Spring color in bloom

It’s winter outside — the ground is covered in white, the temperature is in the teens.  But this morning I walked into a breath of spring when I visited the McNeely Conservatory in Como Park.  The Winter Flower Show is now on display in the Sunken Garden, and it’s colors and sights are a treat to the eyes as much as its smells and scents are wonderful to experience.  The pinks of the azaleas and the pale whites and yellows of the pansies were a beautiful combination of color — soft and delicate as only spring can be.  In order to create a “softer” feel to this photograph, I placed a piece of plastic wrap over my lens.  It had a wonderful effect of softening the lines and making the image more about the colors and the “feel” of the colors than of the lines of the flowers.  As we deal with the snow storm that’s moving through over the next three days, I’ll easily return to my photos and my memories of the smells and colors of the conservatory garden.

 

Trumpeter swans on the Mississippi

During the winter months in Minnesota many of our rivers and lakes freeze.  But there is a section of the Mississippi River that runs through the city of Monticello where the waters remain open because of a nuclear generating plant that operates upstream.  From mid-November through February, this area is home to over 1,500 trumpeter swans.  Because the swans weigh between 20-35 pounds each they need a large area to take off and land.  During a recent visit to Monticello, I spent a wonderful few hours along an open stretch of the river observing and photographing the swans as they came and went.   Not only was this a visual treat, but an auditory one as well.  The swans’ wings make a distinctive sound as they’re preparing to take off in flight.  This sound, along with their honking and the sounds of the Canada geese and ducks that were also in the area made for a wonderful cacophony that filled the cold morning air.  This is not your documentary photograph, but I chose a slow shutter speed to better convey the flight of the swans;  their grace and beauty was reflected in the river below them as they flew past me and upstream.

 

Winter weekend of fun

In the bracing cold of winter, we Minnesotans can not be said to shy away from outdoor activities!  And yet Mother Nature has played a cruel trick on us here in the Twin Cities this year.  In what is traditionally the coldest time of the season we have had temperatures above freezing, and rain…requiring some adjustments on our activities.  This was the weekend of the US Pond Hockey tournament on Lake Nokomis.  Unfortunately the rinks were covered with 2 to 3 inches of water, making a puck useless, and postponing the presentation of the Golden Shovel award to a later date.  This was also the beginning of our Winter Carnival in Saint Paul — an annual celebration of the enjoyment of our white season.  The Vulcans were out en force, celebrating in their raucous tradition, and getting ready for their overthrow of King Boreas in the upcoming week.  And there was a sleigh and cutter rally at Lake Phalen, where the horses and ponies were tromping through slush and standing water, rather than gliding along over inches and feet of snow.  But we know that winter is not done yet.  There are predictions of colder temps returning again.  In the meantime, we’ll promise  to enjoy the winter, adjust to Mother Nature’s schedule, and revel in whatever is doled out to us.

 

Not your usual ice fishing houses

In Minnesota we are proud of our winter sports and activities.  Although many people don’t understand, there is a complete culture of ice fishing fanatics who count the days in winter until they can slide their ice houses out on the frozen lakes and pursue their catch of the day.  On a bay of Medicine Lake on the western side of Minneapolis you will find an unusual collection of what looks to be ice fishing houses.  But this is a different collection of people — this is a group of art shanties that are set up on the ice for about five weeks each year.  The collection of 20 “houses” includes a teepee shanty, dice shanties (where you can sit inside and play card games), and a dance shanty, where the music has a great beat,  and people keep warm by dancing on the wood floor with a chandelier overhead.  If one ventures further out on the lake, you’ll find the more usual collection of ice houses, with the dedicated fishermen and women, but Medicine Lake (and Minnesota) is big enough to cater to all types in this cold season of winter.

 

Photographic exhibit now on display

I have a photographic exhibit now on display at the St. John’s Hospital Gallery of Art in Maplewood, Minnesota.  The exhibit runs from January 6th through January 31, 2010.  St. John’s Hospital is located just off Interstate 694 and Highway 61, at 1575 Beam Avenue.  The exhibit includes 26 framed photographs, including this image of “Winter dusting.”   All the images are available for sale, with a percentage of the price benefitting the Newman-Wicklund Teen Volunteer Scholarship Fund.  For additional information please email me at Linda@LindaStaatsPhoto.com.

 

Holiday roses

Whereas most people enjoy the year-end holidays with poinsettias, I’m fortunate to have a dozen red roses to celebrate my birthday.  They’re beautiful and smell lovely, and are a nice change from the usual Christmas decorations.  And with the subzero temperatures outside and our white coating of snow, they’re a nice reminder that summer will be here, even if it’s later than sooner.

This post marks the beginning on my second year of blogging.  Thank you to those of you who have commented on my entries, and thanks to the many readers and followers.  If you enjoy my posts, you can now subscribe to my blog and get email notification when I’ve posted new entries – just click on the “Sign me up!” box on the right side of the screen and enter your email address.  Thanks again, and happy new year!

 

Snowshoeing

We ventured out today into the Minnesota winter wonderland.  Like much of the country, we’ve had our share of snow, and yet there’s a beauty and peacefulness to being out in nature at this time of year.  We snowshoed within the Hoglund Wildlife Management Area in Wright County.  The air was crisp, the snow was falling, the deer were running, and there was a stillness that settles after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday.  These are the times that I appreciate the beauty and power of winter.

 

Winter at Como Park

Snow has continued to fall this past week.  We haven’t received the dumping that the East Coast is dealing with, but rather we have a beautiful coating that’s put everyone in the holiday spirit.  The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is located in Como Park in Saint Paul, and is a wonderful gem in the city.  No matter how cold and wintry it is outside, it’s warm and tropical inside.  It’s presently filled with poinsettias, begonias, and hibiscus — a wonderful burst of color during this season of white.  As Christmas is fast approaching this week, I wish everyone a season of joy and wonder, family and friends.

 

Resting up for Christmas

Winter arrived in the Twin Cities this past week when seven inches of snow came blowing in on 20 mph winds.  The temperatures dropped and the snow fell.  It had us all remembering how to drive in snow and slush, how to shovel our walks and drives without hurting our backs, and it sent us scurrying to find our winter clothes and toys.  The sleds, skies, and snowshoes all came out of the closet this past week in a flurry of snowy activity.  However…there were some creatures that were found to be resting up for future activities.  The reindeer know that their big night is coming up in a couple of weeks, and although the snow is here there is much preparation that needs to be done.  Food must be eaten to gain strength, and rest is essential in order to have the energy to deliver Santa around the globe on his yearly mission.  And so this reindeer is doing when needs to be done, knowing that the upcoming job is a big one, and Santa is relying on each reindeer to be in top physical and mental shape.

 

Winter’s arrival

Winter has arrived this week, and with it so many changes.  For the past six days, our temperatures have stayed below freezing. We’ve had some blowing snow, although not enough to cover the grass.  But the cold weather is now allowing Mother Nature to ice over our lakes and ponds.  Many of the Canada geese are flying high in the sky, heading south to warmer climes.  Whereas before we heard their calls in the early morning and before sunset, now they are continuous throughout the day as they journey away in large flocks before the winter becomes harder and colder.   What waterfowl remain, find it slippery going on the once-liquid lakes.  Soon the transition to winter will be complete and we will revel in her white and shimmering beauty.