We are just settling back at home after 5 days of camping in Voyageurs National Park. We have been doing this for several years now and have been making wonderful memories.
Enjoy these snapshots from our trip and be delighted by the beauty and bounty of this beautiful area of Northern Minnesota:
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I found my first ripe blueberries of the season. With early heat and humidity, and just enough rain. These gifts of the woods have started to appear!
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Wildflowers are blooming and the garden is taking shape. This year in my garden I have a flower garden plot along with my canning garden staples. I have some zinnias, johnny jump-ups, and lavender blooming and I am enjoying the progression of the rest of the garden expanding from the soil.
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We're getting some form of lake time almost every single day. In, on, or nearby water we enjoy the experiences we can have with such close access to so many beautiful lakes.
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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.
I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.
What are you grateful for today?
It is the season of summer adventure here in Northern Minnesota. Last week I went on a quick escape to Cuyuna to go mountain biking.
Although there are no actual mountains in Minnesota, there are a lot of new single-track mountain bike trails that have been developed as restoration projects at abandoned mine pits.
We had a lot of fun and only had one small setback (a pinch flat that we resolved quickly with some help from a local bike shop)
Our accommodations at True North Base Camp were great! We will definitely be going back.
Look what I found deep in the woods yesterday!
There are so many seasonal treasures to be found. This blog has been a great way to document and share my ramblings and snapshots with you in this space.
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On that note, I do want to share that I just found out the Feedburner service is changing and will no longer offer an email blog subscription.
If you subscribe to this blog via email and would like to continue to receive email updates whenever I post, you will need to re-sign up using a different service (Follow.It) that I have set up.
You can do that through this link, or by entering your email in the sidebar module.
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These two had a successful lake harvest this afternoon. Our temperatures went from hot to cold, but these two bundled up and took to adventure and had a good day together.
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I am continuing to put the miles on my shoes on the trails. Each time I go out I notice subtle changes. Lately it has been blooming marsh marigolds and blueberry blossoms. I am paying attention seeking out the first ladyslipper bloom. Soon too I anticipate seeing turtles looking for sandy areas to lay and bury their eggs.
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I am doing my best to stay present and grounded. Reminding to take my own advice I offered in the article I wrote for Taproot Magazine Issue 23:ROOTS, to live a life grounded in purpose, but balanced by and embedded with experiences that foster connection and joy.
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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.
I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.
What are you grateful for today?
The kids have been in already! We took a quick trip to our family cabin for the Minnesota fishing opener. The boys caught some walleyes and all four kids were in the lake swimming.
I have been enjoying the trails. I have been trail running and road running. I try to get out every day. It is good for my mind, body, and soul!
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Spring sports are in full spring. We have one runner in track and three in baseball. We are busy getting them to and from their practices and events and watching their competitions when we can.
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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.
I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.
What are you grateful for today?
Taproot Magazine - Issue 44::EMERGE is in print!
I recently received my copy and was able to see the product of my most recent contribution to this lovely magazine in my own hands.
In this issue, I shared both text and images for:
"Hatch - A Beginners Guide to Hatching Chicken Eggs"
Writing for magazines is a creative outlet that I thoroughly enjoy. Thoughts and ideas formulate in my mind, then are transferred thoughtfully and intentionally to words in print on my computer screen. My completed articles are then sent to my editors, who polish my words, and graphic designers or illustrators who complement my writing and work their magic with the layout on the pages. When all is ready the magazines are published and sent out into the world for others to read. When I pull up to my rural mailbox and receive a magazine that includes my contribution, I always get a rush of excitement and a feeling of joy and accomplishment!
And, as I have mentioned before, writing for Taproot Magazine is a certain kind of special.
I hope you find the opportunity to get your hands on a copy and read the article that I wrote highlighting this special activity celebrating new life and the wonder and joy that comes with new beginnings!
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Easter has come and gone. We celebrated this year with a small gathering with two immunized grandparents on a beautiful Spring day. We fried walleye had a "crack-off" tournament, and just enjoyed time together as we are starting to navigate reentering the world of "normal" with adult vaccination immunity. It was a blessing to be able to spend a day together.
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I have been enjoying getting miles on my shoes. I have been road running daily, enjoying this meditative break in my day with my canine running partner. I have been using the time to connect with others via ear-bud phone calls and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
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We recently enjoyed a beautiful day trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior. We had a picnic, hiked, threw rocks, and the kids even went into the water up to their knees. It was a lovely escape.
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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.
I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.
What are you grateful for today?
Another season of spring sugaring has come to a close and I am happy to report, and share our bounty. It was a beautiful, sunny day to boil down sap this past weekend. The process went smoothly and we made enough maple syrup to enjoy and share. Grateful for these gifts from the maple trees, and also for this experience which I look foward to each year.
A long weekend included our days on the slopes and races and also time on the lakes ice fishing, hiking, and enjoying the crusted snow fat tire biking. We enjoy the place we call home.
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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.
I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.
What are you grateful for today?