The Elf House

Location Coordinates:
44°54'57"N, 93°18'36"W
Lake Harriet, south shore
Minneapolis, Minnesota

I've been biking around the shores of Lake Harriet for over a year now, so from a purely logical point of view I should be completely familiar with all the characteristics of this popular southwest Minneapolis destination. But, proving the opposite of the old adage "you can't see the forest for the trees", I may have been caught up in the larger picture and not observed some of the finer details of the Lake Harriet shoreline. Apparently, I've been biking nearly daily just a few feet away from a local phenomenon and never even noticed. The only reason I stumbled upon it a while back was my casual wondering as to why a bunch of children and one or two adults were crouched down near the base of an ordinary looking tree. I wasn't even curious enough then to check it out. It was several days later when, remembering the strange congregation, I interrupted my ride to stop and have a look at the tree. That is when I discovered the Elf House.

Local legend claims that if a child leaves a note for the resident elf, he or she will receive a personal written response by said elf. Unless, of course, it is during the colder months when the elf evidently flees south to his "east castle" in Florida.

Mr. Elf appeared to be out on the occasion of my visit. Perhaps he was having a swim in the lake. Or, noting the autumn-colored leaf placed on his door, he was working with his travel agent in arranging passage for the annual trip to his Florida winter residence. But I did notice several notes waiting for him along with a strand of blue beads, possibly a gift left by a thoughtful child wishing him well until next spring's warmer weather. One can only speculate what wisdom Mr. Elf imparts in his responses to his inquiring visitors, but I've read the diminutive gentleman has a pleasing sense of humor. Having not prepared a note or gift to leave behind (as well as understanding my age was well above his target demographic), I thought it best to continue on my daily ride.

 So even though I didn't have the good fortune to meet Mr. Elf personally, his mere presence reminds me how you can look at something every single day and not ever see it. So I'll try to slow down and keep a look out for some of those less obvious elements of our everyday world. Because it is often those little things that end up being surprisingly captivating.