It was supposed to be just a day off from school – sleeping in, hanging out with friends, playing games. Instead, I decided that the kids and I would take a road trip to visit my Mom out in the country. We did a little eating, a little cupcake decorating, a little trekking through the woods and a little pumpkin carving. A great mix of lots of good things.
The WoodsThe Boy & His Dog In The WoodsThe FarmRain CloudsMossy RockRed BerriesAlong The Old Fence LineMy Dad’s Old FordThe Old TractorSophia, Grandma, Sebastian & The PumpkinsPumpkin Head
We carved pumpkins a bit early for Halloween. The cool weather we are having may actually preserve them until the 31st. Unless of course they freeze. Snow flurries were in the air today and temps were below freezing. Fall is going by too fast.
The forecast was for another beautiful fall day on Friday. Warm, sunny, breezy and highs in the upper 60’s . Mike planned to take the day off to study for his outdoor emergency training refresher/CPR class. He thought I should take the day off as well. It didn’t take a lot of convincing. The morning started off very promising. Another beautiful sunrise. While Mike got Sophia to the bus stop, I made a quick trip over to Hawk Ridge to watch the morning come to life.
I wasn’t the only one who drove to the overlook to watch the sun come up over Lake Superior. An older gentleman pulled up right before me and took a few photos with his point-and-shoot camera. We exchanged a few remarks about the beautiful sunrise and he left a short time later. Next, a motorcycle pulled up. The guy lit a cigarette and watched the sunrise. Once he was done, he also departed. Then a minivan with a Mom and her kids drove up. They got out, took a few photos with their point-and-shoot camera and also left shortly thereafter. Luckily I didn’t have to rush off and was able to enjoy several minutes of the colorful skies.
Mike continued studying for most of the morning. I did some outdoor work – cleaning up my container garden, picking grapes and sweeping the decks. We decided that Mike needed a break and Daphne needed some exercise, so we drove over to Hartley Park to take a hike in the woods and view the fall colors.
Hartley Pond 1:04 p.m.Hartley Park 1:14 p.m.Hartley Park (Daphne & Me) 1:18 p.m.Hartley Park (Mike & Daphne) 1:20 p.m.Hartley Park 1:22 p.m.Hartley Park 1:25 p.m.Hartley Park 1:26 p.m.Back At The Pond 1:36 p.m.Hartley Pond 1:41 p.m.
It was time to head home, have lunch and get ready for the rest of our day. Flu shots for Mike and the kids (I already had mine), Bulldog pizza for dinner and tickets to the UMD Bulldog Hockey Game.
p.s. The Bulldogs won and Sebastian was the lucky winner of a pizza delivered to his seat. I’m not sure who was happier, Sebastian or his middle school buddies that were also at the game. They devoured it in a matter of minutes.
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 OrangeBirch Bark And Maple LeavesYellow MapleOrnamental GrassMore GrassAcornPainted TurtleBFF’sSilly BFF’sAnd They All Fall DownDaphneBrown-Eyed GirlHarvest TimeGrapes Are Ready For PickingBig Waves On Lake SuperiorRough SeasMaking A SplashEvening SkySliver Moon
M. Sullivan Photography 