The Invisible Embrace

The Invisible Embrace

On Friday I told Maggie I was going to build the gate for our 

back fence. She lifted an eyebrow at my declaration, mainly 

because this is a project that I've been putting off for, oh, about 

2 years.

On Saturday morning Maggie and Maura went off to a swim meet; 

the boys were sleeping over at friends' houses. I did not go directly 

to work on the gate. I walked out to the back fence where I was 

overtaken by the warm sun, the buzzing of bees, and the joyously 

overgrown end-of-summer jumble of plants.

So I put off the gate for another half-hour or so and got lost in the 

morning.

~ Hal

Hop Harvest

Hop Harvest

Tim (my good friend, co-worker, and home-brewing buddy) has been growing some massive hop vines this summer. In the spring he set up 14 foot poles in his back yard and strung rope to the ground where the little rhizomes were planted.

On Sunday Tim, his wife Joan, and their son Levi invited a few of us over to help with the hop harvest. Naturally we also brewed beer and had a great time trying out each other's summer brews.

This is a shot of one of the hop buds before we cut the vines and got to work.

~ Hal

Up North at the Cabin

Up North at the Cabin

We headed up to Maggie's parent's cabin this Labor Day weekend. 

Beverley and Decker were there to greet us as we rolled in late 

Friday night.

The weather was absolutely perfect. We played some badminton, 

ate walleye, did a few chores, burned the brush pile, walked the 

dogs, talked, and read a lot.

All around were hints of autumn. On our Sunday morning run, 

Maggie and I noticed these ferns. I went back the next morning 

and found them again.

~ Hal