Category Archives: Life Up North

And the other gold

Posted on by
Reply

Make new friends, but keep the old,
One is silver and the other gold.

It was years ago that we learned that little song, which we sang as a round in Girl Scouts. But it’s never been more true. And in this summer filled with reunions with family and friends, I have had ample opportunity to appreciate its message.

It was over a year ago that I contacted Zohreh about our reunion. She was the AFS student from Iran during my senior year in high school, and when presented with the idea of coming for our reunion, she jumped right on board. And having committed, even way back then, I knew she’d come. Even after 40 years.

Over that time we had not only kept in touch but we visited Zohreh and her family in Paris, where she now makes her home. And she welcomed our son during his backpacking tour of Europe so that he could see the Tour de France finish on the Champs-Élysées. In between were the annual Christmas letters and occasional emails. But as soon as she stepped into our house in Duluth, it was as if we’d been together yesterday.

We had a magical three days, revisiting the places she’d known so well during her AFS year here and sharing her memories and experiences with her family. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I loved reliving it all through her eyes. Duluth provided beautiful weather, showing off the renewed lakefront and sparkling off the ubiquitous Lake Superior.

The best part of all was reconnecting with our close group of friends from high school. A small brunch turned into a half-day affair when we all gathered to talk and share our past and the intervening years. Laughing over year book pictures, recalling stories of adventures in high school, and updating one another on our own families easily filled the hours. The luxury of talking in small groups, and having one-on-one conversations kept everyone riveted and ultimately spilled over into a lengthy breakfast together again the following day.

IMG_9707 trimmedRecapturing those friendships became the heart of the reunion weekend. It’s what made it worth coming together, to renew the connections we made so long ago and still value. It will be the core of my memories of that 40th high school reunion. Spending time with golden friends.

Springtime Revisited

Posted on by
Reply

It wasn’t intentional, but it has been very enjoyable.  We have managed to experience spring flowers several times over this year!  Clearly our recent passion for photography has peaked our interest in wildflowers, and our antennae go up each time we spot color on the roadside.

Our first taste was on our Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour.  Snow had barely receded from the roadsides in Duluth when Driveway flowerswe set off for our trip in mid-May.  Cycling south along the Mississippi River, we jumped into spring weather that we only dreamed of up north.  Sprays of wildflowers grew up along the train tracks that bordered the river.  The Root River bicycle trail provided a tunnel of blooming apple trees. Colorful carpets of lavender flowers carpeted the banks of a driveway, and we glimpsed our first lilacs in bloom.

picstitchFourth of July week was spent at the cabin.  By then spring had advanced to northern Minnesota, and the warm sunny days brought out new blossoms every day.  I had just learned “macro photography” in my photography class, so I practiced taking close-ups of wildflowers on our bike rides.  They made for rewarding subjects, with their bright colors and intricate patterns.  As long as the wind wasn’t blowing.

Pink flowers

 

Lake Superior exerted her usual chilling influence on the North Shore.  This week the same flowers we saw at the cabin finally repeated themselves along the shoreline, as well as some new varieties.  And the lilacs bloomed on our street, with their intoxicating scent.  It’s mid-July and spring has finally made its way to Duluth.  Round three and we’re still enjoying it.

Of Bug Bites and Army Worms

Posted on by
Reply

We all returned home from the cabin with tangible reminders of our stay in the North Woods. The itchy red welts dotting our arms, legs and faces are testimony to the many hours we spent outdoors. Or the nights we spent fending off the persistent buzzing mosquitoes that found their way inside. It wouldn’t be the cabin if it were a pristine environment. And we wouldn’t keep going if we didn’t love it there.

The notoriously late spring and summer this year brought a new attraction at the end of our dock. Odd round divots appeared on the murky bottom, each continuously guarded by a small fish. They only abandoned their posts when a huge Leopard Muskie came into the shallows to lurk. It would appear we had spawning grounds still active in July! When I stood too close to their territory, the fish aggressively bumped my ankles. It seemed a small price to pay to watch nature at work.

The Army Worms that infested the area on our last visit were still strongly in evidence. They continued to crawl up the outside logs of the cabin, swarm the branches of the birch trees and defoliate the impatiens I so carefully planted in pots. We learned to carefully inspect the towels hung out on the line to dry. The record population was 14. But by week’s end, they had finally started cocooning which reduced the population of wiggly caterpillars. Fortunately, not even the grandkids were squeamish about picking them off their clothes and toys, and took it right in stride.

We’ve never had a nice lake bottom for swimming. It’s a combination of squishy dirt, clay that pulverizes when stepped on, and pesky weeds. But the water is super clear and always “refreshing” due to being spring-fed. Three year old Ben came prepared with water shoes to shield his tender feet (or sensitivities) from the yucky bottom. But they mostly went unused. It’s a lake after all. We just deal with it. And in Ben’s words, “I love the lake.”

Every so often, a bat makes its way inside the cabin. We’ve found them hanging up-side-down on the fireplace screen. And we’ve chased them around the cabin in the wee hours of the morning with a butterfly net. Some family members are not at all pleased with these guests. But so far their infrequent appearances have only left us with some funny stories.

I could go on and include the baby mice that popped up through the burners of the stove one winter. The kids took great pride in capturing them under a glass. But perhaps that would be overdoing it. After all, it’s really a very cozy cabin. Complete with creature comforts. And we love it there.

Cabin Imagery

Posted on by
1

We have had an unbelievable string of perfect cabin days. And it’s the 4th of July week to boot, so untold numbers of cabin owners and renters are sure to be benefitting from this gift of beautiful weather. Warm days, bordering on hot, with constant sunshine and just enough breeze to discourage the mosquitos and flies (well, mostly). Nights that cool down for good sleeping. It’s the way we like to remember being at the cabin, despite being a rare phenomenon.

It’s been a week filled with favorite things. Sometimes pictures say it better than words.

Cabin images

Capturing the Northern Lights

Posted on by
Reply

When it comes to night time photography, I will readily admit that my husband, Rich, is far more invested in it than I am. He constantly tracks the solar activity with his tablet apps, reads what the local experts are saying, and gets alerts to tell him the likelihood of Northern Lights appearing. Most nights I let him get up while I roll over for more sleep.

Last night I agreed to doing some “star tracks” – photographing the stars with a long exposure to show their movement through the sky. It meant getting up at midnight and setting up our cameras for a 30 minute exposure. The benefit of being at the cabin was the short distance from our beds to the tripods down on the shore. We could easily retreat from the bugs and hang out in comfort while waiting for our photo shoot to finish. That worked for me.

Northern Lights over North Star Lake

Upon our return to the dock, the faint green glow we'd noticed earlier above the lake had intensified to a level of bona fide Northern Lights. We quickly turned our cameras toward the light activity, readjusted our settings and set out to capture the display. I found it to be a lot more rewarding than star tracks. With only 60 second exposures, we had rapid feedback for each photo, and plenty of time to shoot and reshoot. Good thing, as I still fumbled through the settings and made plenty of blunders along the way. But no matter, the lights obliged with changing shapes and degrees of brightness, providing plenty of material for practicing.

Northern Light with the Big Dipper

To be honest, it wasn't the most spectacular display of Northern Lights I've ever seen. But their reflection in the calm lake was a bonus. And seeing the results on my little camera screen was even more rewarding. In fact, they looked better there than in reality. I know I shouldn't admit that. Sometimes the camera can enhance nature, and it may be best to keep mum. But I'm still learning on all fronts.

In time I was able to tear my focus away from just the Northern Lights and consider other elements in my view. I was especially pleased with my attempt to get both the Lights and the Big Dipper in one photo.

Northern Lights through the trees

We were out on the dock for hours. It was past 3:00 am by the time we were ready to fold up our tripods and turn off the cameras. But I was no longer tired, and had learned to endure the biting mosquitos without flinching and jeopardizing my photos.

Our star track photos turned out to be duds, and we deleted them without hesitation. But they were well worth it for leading us to the Northern Lights display. Next time Rich's alerts go off, I think I'll crawl out of bed with him. I'd like to capture them again.

 

A Dandy Summer Day

Posted on by
Reply

Nothing says summer like dandelions. Normally I’m not such a fan. But after waiting so long for summer this year, seeing anything in bloom is rather a thrill. So even though the fish house on Stony Point is a highly popular subject of local photographs, including mine, as I was cycling by I couldn’t resist capturing it surrounded by the brilliant yellow blooms.

Fish house at Stony Point

I’d been taught to look for new and unique angles in my photography class, so I decided to get up close and personal with the dandelions. Lying flat on the grass, nestled into their yellowness I clicked away. Perhaps the resulting image is not all that unique, but the process of capturing it was distinctly satisfying. Stretching out in the sun and peering through the low flowers was the epitome of a summer day. No reason to hurry, no pressing need to move on, I felt as peaceful as the calm water on the other side of the building.

It was that sort of day. Taking advantage of the lack of wind I’d decided to cycle up the Scenic Highway and back again, clinging to the shore, savoring the views and basking in the sunshine. It’s not often that the water is so calm, and the seagulls, birds and mysterious swimming animals seemed to be enjoying it as well. For once I was able to shed my obsession for exercise and cycle for the sheer joy of being out on a beautiful summer day in such idyllic surroundings.

Stony Point shoreline

Even without a “wind off the lake” there were still pockets of Superior-chilled air along the shore. I cycled through a patchwork of warm and cool temperatures. Lake Superior was gently exerting her influence, with reminders of the just how recently the ice retreated from her shorelines.

The spring green color of the newly leafed out trees belied the advanced date in June. The lilacs, apple trees and tulips had suddenly burst into bloom. And for the first time this year it felt like summer. Dandelions and all.

A boat is coming!

Posted on by
Reply

Growing up in Duluth, we could hear the boats tooting from our house.  And the bridge’s unique signal in response.  The incoming ships would sound their horns just about even with our house.  On a nice summer evening, it spawned instant activity – “let’s go see it go through the bridge!”  We’d jump in the car, race the ship down to Canal Park and rush to the pier to watch the huge vessel slide under the bridge.

I had a poster on the dresser next to my bed, with all the smoke stacks of the Great Lakes ore boats.  And my dad, who worked for a mining company, knew many of the ships by sight.  Living in Duluth, shipping season is part of every day life.

Having returned to live in Duluth once again, I still thrill at the sight of the boats on Lake Superior.  I was there on the shore to see the first ship leave port this spring, among the piles of ice that lined the water’s edge.

While I still love to hear the ships tooting, I no longer need to rely on them for my ship arrival and departure information.  With the leap in years between my youth and my return, there has also been a leap in technology.  While there is a wealth of information available on the web, I wanted access to the data any time, anywhere. So I turned to my trusty iPhone and yes, there’s an app for that.

photo 2I’m a visual person, so I tested out several apps that display ships on a map.  I chose the MarineTraffic app for its intuitive visual display and ease of use.  It has different icons for docked and moving ships, displays the direction of travel, and tapping an icon displays a picture of the ship and detailed information about the vessel, its current voyage and last position.  It’s a great way to see what’s coming and going, or to identify a ship out on the lake.

But that still doesn’t tell me when to find the ship under the bridge.  For that I turned to a shipping schedule.  The best source I found for that is the Duluth Shipping News.  They have a web page that lists Arrivals and Departures for Duluth, Superior and Two Harbors.  In addition to estimated ship movement times, it includes what cargo it is loading or discharging, which I find interesting.  To make this easy to access, I created an icon on my iPhone that goes directly to that web page. (Here are step-by-step directions to do that.)

My techie side is happy with my new apps.  And I’m sure they will be very useful.  But if I hear a boat tooting on a nice evening, I may still race it down to the bridge.

To Auld Friends

Posted on by
Reply

I looked it up, and I like the definition.  Auld: of long duration.  My college friends – we’re not old, we’ve just known each other for a very long time.

It 75-13 spring UN group trimmedwas 40 years ago, in fact, that we all met at Knox College.  Four years we spent living in close proximity, sharing dorm space, tough classes, crushes, late night popcorn and cafeteria food.  We survived killer tests, romantic crises, music recitals, unsolvable math problems, swimming and track meets, impossible lab assignments, and sorority life.  We were drawn to each other through common values and interests that spawned lasting friendships for the duration of our college years.  And beyond.

A few of us braved a reunion or two over the last 36 years.  It was fun to see the campus again, visit with old profs and meet up with some good friends.  But the nucleus of key people was missing.  Those we really cared about were either not there or our encounters were diluted by the myriad other events going on.  Enter the Knox Mini-Reunion.  Last weekend six of us rendezvoused in the Twin Cities for our own get-together.

It’s amazing how quickly we were able to slip back into familiarity.  One I hadn’t seen since graduation, others were almost that long.  But the foundation of common experiences bridged the years and the intervening periods melted away.  And there was never a shortage of conversation.  We talked our way through a Twins game, a walk around Lake Calhoun, Grand old Day in St. Paul and many meals together.  We even took a private yoga class – not much conversing there, but good bonding.  We’ve all followed different paths since college, but we soon discovered that we are the same people we were then.  And we still have the same common values.

It’s wonderful to be among friends who understand you.  Stories don’t require explanation or background, they “get it.”  It was a rare immersion in friendship that brought us all back to our roots and reminded us of what we gained through college life.  Looking back on photo albums from those days and paging through our year books brought a lot of laughs, sparked memories and stumped us when we couldn’t remember names.  It also reinforced the good times – both then and now.

IMG_0569 trimmedIt was tough bidding goodbye to my friends at the end of the weekend, accomplished only with promises of another such gathering in a few years.  I felt as though I’d been in a time warp for a few days, having focused solely on our little inner circle and letting the world go by without us.  But I felt renewed, refreshed and very fortunate.

Here’s another definition.  Auld Lang Syne: for the sake of old times.  That pretty well sums up our weekend.  Till we meet again, my auld friends!

Retirement Speed

Posted on by
Reply

“So, what’d you do this morning?”  It’s a new phrase that has cropped up in this recent phase of our lives.  Two retirees at home, putzing around. (Oh man, does that make us sound old!  We’re not.)  We’re pretty independent types, so we can easily go about our own business, each following our individual agendas without being very cognizant of the other’s activities.

I’ve been at this a year already, but Rich is only two weeks into it.  And being home together is definitely different.  I’ve already figured out just how easy it is to fritter time away.  And how I can still pack a lot into a day, if I want to.  It all depends on the mood, the weather, the day, and my plans.  Rich is still in awe of the idea that “there is always tomorrow.”

Being us, we can spend hours on bike rides, running, skiing and other outdoor activities.  But it’s still hard to get over that feeling of needing to be productive.  It doesn’t take much these days to meet that definition – balancing the checkbook, ordering something on Amazon, and baking cookies all qualify.  It’s enough to say we’ve done something.

iPad Laptop case in Denim - closed trimmedThis morning I decided to fulfill my quota by doing some sewing.  By 9:00am I had produced a laptop case – actually a “commission” project for a friend of Karen’s who admired the denim iPad case I made for her.  So in exchange for a Caribou gift card, I made another slightly larger model.  Once on a roll, I moved on to making a case for my iPad photo connectors.  Talk about a frivolous IMG_9917 trimmedproject!  But designing and completing it was rewarding.  And useful.

I’m not sure what Rich achieved this morning.  But I’d say I accomplished a lot!  Now it’s time for that bike ride.

Up with the sun

Posted on by
Reply

Actually, I was up before the sun.  I had to be – I wanted to capture the sunrise.

Yup, you guessed it, I’m practicing my new photography skills.  And what better subject than a sunrise over Lake Superior.  The forecast was for a mostly clear morning, so I roused myself in the early hours of the day.  I could see the first pinkish red hues in the sky as I hustled down to Brighton Beach, wishing I hadn’t lingered for a few extra moments in bed.

I arrived to find a few clouds in the sky – perfect for reflecting the sun’s rays.  And thankfully the sun was still far enough below the horizon to allow me to set up my camera.  Soon it all began happening so quickly, I had little time to think about all the camera settings and different adjustments I should be testing.  It was all I could do to capture the rising sun and its brilliant colors.

IMG_0807

IMG_0806IMG_0813Enter sea gulls.  They were flying everywhere, in and out of my pictures, and I quickly realized that I wanted them IN!  But they weren’t exactly cooperative.  And I wasn’t always fast enough on the trigger.  So I ended up with a lot of pictures just after they flew out of my viewfinder.  Oh well, RAM is cheap as they say, so I just kept snapping away.  Thank heavens we are not using film any more.  But the one I did get with the gull over the clouds is my personal favorite.

IMG_0859

IMG_0846

There was something magical about being out there in the crisp morning air, with no one else around.  The placid water had a calming effect, and the sun’s growing warmth was very welcome.  What a wonderful way to start the day.  I was no longer practicing photography.  I was enjoying nature and the outdoors.  It was well worth getting up before the sun.