It's all in the numbers...

The day was gray, but the wind was absent, a necessary condition for the job of the day: hoisting the roof to its final timber frame home, the Wee Cabin House. Located near Ely, MN, the Wee Cabin House joins a delightful hamlet of Wee Cabins created by Eric and Dayna Mase. What a process - from the leveling to the crane, to the connecting of the roof to the cable, to the pause in breathe when the lift was initiated, and the slow, guided move up and over to the house structure, not to mention all of the building and prep work. And... how fun to see the practical application of those theoretical Statics calculations from the days of physics class!

You can find more information about Wee Cabins at www.weecabins.com.

Chit chat

My slumber while soaking up the heat from the sun-warmed rock was interrupted by the flutter of wings and gentle chirping. Two gray jay friends had arrived. The gray jays have learned that this well-traveled waterway brings their two-legged paddle friends who are likely to have a tasty handout to supplement the winter food cache. So... we chattered back and forth and they made show of leaving but then came back, persistent in their request. These birds are friendly, but only to a certain extent. Two winters ago, for one of my "work" projects, I spent countless hours in the woods searching for a gray jay nest. The gray jays played with me, and I found nests, but always old ones. Clever creatures...

I smiled

At last! A day to load up the canoe and head to open water, just me and my canoe and the sunshine, remnants of fall color, and cold, cold water.

At the end - the open expanse of the sky and the water was endless.

Perfect.

October Wedding on Burntside

Last Saturday, October 2nd, was a lovely day with sunshine and fall color, perfect for celebrating an outdoor wedding on Burntside Lake. The ceremony and the loving spirit of the bride and groom, families and friends, truly was an honor to witness. Warm hearts of all in attendance and the fantastic meal (Thank you, Roy!) at the indoor reception balanced out the chilly temperatures of the evening.

Here are a few of the images that caught my eye. Even though the fall color was spectacular and the Seliga canoe was such a lovely robin's egg blue, I really enjoy seeing these images in Black and White format.