Skylight

Skylight

This past week I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic after 

all of the rain and low clouds we've been getting. The dark, 

damp, early mornings with no starlight or moonlight whatsoever 

are difficult to wake up to.

On Saturday a fresh wind blew in and the sky came alive. While 

running errands just past the edge of town, I kept my eye on these 

open holes in the clouds. When they drifted overhead, a large 

patch of sun would follow. I chased one down and pulled the car 

over to catch this moment.

~ Hal

Back Home

Back Home

Work took me up to Duluth for a couple of days this week, and 

the feeling of "winter coming in" was pervasive. On Thursday 

afternoon, a group of us ran in a 5k race along the boardwalk. 

Running into a very stiff Lake Superior headwind, we watched 

the waves smash against the rocky shore, and dodged the spray 

as best we could.

When I got back home, 40 degrees and the promise of a little sun 

seemed like perfect weather. After working in the yard most of 

Saturday, my evening run was very mellow. I brought my camera 

along and stopped to check out this crab apple tree for a few minutes.

~ Hal

Autumn Breezes

Autumn Breezes

Things dried up nicely this weekend, it was a good time to 

get fall chores done. With the sun out, the trees really started 

to hit their peak.

On Sunday my dog Stella and I went walking in the woods 

again. The thing I noticed most was the sound of the wind in 

the tree-tops. The breezes were pretty strong and the leaf 

action up high made a wonderful sound.

I remembered this spot on the hill where the tallest aspens grow. 

I was thinking it would be cool to look up at them and listen for 

a few minutes from the relative calm of the forest floor. Once I 

got there, this was the view that caught my eye.

~ Hal

Fall

Fall

This weekend we were back up north, helping Maggie's folks close 

up the cabin for winter.

Sitting at the breakfast table and looking out the window toward the 

lake, we were reminded that "fall" is a verb. The trees were making 

quick business of shedding their leaves - whole stems of black ash 

were coming down in clumps.

The maples at least had the decency to let go of their leaves one at a 

time (albeit in rapid succession). They flitted in circles, catching an 

occasional updraft, but never really questioning their final resting place.

~ Hal

On the Trail

On the Trail

Over the weekend, Maggie and I (and a handful of friends) ran 

the 10 mile portion of the Twin Cities Marathon. It turned out 

to be a beautiful morning, especially as we ran along the Mississippi 

River, glimpsing the sunrise coming up through the trees over 

St. Paul's Summit Avenue.

Our dog Stella wasn't quite so happy however, since our weekend 

schedule meant that she didn't get out all that much. So yesterday 

when I had a little extra free time, I took her for a nice long walk 

up on Hoffman Hill.

This is one of our favorite spots along the trails up there.

~ Hal

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