Listen to the trees

When I woke up this morning, two deer were in the yard.  Momma was showing her young-one how to best survive the cold winter:  easy food = better chance of survival.  I think 25% of the seeds from the bird feeder fall to the ground.  The deer have learned this and make several visits throughout the day.  They usually dash into the woods when I walk down the path from the house and then quickly return to the feast once I step into the garage.

Blessings to you throughout the new year!  

Winter dusk

This past weekend I went for a single solitary walk in the field of my childhood, the field that is undergoing a transformation from an open hayfield, conformed to man's dictation, to a place where nature now trumps, as a few young, sturdy white pines have burrowed their roots amongst the enthusiastic growth of alder brush.

'Tis the Season...

'Tis the season for celebration where we remember the blessings bestowed upon us. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! I wish you peace, joy, and love on this day and throughout the new year to come.

Shortest Day

Today I found blue skies and a brisk, cold wind instead of the gentle snowflakes and calm gray of yesterday.  I turned my face to the sun, soaking up the warmth given even on this cold Shortest Day.  I thought of both of my grandmothers who have said that, once winter solstice is past, the days will be a rooster's step longer.  How the rooster step correlates to length of daylight I do not know, but the image of a rooster with his high-step in rhythm with the winter sky, along with thoughts of my grandmothers, does bring to me a smile and a chuckle, which, perhaps, is the point of it all during this time of long nights and short days. 

Snowy day, yay!

Windows

I look out.  I look in...  I see remnants of the past woven into the fabric of who I am today.

Blessings

Swampers

In need of fresh air, I pulled on my swampers and went for a walk.

What did I find? Cold air nipping. Snow crunching. Grasses rustling.

Water flowing. Ice forming. Nose dripping. With fingers tingling, I returned to the coziness of the wood-fired heat and company of family, thankful for the blessings of this day.
(Thanksgiving 2008)

Note from Heidi Mae

This ad was published in this week's issue of the Timberjay, a local newspaper here in Ely and Tower.  I am pleased to bring my website and photography to more people!

 

Crackle Ice

November Frost

We've had some beautiful frost but no significant snow yet.  My skis are waiting.  Today I heard that some people have been skating on some of the lakes that are frozen over.  I will keep to the edges until the ice is much thicker. 

Points

Through what lens do you see the world?  Many things through my lens appear hazy.  Very little is in sharp focus.  A few points are indisputably clear to me.  One is the importance of accepting responsibility for one's life, situation, choices made.  Another is that, with grass now brown and snow falling down, winter is closing in.

Note from Heidi Mae

Greetings!  Thank you to everyone who has left comments here on the blog.  I love having a place where others can enjoy my photography.  :-)

A bit of news:  one of my photographs was chosen to be included in the 2008 Arrowhead Biennial Exhibition, which features artists from Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Michigan, Iowa, and Ontario.  "Solitude" (shown below) will be on display as part of the exhibit through February 1, 2009 at the Duluth Art Institute in Duluth, Minnesota.  The show opens on November 13th at 5 p.m.

 

Patch of red

The leaves have fallen.  The days are short.  I search for bits of color, a respite from the muted shades of brown.  In the late afternoon sun I find a patch of red: Red Osier.  

Time prolonged

Time prolonged.  In motion.  

The colors and the memories are sustenance for my eyes & my spirit.

Reflections of another time

Disintegration

Remnants of another time slowly sink back into the earth. In the meantime, we wonder where this came from and how many hands have pulled the handle. And, the bear walks across it.

Brilliant!

The rain drizzled down last weekend.  The landscape was exquisitely vibrant.

On the edge

Tenaciously surviving on the edge, a scrub oak sits on a high bluff above Lake Superior on the Keweenaw Peninsula.  Sometimes life feels like this.  Hanging on in a wondrous place where ferocious storms are sure to cycle through...  but, what a view!

Fleeting

The aspen are golden. The clouds scurry across the sky. The wind hurries across the bay, through the leaves, calling for the change of season.

Up further than I've been before

This past weekend I drove down to the North Shore and meandered my way up to Grand Marais. I made several stops along the way so that the sun was setting by the time I reached Grand Marais. Driving directly to Artist's Point, I jumped out of my truck and found myself awestruck with the sight of the shoreline to the south... and, I immediately understood why the mountains along the shore are called the "Sawtooth Mountains."

Favorite view, my friend

Early last week I had the opportunity to go out on Lake Vermilion with a family friend, someone who has enjoyed the beauty of this lake for over 70 years. A splendid autumn afternoon with a nippy wind and rain showers alternating with sunshine. The view from the outcropping near this pine is one of his favorites.

Colors are bright, light is fading

A beautiful evening on Stuntz Bay. All of the colors are showing their faces. How quickly these days go by... the sun sets just after 6:30.