In the water

While exploring some of my favorite places this past week, I was on the water... canoeing.  This cedar tree and exposed rock inspired me to dock, step onto land and then into the water on a flat rock perfectly located for foot placement out of the muck while framing photos.  Flat rocks are slimy.  I was wet up to the knees and one elbow while taking this photo.  I was grateful for the warmth of the sun in this non-shady spot and for the extra wool socks and sweater.

Click on the image to see it larger!

On the water

Earlier this week I re-explored favorite places in and near the BWCA.  It's the time of year where the sun is nicely warm while the shaded areas can be chilly.  I wore my sun hat but also carried woolies, which were greatly appreciated after the sun set.

Click on the images to see them a bit larger in a slide show format!














I admired a spider web cocooning a group of little ferns on a rock wall above the water.  After moving in close to take several photos, I jumped back a bit when the spider caught my eye.  Sliding the canoe back and repositioning to change angle, I focused on the spider.  When I changed my attention to a small aspen twig further along the wall, I continued to keep one eye on the giant spider, though detected no movement.

Below the surface

I see beauty below the surface,
in the thicket of tendrils
growing out of the muck,
reaching for the surface,
swaying in the wake,
but... rooted.

Floating in clouds

Click image to see larger view.

From a dream of a day...

The canoe wouldn't sit still during this creative session, so I let go of those preconceived ideas and played with the situation.  And, it was... play!

Perfect Summer Day

What an perfectly splendid day - truly a summer dream to be out in the canoe with calm water, warm sunshine, puffy white clouds on the edge of the BWCA wilderness!  As photos were created, some memories are etched into my mind: a trail of lilypads wiggling, evidence of the beaver aiming to avoid the stranger; little green frog resting on a bunched up mass of torn & tattered lilypads; painted turtle underwater paddling under and away from me; reverberating of the local loon family yodels; waterbugs scattering, leaving wakes at random angles; and, as the evening turned to dark gray, a wolf pausing and disappearing like a spirit in the night.

Click on image for larger view.

Sky Deep

Dipping past the surface,
paddle swirls in the water.
Swimming through the clouds,
reach in... to the depths.
Stirring up reflections
open to the sky.

News: Boundary Waters 2013 Calendar

Part of the photography process for me is to present my work, my observations of the world, for others to enjoy.  Meandering half a world away from my cherished north country, I miss the opportunities for art shows and face-to-face conversations.  (Yes, I miss you all!)  So... I am especially delighted to again be included in Ravenwords' Boundary Waters & Quetico calendar.

Those who have the 2013 Boundary Waters calendar will enjoy an hmn northwoods moment for the upcoming month of January.  The photo was first featured on a 2009 Meandering blogpost Wide Open Spaces and commemorates a favorite winter activity: skiing on the lakes at the close of the day, soaking up the last sun rays before the temperature drops with the sun.

Raven Productions produces this calendar each year and features photographs with the spirit of the BW and Quetico from local photographers (Jim Brandenburg, Ken Hupila & more).  See the calendar or visit their website for the complete photographer list (click here).

Purchase the 2013 calendar in local Ely shops, buy online through Ravenwords' website (ravenwords.com), or contact Heidi Mae directly... or indirectly.  ; )

Winter Sun

The North Arm Trails were just the place to be today. I made a brief pause to snap this photo, and then I was moving onward on my skis. The cold seeped in despite the vigorous motion, and the skin on my face was feeling tender by the time I was approaching the end of the loop. But, what a spectacular day to be out!!!

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.

On the rocks

Sitting on a rock by the river, we watched baby ducks swim into the current, diving down and popping back to the surface. A Great Blue Heron glided in as the sun was setting, perhaps to survey the river for fish. We left the rocks for the birds.

Ready, set... dive!

Please, no visitors today!

These turtles slipped into the water shortly after this photo.

Last Saturday

Last Saturday, the end of June, we went for a paddle across Burntside followed by a portage into Slim Lake. Amidst the soaking up of the rays for a full fledged sunburn and the paddling lessons on feathering and figure eights, we mingled with nature, trailing a Great Blue Heron, spooking a deer back to the woods, and attempting to sneak up on turtles who know better than to let other wild life get too close.

First Paddle

Today was the day for the first paddle of the year for me.

Warm sunshine, gentle breeze, low water level,

no swarms of bugs.

Winter Excursion

A day of gentle snowfall softens the landscape. On the lakes, the distant shore invites exploration. Oh, the delights to be found, to be revealed, if we move onward into the hazy unknown, if we are open to possibility!

This past weekend I skied up Hegman Lake to the narrows. Viewing the pictographs standing upright and in the snow which was sometimes gently drifting down, sometimes screaming sideways, was a different sort of contemplative experience than sitting in a canoe coasting by in the heat of the summer, listening to the drip of the water off the paddle and the buzz of mosquitoes. Yes, winter is a glorious time of year!

More information on the Hegman Lake pictographs can be found at this site.