to tell me.  Like the beaver up in Bemidji that was taken down because a few locals complained because they thought that a vagina was painted on one of the beavers…that was their interpretation…like I said beauty and art is in the eye of the beholder. The artist explained that it was Mother Earth praying and there were circles and roses coming from those hands.

Anyway Far Guy said “I wonder where that controversial beaver is located?”  He then proceeded to tell me all of what he knew.  When Trica returned to the vehicle we asked her if she knew where the statue was located..after all she lives in town.  She had no idea but called someone who did. 

Well wouldn’t you know it..of the nine beavers in town we just happened to be parked near the beaver with the supposed vagina and I just happened to take many photographs of it.

I turned my camera on..sure enough I got great photos of the controversial artwork. I don’t see what the big deal is..I suppose I would have eventually noticed..but at the time I just enjoyed the colors that my camera was capturing. I did notice the Lady Slipper that formed the beavers nose and mouth, and I thought it was a great addition. Leave it to me to notice a flower!  I do not find this artists work anything but colorful and imaginative..but beauty and art are in the eye of the beholder.

Since the painting on this sculpture is a controversial subject, I will not post a photo of it here.  However I am anxious to hear what you think..have a look at this news story ..and come back and give me your 2 cents worth:) 

Lake Windego

Yesterday we took Adam to meet up with his parents and his brother.  We kidnapped the grand-girls on the way and took off to Cass Lake.   Cass Lake has a number of islands.   One of them is called Star Island.  Inside the confines of Star Island is a spring fed lake called Lake Windigo.  Windigo is an Objbwe mythical creature with burning feet that could posses people and inspire cannibalism, Far Guy used to tell the girls this story around the campfire late at night when we were camping..it used to be accompanied with much squealing and them moving closer to me for safety.  Anyway Lake Windego is the ONLY lake in the Northern Hemisphere that is a spring fed lake enclosed by an island that is totally surrounded by a river fed lake.  Kinda cool. Should it ever be one of those trivia questions for a million dollars..remember where you heard it!

 Chance is pointing the way to Star Island.

We went ashore and had sandwiches for lunch and walked down to a pathway that went over to Lake Windego. 

 Lake Windego, Noah and Paige are teeny tiny specks in the distance. 

The kids and the dogs played there for quite some time, it is a very shallow lake..you can walk all the way across some parts of it.  Noah and Paige gave it a good try.  They were way too far away for my liking..finally Andy went out with them.  When they finally returned I was greatly relieved.  Jen kept saying "Mother they are fine, for goodness sakes they can stand up."  Well I guess they could ..but it didn't seem like it could be possible to me.  The shoreline is very abrupt on this lake, it goes from lake to a poision ivy filled shoreline  just like that..people were stacked up on chairs in the walkway.  Some people had their chairs sitting in the lake.

On the way back I stopped to take some photos in the walkway between the two lakes.

 Looking toward Lake Windego.

 Looking toward Cass Lake.

The kids went fishing..and Little Elvis had a nap.  It was a beautiful day to spend on the lake, it could have been less windy for Far Guy.  His short sleeved hooded sweatshirt was a blessing. It helped to keep the wind off of his face.   I took tons of photos.. the kids had a blast:)