I'm still here . . .

OK - so it has been a whole month since I've published a new blog entry. November turned out to be a hectic month with a family emergency, unplanned travel, and then the Thanksgiving holiday. December looks to be a bit less crazy so I hope to get a few Holiday season postings out here soon.

After a very warm start in early November, the weather has turned the other way and is now well below seasonal averages here in Minneapolis. There is snow on the ground with the prospect of more to come, which sets the stage for interesting winter weather photography. I'll get out there soon and see what I can find.

Head of the Charles



Rowers in front of the Newell Boat House

 Location coordinates:
42°22'11"N,
71°07'23"W
Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts

A little more than ten years ago I began what could be described as an obsession with the city of Boston. My first trip to The Hub (one of Boston's nicknames) was a three-hour stopover during a southern New England excursion Chrys and I made in 1987. My second visit was a fairly stressful business junket there in 1996. But these brief early trips planted the seed, and from late 1999 on we have traveled to Boston several times each year, and even lived there in 2008/2009 prior to our move to Minnesota. I've now spent so much time in Boston that I will always consider the city my second home. While living there during the fall of 2008 we were looking for things to do during a visit by our daughter Rachel. Chrys noted the Head of the Charles Rowing Regatta was scheduled that weekend and was to be held on the Charles River near the Harvard campus. As that was close to home, and thinking that activity would represent a perfect New England experience, we decided to check it out. We ended up having such a great time that we now have made the regatta an annual tradition, even though we have never participated in organized rowing ourselves. This past weekend marked our third Head of the Charles Regatta.

Rowing teams from all over the world participate in the event on the Charles River, which delineates Cambridge on the north bank and Boston on the south bank. Individual and team participants come from high school and collegiate crew teams as well as private rowing clubs. Competitors range in age from youth to athletes in their 80s. The bulk of the action takes place in and around the John W. Weeks bridge, a footbridge which links Harvard's main campus in Cambridge with the Harvard Business School and athletic facilities which lie on the Boston side of the river. It is a festive atmosphere with booths selling crew-themed apparel and food along the river banks where spectators cheer on their favorites. The setting can't be beat: rowers skimming over the river against a backdrop of Cambridge's colonial-era architecture, fall-colored trees, tasty "fair food", and crisp autumn air.

The sights off the water are often as interesting as those on the water. Groups of dapper English rowers decked out in their very British navy rowing blazers mix with American college groups in their team sweatshirts. Well-dressed Ivy League alumni cheer their school teams alongside average Joe spectators like me with no particular team affiliation. This year one of the more interesting non-rowing sights was the imaginative way one particular bicyclist found to secure his or her bike high above the crowds. I wonder how he or she was able to hold that bike aloft while securing it to the tree??



Competing rowers against the Boston skyline

 The Head of the Charles Regatta is just one of the events that keep me traveling back to Boston on a regular basis. I'm always happy when I'm there, and I'll likely write about many more of my favorite Boston "latitudes" in posts to come.

The Brief and Brilliant Season

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Location coordinates:
Multiple in Minnesota,
Connecticut, and
Massachusetts

Autumn. What a great time of year. Hot weather has melted away into cool, crisp mornings. The angle of the sun shifts, casting a softer, warmer glow over the landscape. A walk around the neighborhood can find you caught up in a blizzard of leaves coming down in a fresh breeze. Apple orchards fill with families seeking hay rides followed by cups of hot cider and warm apple pie with cinnamon ice cream. Gourds and pumpkins, football teams and baseball playoffs, sweatshirts and sweaters. It is the calm and beautiful season before the rush and thrill of the Holidays.

 

Maple leaves, Norfolk, Connecticut

In the south, an autumn enthusiast waits, and waits, and waits for the first signs of the season in the trees. It finally arrives in mid to late October with a sudden flash of dazzling color which all too quickly dissolves to the browns and grays of winter. In the north, the season sometimes stretches longer, with yellows and oranges showing up as early as late August. North or south, fall is like anticipating a fireworks show as you wonder what nature has in store each year.

Along Route 23, western Massachusetts

During the autumn of 2008 I lived in Boston, where my favorite season seems longer than any other place I've lived. It started in August and little by little became more colorful each day well into November. On a cloudy October day I took a drive through western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut and found storybook images. There really is nothing like New England in the fall.

White birch, Finlayson, Minnesota

In Minnesota it seems just about anything goes. In 2009 color didn't peak until the week before Halloween - after we had already endured three snow events. But last year's early snow seemed to only enhance the brightness of the yellows and reds. This year has been warmer and dryer with not a trace of snow so far. And even though this autumn has been as pretty as a picture from a coffee table photo book, I believe last year was better.

St. Croix River near Stillwater, Minnesota

All too soon the comforts of autumn will fade. The trees will become barren, temperatures will continue to drop, outdoor furniture will be stored, and daylight will dwindle. But not to worry. Next up - Thanksgiving and the Holidays. Yep, this is by far the best time of the year.

The Great Inland Port

Location coordinates:
46°46'48"N,
 92°05'28W
Canal Park

Duluth, Minnesota

 
Feeling the need for a "big lake fix" along the shore of Lake Superior, I drove north the other day with the goal of not only taking in my favorite lake, but also enjoying some fall leaf-peeping. Seasonal color north of the Twin Cities is typically at its best in late September and early October. The reds, oranges and yellows were at or near peak on this particular day, which made the drive up Interstate 35 especially pleasing. The scenery was brilliant as I dropped down into Duluth, where I-35 transitions to scenic Highway 61 which follows the Lake Superior shoreline on up to the Canadian border. In previous journeys north my impression of Duluth was that it was simply a hurdle to get through on my way to more interesting places further north. Turns out I was wrong. This trip I decided to park and have a look around, and I'm very glad I did.

 

After scouring the car to find enough change to feed the parking meter, I found my way to a pedestrian boardwalk and bike path that followed the lakeshore. I had a choice to make: walk west toward downtown or east toward the canal and Aerial Lift Bridge and Canal Park. I decided to first investigate downtown. Duluth is located at the westernmost point of Lake Superior, and there is a steep shift in elevation from the lake to the inland area. Geographically speaking, it reminded me of a stadium with rows and aisles (street grids) rising up and away from a playing field (downtown and the lakefront). Many of the residential neighborhoods are blessed with impressive views of the lake as they ascend from the downtown core. Perhaps these grand views are of some consolation to residents who must endure the biting winter chill of one of America's most vigorous climates!



Duluth North Pierhead Lighthouse

 After admiring the interesting architecture downtown, I returned to the lakefront boardwalk and walked east toward Canal Park, named for the canal that allows ships to pass from the lake into the port. Once an industrial and warehouse district, this region has now been converted into a vibrant tourist and entertainment destination with pleasant lakefront hotels and numerous restaurants. My stroll eventually led me down a breakwater to the North Pierhead Lighthouse, where I was rewarded with a front row seat to observe a huge freighter as it passed through the canal on its way out into Lake Superior.

All in all, I was quite pleasantly surprised by what I found in Duluth, and my three hour diversion served to favorably alter my impression of the city. Knowing now what Duluth has to offer I'll be less inclined to simply blow through town on my way up the north shore of Superior.

Butterflies and Fountains

Location coordinates:
44°55'39"N, 93°17'45"W
Lyndale Park
Minneapolis, Minnesota

I live in a wondrous place. I can look out the window of my upstairs home office and see Lyndale Farmstead Park across the street to the north. There is the beautiful and historic Lakewood Cemetery across the street to the west. And just a block to the south lies yet another park, Lyndale Park, that features a rose garden, a perennial garden, a peace garden, and a bird sanctuary. Walking or biking through Lyndale Park brings you to the eastern shore of Lake Harriet, of which I've made several earlier blog entries. This collection of wonderment literally steps from my front door is my home base, and it provides a terrific venue for a new photographer to practice.

A few days ago I ventured out during the hour just prior to sunset to capture the warm end-of-day lighting. My goal was to photograph a bench that sets off by itself. I love photographing benches, and this particular bench has caught my eye many times during the year, as it seems to provide a serene setting in which to gaze off toward two large maple trees currently dawning their vivid red colors of the season. When I arrived at the bench, however, the lighting angle simply wasn't complimentary enough to the scene to produce the type of shot I desired. So I wandered off in another direction looking for anything else of interest. As luck would have it, a perky little monarch butterfly was kind enough to pose for a few shots.



Phelps Fountain

 Given the fact it was near to sundown, the mosquitoes were on the prowl. Although I had prepared by dousing myself in insect repellent, I observed a small squadron of the pests making their way my direction and I didn't want to take any chances. I left Madame Butterfly behind and walked toward the rose and perennial gardens. The next thing to catch my eye was the Phelps Fountain, one of two historic fountains located in the gardens. It occurred to me that very soon these fountains will literally be enclosed in a plywood housing to protect them from the cold winter weather. This fact made me appreciate the water patterns shimmering in the setting sun all the more.



Phelps Fountain

 While taking in the charm of the fountain I felt that always-annoying piercing itch of a mosquito who had managed to penetrate the defense barrier of the bug repellent. I decided it was best to pack up the tripod and head for home. As I did I looked around and considered the fact that within the next few weeks the gardens will end their season and the Minneapolis Parks staff would be packing the rose bushes in a thick layer of leaves as protection from snow and ice. The parks will take on a whole different look, and I'll be there to capture it all.

Good Grief, Charlie Brown

Schroeder and Lucy

Location coordinates:
44°56'44"N,
93°05'47"W
Landmark Plaza
St. Paul, Minnesota

When I was growing up one of my favorite things about the fall and holiday seasons were the Peanuts specials on TV. As September moved into October I began my ritual monitoring of the TV Guide for the network airing of these shows. First up was It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Halloween just wouldn't have been Halloween without cheering on Linus in his quest to see The Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown's woeful expression of "I got a rock" compared to his friend's candy each time they went trick-or-treating. Then came A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving where we all laughed at Charlie Brown's lack of culinary skill as he offered up buttered toast as a Thanksgiving dinner. Rounding out the holiday season was A Charlie Brown Christmas, causing us to wonder along with the rest of the Peanuts gang just why Charlie Brown chose that dead, scrawny little Christmas tree.

Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, was born in Minneapolis and grew up in St. Paul. Schulz left Minnesota for California in his mid-thirties, but his influence is still seen around the Twin Cities even today. And Minnesota certainly influenced Charles Schulz. As I watched those shows as a child I had no idea that I would eventually live in the birthplace of the Peanuts gang. In fact, the location setting for Charlie Brown's hometown was based on the Linden Hills neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis, which adjoins my own neighborhood of East Harriet Farmstead.

Charlie Brown and Snoopy

Wandering around downtown St. Paul the other day I came across these bronze statues of several of the Peanuts gang hanging out in the area around Landmark Center and Rice Park. You can't help but feel transported back to those happy childhood memories as you come across these figures in the heart of the city. So, does achieving middle age, coupled with the fact my children are now grown adults, mean that I've put the Charlie Brown shows behind me? Not a chance. And I'll bet I'm not the only middle-aged guy wanting to step back and spend a few minutes reliving those simple holiday memories. I could go out and buy the DVD sets, but it might be more fun to simply keep an eye on the TV listings - just like the good ole' days.

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.