Good Morning Sunshine

 

 

 

When I went to bed Friday evening I was excited to wake up Saturday morning for the sunrise.  I woke up several times during the night because I was sleeping away from home from unusual sounds like a train whistle in the middle of the night and sirens.

I woke up well before sunrise.  I got showered, dressed and camera in hand to sit by the lake waiting for the sunrise.  I was excited because where I live I don’t see sunrises over the lake because of the terrain around the lake and our home.

While I was sitting on the shore I watched as the ducks on the lake were swimming past and diving below the surface to feed.  They were busy for over half an hour in front of me.  I loved watching them disappear below and trying to predict where they would surface.  In the distance I could hear gun shots.  The ducks by me seemed oblivious to the fact that there were duck hunters at the other end of the lake.

It was a beautiful unseasonably warm sunny weekend.  Perfect for walking, sitting and just being outdoors. Hope your weekend was as delightful as mine.

Advertisement

 

Just another brick in the wall…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The year was 1974.  We had lived in our new house in St. Paul for a year and it was finally summer vacation.  The past school year had been difficult.  Starting a new school in the eighth grade was not fun especially when I didn’t want to move.  One good thing from the school year was I finally had a new friend and her family invited me to go with them on a camping trip for a week.  My parents agreed to let me go.

My friend invited me to go and her older brother invited his friend to go.  We slept in one tent and her brother and friend slept another tent and their parents in a small camper.  It was one of the best weeks of my junior high days.  All day long we spent time on the Cannon River either swimming or fishing and just laying in the sun.

My friend’s brother had discovered Pink Floyd as his new latest, greatest band.  He played the cassette tape over and over all week-long.  I’m sure everyone in the campground was tired of it by the time we went home.  The words of Pink Floyd will forever be etched in my brain like Just Another Brick in the Wall and song Money.  I can still hear the sound of the cash register from the beginning of Money.

The brick wall pictured above is downtown Detroit.  It was next to a parking lot for a bar we ate lunch at last fall when we visited Detroit.  It was unlike any other brick wall I had seen because it didn’t look like they took any pride in their work.  It was still unique to look at along with everything else nearby the bar.

 

 

In the Passenger Seat

Early this morning my husband and I a trip to the Twin Cities to pick up a car he bought for our car lot.  I was playing with my camera while riding in the passenger seat.

It is so easy to just set my camera to the auto mode and let the camera decide what my picture should look like instead of trying to learn the manual mode for my camera.

I love the artsy look to the freeway traffic this morning.  It wasn’t my intention to get the traffic in my photo but the right sunrise exposure.  I didn’t get the sunrise picture I was looking forward to but I did learn a few things about the manual settings on my camera.

Any day I learn something new is a good day!

 

 

Stickwork

This afternoon I was picking up by sister at St John’s University when I saw this incredible display called Art on the Prairie.  It is called Stickwork and it is the work of artist Patrick Dougherty.  For more of his creative work see http://www.stickwork.net

The structures are made entirely of sticks and branches.  They are large enough to go inside and look out.  It is also possible to walk in between the structures.  The structures remind me of artwork from Dr, Seuss’s books, whimsical and a little off-kilter.

I wish that I had one of these structures in my yard.  It would be a kid’s play land dream come true.  They said that the structure will most likely last two years of being exposed to the elements. It is well worth the brief detour south off I-94 to see Art on the Prairie.

 

What Would Ma Ingalls Do?

This morning I was standing in Wal-Mart looking at fall decorating ideas.  I love to decorate for the seasons but have been desperately trying to downsize in all aspects of my life.  I stood with a new table-cloth for fall in one hand and an apple cinnamon scented candle in the other while I looked at a pumpkin table decorations with votive candles on the shelf.  I decided to place them back on the shelves and head home with about $35 still in my pocket.

When I got home I had an email in my inbox from a blog that I have followed the past couple of months”The Year of Less”  .  I clicked on today’s blog http://theyearofless.blogspot.com and it was so appropriate for my dilemma for decorating.  She was talking about looking at things in her home in light of whether Ma Ingalls (The Little House on the Prairie) would have the item in her home.  I loved her perspective in the blog.  Keep it simple!

This is what I came up with for decorating my table for the fall.

They are all items that I already own.  I picked the Hydrangea from my bush and placed them in a flowering can that I have had for some time and placed them on top of a doily that a friend gave me for a birthday a few years ago.

I don’t plan on over doing the decorating this year.  I plan to keep it simple and natural if possible using things I already own or in a new way to make them seem new to me.

 

A Single Drop

A single drop captivated my attention this week. As I walked out the door to go to work I noticed that it had sprinkled leaving everything damp. I went back inside and grabbed my camera for a few photos before work, well about 30 minutes worth to be honest. I went to work later than planned.

I walked out into the field just south of our home and saw drops of water hanging on a few branches. The morning was overcast from the rain but the sun kept trying to peek through the clouds never quite making a full appearance but creating some interesting views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I was heading back inside I loved the way the sun was hitting the butterfly plant pods. It is from the same family as the Milkweed plant. All the is left of it is the shell. All the seeds have flown away in the fall winds.

Have a great weekend!

 

A Little Frosted

This morning as I left for the work the sun was shining and the air was cool and crisp. It was the coldest night we’ve had so far this fall with temperatures dropping to 18 degrees but somehow it was okay with the sunshine.

With daylight savings time ending over the weekend in Minnesota we are now blessed with a little more light in the morning but less light in the evening.

I love how the frost coats everything on the cool fall mornings. The sun shining from the east makes everything sparkle as it’s rays hit the frost. Magical…

Even ordinary grasses in the field look elegant.

 

I’m Guilty, I Confess

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Still

This morning I was sitting in my living chair and noticed how still the lake was this morning. I decided to walk down to the lake and take a picture of the reflection of the fall colors on the lake. As I was standing focusing my camera this bird came into the photo. It circled and then landed on the lake. It was a beautiful way to begin the day.

This week promises to bring out of season temperatures here with 80-85 degree highs over the next few days. I’ll take the warm weather for sure. CNN reported this morning that somewhere in Pennsylvania received their first snow. I’m glad it was there and not here.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge:Fall

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This past week my husband and I spent the week driving home from Michigan. We were blessed to see most of the state adorned in beautiful fall colors. Part of our trip took us to Bond Falls, Michigan. It was tucked away in a beautiful hillside just waiting to be discovered. While we were there we were treated to sun showers off and on all afternoon as we explored.

We are home again and the colors are starting to peak where we live. I am home with a new love and appreciation for where we live.