Venture to the deep

Lake Superior:
Tapered rocks angle out,
not seen before, tempting
a venture to the deep blue.

The lake level is low this spring, changing the visible rockscape of this favorite shore.  My feet did get wet.  Click on the photo to see it a bit larger.

News: Ely Summer Times 2012

The summer season has arrived in northern Minnesota and so has the 2012 edition of the Ely Summer Times.  One of my Kawishiwi Falls photographs was chosen for the cover image this year!

After rain for two days and rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future, perhaps featuring water as the cover image is appropriate.  The substantial rainfall is certainly appreciated after a dry winter and spring and all too vivid memories of the last week's fire adjacent to the city of Ely and last summer's raging Pagami Creek fire that burned over 90,000 acres.  Last week the ground was incredibly dry; now the short-cut grass is swimming in expanding puddles.  Splish, splash!




Both the Winter and Summer Times have useful information (events and directories of local businesses and services) for Ely residents and visitors, along with interesting and informative articles of local flavor.  Produced by Raven Productions and supported with advertising from local businesses, the Ely Summer Times is available in Ely, MN at stores all around town.  You may also purchase a subscription and have it delivered to you.  Visit the About and Subscription links at Ravenwords.com.

This Friday and Saturday are the last two days to catch the Open Water Exhibit at the Lyric Center for the Arts in Virginia.  Stop by if you can!  More info in this previous News post.

Blinded by the light

Solar Eclipse, Sunday Evening, May 20, 2012

Surf 'til Sundown

Wide open spaces, water and sky, and sunset are a grounding in peace at day's end.  This day was warm, sunny and the surf was up.  Beach busy-ness tapered off as the sun dipped low, leaving a few in quiet contemplation.

No bugs but a bite

What a spectacular day for the great Minnesota Fishing Opener!  What could be better than blue sky, warm sunshine, no bugs but a bite and one fish, and... not sight nor sound of any other boats!  Interesting notes of the day: no woodticks found (as of yet) and wild strawberry blossoms are in bloom.

Blueberry blossoms!

Oh, what a happy surprise to find this patch of blue berry... yes, BLUE BERRY blossoms!  These may be blueberries or bilberries, I do not know which, but they will definitely produce blue berries.  Unless a frost damages them or lack of rain dries them up or the black bears scour the patch.  With last year's dismal blueberry crop, all blueberries fiends have high hopes for this summer, for hours of squatting and crawling through patches that are more blue than green, reaching for plump berries with seemingly permanently stained fingers, filling buckets blue to the brim to turn into fresh blueberry pie and smoothies, to be stockpiled in the freezer for that time when reminder of summer is needed, or to be like me with a handful to the mouth for each one to the bucket while singing "Best when fresh!" with a blue-tinged grin.

May 3rd seems a bit early to find blueberry blossoms.  Maybe it's a record.  Or maybe I just happened to find a microclimate.  What do you think?!?

Read my Berry Crop post from last summer.