Open Season

It was the second weekend of deer hunting season in Minnesota.  My brothers and nephews are deer hunters.  They would have been very jealous to see what was resting in our next-door neighbors’ backyard this morning.  I tried to sneak up behind the bushes and catch a shot (photo) of him as he rested.  He was very alert and didn’t appreciate my interruption. He got up right away and kept a cautious look towards me.

Buck
Eight Point Buck
Majestic
Walking Away

My brothers hunted at my Mom’s house this weekend and went home empty-handed.  I imagine this buck has been enjoying city living protected from all the hunters.

Fall Color

It’s a beautiful time of year in the Midwest.  The leaves are changing color.  The evenings are crisp and cool.  We need to enjoy it while it lasts because winter is just around the corner. Here’s a slice of Northern Minnesota from the past week.

Bright Orange
Birch Bark And Maple Leaves
Yellow Maple
Ornamental Grass
More Grass
Acorn
Painted Turtle
BFF’s
Silly BFF’s
And They All Fall Down
Daphne
Brown-Eyed Girl
Harvest Time
Grapes Are Ready For Picking
Big Waves On Lake Superior
Rough Seas
Making A Splash
Evening Sky
Sliver Moon

Wildlife

Sophia and I enjoyed the last weekend of “official” summer with a walk/bike ride.  We brought Daphne with so that she could enjoy the warm weather too.  The forecast of 71 degrees happened early in the day.  It cooled off later in the afternoon and then the rain began during the evening.  We spent an hour or so enjoying the weather, picking up fall leaves, acorns and other items for Sophia’s craft project.  We also enjoyed seeing some of the local wildlife.  No bears this day, thank goodness!

The first of the wildlife was a pair if deer in a yard about a half a mile from our house.  This doe was rather curious and watched us for a while before bounding off into the trees.

Oh Deer!

We saw a group of ducks including some nearly full-grown ducklings.  The colorful feathers on their heads had not filled in yet.

Ducks
Watching And Waiting
Water Fowl

We also saw this heron standing completely still in the pond.

Long-Legged Bird
Standing Still

When the bird had enough of our picture-taking, he/she flew off.

Fly Away

When we went around to the second pond, we saw him/her again.

Mirror Image

The geese spotted us and made their way over across the pond looking for hand outs.  We forgot to bring food with, so they lost interest after a while.

Snow White

Along the road on the way out Sophia stopped for a quick picture.

Biker

We noticed that some of the branches on the trees were sporting fall hues.

Colorized

Today’s weather is cold, windy and rainy.  We are glad that we got out yesterday to enjoy the last few hours of warmth.