The last rainbow of 2015...

Somehow we had a double rainbow last week, and then the cold air came in. 

I'm pretty sure that this was the last rainbow of 2015...

Then the heavy frost that accompanies single digit F night time temps gave us this a couple of days later...

The heavy frost coated all of the trees which made for a really beautiful sunrise!  Wwwhere's my grain!? Says Sophia.

A summer flower booms once more with ice crystal petals.

Another sunny day here today, a great day for a short trip up to Duluth.  These scenes caught my eye, I hope you all enjoy!

This is a 1000 ft long lake freighter known as The Indiana Harbor, wintering over in dry dock.

The light at the break wall in Duluth Harbor.

The Coast Guard station in Duluth with an outbound sea going vessel in the back ground. I liked the lighting in both of these pics. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

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Happy Thanksgiving

I hope all of my visitors in the US have had a nice Thanksgiving and that you took the time to reflect on what we are grateful for.  This is one of those holidays where I like to reflect on my own little world and recognize those things that I am truly grateful for.  So here's to you - good health, happiness and prosperity!  Never forget those you care about, and always give thanks for what you have. 

Right before Grace...

I wish you all the very best,

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Seen on the side of the road...

This one made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it.

Another one of those road side gems!

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Brrrr it's getting colder...

This is the time of year when there isn't enough snow to ski, it's cold 20 to 30 F in the mornings, and I usually don't hike or get into the forest too often.  I did notice the beautiful ice formations on trees and plants this morning from the condensation in the air.  As winter approaches the climate gets colder and very arid.  Humidity will move towards 20 or 30 percent and the below freezing temperatures begin to sustain. 

So here are a few pics from the morning's wander...

There's a small creek in there somewhere... sparkling ice and a clear blue sky. A beautiful day!

Last summer's flowers bloom one more time... this time with ice crystals.  Soon they will be buried in snow to return next spring. 

Whats this?  Well let me tell you!  I discovered this at a diner around an hours drive North from where I live and I must say, this is a most delicious mango pepper sauce to put on just about anything.  It's from Jamaica and it's fantastic!

Just a short post this weekend.  Hope all are well.  AML NLO, JRO, SEP AML

A Trip to Houghton Falls

Sunrise on Basswood Island (one of the Apostle Islands at the Northern Tip of Wisconsin) this Saturday morning...

One more installment on roadside oddities.  This siting was near Superior, Wisconsin.

Hard to really visualize the scale from this view

This is a little better... the chair is about 3 meters high.... this is along the highway and I'm not sure why...

Another super delightful weekend!  Seasonably warm temperatures and time for a little hike.  This weekend we checked out Houghton Falls near the very Northern tip of Wisconsin.

These next two pics are a strange footnote as to how people get around on the Apostle Islands.  Once the water freezes over and the car ferry's are no longer in service, air boats and ice bridges become the transportation mode.

Note the radial engine and cut back prop.  The aero engine is pulling, which made the slipstream directly behind the cab a very dangerous area.

Yeah, had to add this too.  A knot in a prop shaft...

Ok on to the Houghton Falls tail.  This is typical terrain.

The river flows through a pre-Cambrian sandstone gorge on it's way to Lake Superior.

A really interesting place geologically.

Some of the upper falls spilling over a sandstone ledge.

A beautiful day for a hike and this river gorge was beautiful!

A lot of moss covers the rocks and trees down in the gorge.

Hard to visualize in this pic, but the water drops about 60 feet from one tiered ledge to the next.

At the bottom of a rock slide, the stream emerges.  Very beautiful area.

Approaching the river's end into Lake Superior.

Following the trail to the lake shore, the view to the left shows the sand stone erosion caused by lake ice and weathering.

The view to the right, under a November mid-day sun.  Lake Superior is expansive!

This little tree was in a nearby park and I thought it looked really nice and the right pic to close this post with.

Hope you enjoyed Houghton Falls!

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First snow of the 2015-2016 season

What a nice summer and fall we've had.  This snow arrived last night and won't stay, but soon we will have a few inches on the ground...

A "dusting," of snow on 13 November...

I'm looking forward to a little hiking around Lake Superior this weekend, so maybe I'll get a chance to post this Sunday. 

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The girls get a new bale of hay!

Just a fun post of the horses.  I don't know why they think the new bale is so much better than the old bale already out... maybe it's the fun of pulling it apart?  Anyhow happy Tuesday all!

Oh boy here comes the guy with the carrot treats!

That's better...

Mmmmm fresh hay

Hope we all have a great week!

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In the trenches

What a fantastic fall we are having here!  Mild and above average temperatures... you couldn't ask for a nicer summer and now, fall.  Well with the warm weather came an opportunity to do some last minute work around the house.  We trenched a 50 foot 3 foot deep ditch for a culvert!  YAY...

Two twenty foot sections just waiting to be installed...

  These sections connect with a bolted flange to make a 40 foot culvert. 

So I spent a lot of last weekend in this trench!

Grading the gravel, packing it all down and leveling it off took care of the weekend.  We'll get out and post some fall pictures next weekend.  Maybe even - dare I say - the first snow!

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Getting ready for winter...

The Earth has tilted again!  The days are shorter, the temps are lower... soon we'll see that beautiful snow...  We've been working in the garden and getting all of the outside stuff done while it's still in the 50's and 60's F.

A few pics of last winter...

Just about this time last year... Just outside my window!

This in Waverly, Iowa.  It looks cold and it was!

Soon...

On a hike last November.  The rivers don't freeze over until January, but here you can see an early freeze when the water level was a little higher. 

Out on Lake Superior.  This is well into winter and the ice caves were beautiful.

More to come!

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