We had a frosty start to the day last week. It didn't snow or rain, but we an icy ground fog developed that turned the bridges and overpasses white with frost.
Sunday, November 03, 2024
2024 First Snow
After two weeks of beautiful warm weather, we got our first snow on Halloween. We had over an inch of precipitation, but it was so wet it only amounted to barely an inch of snow. During the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, 0.85 inches of precip turned into 10" of snow.
Bdote
High on our list of places to go for an urban walk is Pike Island at Ft. Snelling State Park. It's an island between the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. The confluence of the muddy MN and clear MS waters is known to the original locals as Bdote.
The MN River side of the island has steep banks and the water is inaccessible. The tip of the island (halfway point of the 4-mile walk) flattens out and the MS River side of the island has a nice beach. By the time we got to the tip, S was severely overheated and was glad to be able to finally take a swim. GP refused to go swimming.
Fall Walks
While summers here are great, fall is pretty nice, too. The dog doesn't overheat as much, but he still likes to cool off when given the chance.
Spooky Halloween
Our neighbors put up a 12-foot tall skeleton. It turned out really well and it's truly spooky.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Fall Colors
Our fall this year is mostly pale yellow. We had a record-dry fall (after a record-wet summer) so it was similar to a really nice Nebraska fall.
Now that the heat has left and the leaves are falling, it feels and smells like fall.
Davidson College
We visited the campus of Davidson College. It was absolutely stunning. They have 100-foot willow oaks that are the biggest trees I've ever seen east of the Rockies. It looks like a great school.
"Alenda lux ubi orta libertas": "Let Learning Be Cherished Where Liberty Has Arisen"
Beneficial Insects
In NC, they actually sell Asian Beetles at the garden center. It's similar to someone trying to sell Florida Palmetto bugs in the Upper Midwest. It's all about the marketing.
Fall in NC
The fall colors were getting started in the high country of NC.
In the four days we were there, everything really started to pop.
Blowing Rock
The Ns took us up into the NC mountains to Blowing Rock. It was a magical fall afternoon.
Ely Police Hiring Campaign
The Northwoods city of Ely is trying to attract new police recruits by giving them a $4000 canoe.
Minneapolis Design Show
GP & I hit the Minneapolis Design & Advanced Manufacturing show. Coolest thigs we saw: (1) a micro camera that is not much bigger than a speck of pepper, and (2) a 3D-printed soft banana.
Afterwards, we hit Brits Pub for a pint & some curry.
El Gato
We have this orange tabby cat/kitten that comes around now & then. He likes hunting mice in the back yard, and JP likes to give him food. If we didn't already have such a great cat, we would take him in.
Muskrat Love
Every morning, we stop at the dog beach and snap a photo of the lake. S has no interest in chasing after the muskrats.
Nap Time
Fall afternoons in front of the TV & fireplace are the perfect place for an upright sitting nap.
Winds of October
The gales of November have yet to arrive, but the winds of an October cold front wreaked havoc on a sailboat that was late to get out of the lake.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Northern Lights
We had a nice display of the Northern Lights IN THE CITY!! They didn't last long, but they were bright and easy to see.
I was hoping to get a photo of them across the lake and above the downtown skyline, but they were to the south.
Arrowfest!
The local electronics distributor, Arrow, hosted what they call Arrowfest at a big hotel in Bloomington. CP & I were one of two father-son engineer teams. It was fun attending some technical seminars with him.
After the seminars, there was a full-on trade show with tasty food, beer, and prizes. CP won a camping grill!
Rainy Camp
There were a couple of sections along the river where the beavers were busy at clearing our the forest.
We had a bit of rain, but we were able to duck under the a spruce tree and stay dry. S ended up with a bit of sap on his belly.
The peeked out under the rain clouds and treated us to a pretty sunset glow.
Fifth Falls Hike
The park was absolutely overrun with "peepers", city dwellers out for the day to peep at the fall colors. However, once you get 100 yards from the main falls, the craziness fades and you're back in the peaceful North Woods.
We hiked a six-mile loop from the campground up the river to Fifth Falls.
We stopped for lunch at Fifth Falls and took some time to dip our toes in the water. Brrrr!! It's not warm lake water.
Lakeshore Camping
Gooseberry Falls Park has a beautiful stretch of shoreline adjacent to the campground. No sunsets here, but the sunrises are spectacular.
Gooseberry Falls Camping
We took the boys up to Gooseberry Falls State Park for a weekend campout. Other than a cold front with 40-50 mph winds Saturday night at 1:00 AM, it was perfect weather and we all had a blast.
JP discovered some amazing vacuum-sealed burgers @ Lund's. No mess in the cooler, and incredible meat. We put our new cast iron griddle to use.
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