Posts Tagged ‘Minnesota’
The moments I may have missed
October has been a full month. Friends have been ailing. My loved ones have had health scares. I’ve been busy at work. I’ve been busy at home, too, as Esteban and I have begun preparing our home for sale. But through it all I’ve tried to pause for a few minutes of stillness and reflection […]
Filed under: Friends and family, Photography | 91 Comments
Tags: fall in Minnesota, Frontenac, Halloween, Minnesota, Pam, squirrels
In spite of my loathe/hate relationship with the Minnesota State Fair, last Saturday Esteban and I fulfilled our legal obligation as residents of our fair state and attended the annual event. There are three things you need to know about this 320-acre cornucopia of farm animals, crop art, and questionable foods: 1. it’s smelly, 2. […]
Filed under: Random thoughts | 41 Comments
Tags: horse show, horses, introvert, Minnesota, Minnesota State Fair, Spam
My favorite day of the year
In Minnesota we have two seasons: Winter, and road construction. Welcome to Minnesota. Enjoy our orange cones! But sandwiched between them every year is one single, glorious day we call “summer.” Summer really does feel that fleeting here, perhaps because the winters are so memorable. Proof that Mother Nature is trying to kill you. […]
Filed under: Friends and family | 80 Comments
Tags: Carol, Jackson Meadow, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, Minnesota weather
I have no idea how many hours I’ve spent hunting for morel mushrooms. But I do know I’ve risked my life at least once for the delicious morsels, and have scoured several square miles of Minnesota woods. My friend and favorite morel hunter Pam, somewhere near [REDACTED] in [REDACTED]. Not this year, though. This year […]
Filed under: Travel | 39 Comments
Tags: Minnesota, morel mushrooms, morels, Pam
Morel … morel … morel … SNAKE!!!
Since 2009, my friend Pam and I have wandered into the woods each spring to hunt for morel mushrooms. There are two components, I think, to our seasonal addiction: First, the mushrooms are delicious. The English language has no adjective superlative enough to describe the smell and flavor of fresh morels sautéed in butter. And […]
Filed under: Friends and family | 29 Comments
Tags: Frontenac State Park, Minnesota, morel, morel hunting, morels, Old Frontenac, timber rattlesnake
What the hail?!
“In Minnesota it’s not May 3rd today; it’s the 54th of February.” I was pretty winter-weary when I posted that on Facebook two years ago. The winter of 2013 was rough. But what a difference two years make! Today was glorious — sunny and 81 (27C) degrees — so I spent a few hours gardening. […]
Filed under: On this day in history | 13 Comments
Tags: hail, Minnesota, Minnesota weather, thunderstorm
Quiz: How Minnesotan are you?
After months of wading through hip-deep snow — and enduring a mind-numbing 50 days below zero (Fahrenheit!) — I’m happy to report the start of The Great Thaw of 2014. For once, I don’t mind slogging though the sloppy slush. And because it’s warmed up enough that I’m no longer worried about my nostrils freezing […]
Filed under: Attempted humor | 12 Comments
Tags: Are you a Minnesotan, Minnesota, Minnesota springtime, Minnesota winter
A Minnesota winter wonderland
Winter in Minnesota really got to me last year. But something in me has shifted this year, and I’ve moved from trying to make the best of it to acceptance. No, not just acceptance — actually embracing my life here. I thought about that in the wee hours last night, when I awoke to the […]
Filed under: Photography, Psychology | 18 Comments
Tags: blizzard, Minnesota, snowfall
Driving to Stockholm
For almost one year, a friend has been inviting me to visit the house he bought last October in Stockholm, Wisconsin (population: 66). It’s only about 75 miles from my home, but — because of everything from winter snowstorms to indoor rainstorms — the timing was never quite right. Until yesterday. I was behind the […]
Filed under: Photography, Travel | 2 Comments
Tags: architecture, Jackson Meadow, Minnesota, Stockholm, Stockholm WI, Ther, Wisconsin
My dear friend Pam and I have an annual tradition of heading into the woods in late May to hunt for morels. Here’s the highlight reel of our spectacular success in 2011: But this spring has been strange in Minnesota, with heavy snow in late April and a cool, monsoon-like May. Everything has been out […]
Filed under: Friends and family | 15 Comments
Tags: classic car show, Hastings bridge, Hastings car show, Minnesota, morel hunting, morels, mushrooms, Pam
