A Few Words (unless you count the pictures)📸

After all, a picture's worth a 1,000 words.

Life has been a little crazy lately. After our big family get-together and daughter’s graduation last weekend, I moved up to our Minnesota cabin and have spent the week settling in. And since the school year is not over, I’m still working (remotely) at my speech therapy job.

I’ve also been brainstorming my upcoming (in June) quarterly article for the Banner, which has drained any remaining words and ideas from my brain.

All that is to say, there are only a few words left to share for my weekly post.

How would you like to go on a little joyride instead?

Friday, I took my first 2024 Up North bike ride, and since I love taking photos, I’ve got plenty of those to share. 📸

If you’ve been wondering what the Paul Bunyan Trail, between LaPorte and Walker, Minnesota, looks like in mid-May, I’ve got you covered!

You’ll find these bridges on all the Minnesota bike trails, because…“10,000 lakes” means lots of bodies of water to cross.

The cattails are still in what looks like a dormant stage. The new growth hasn’t started yet, but last year’s flowers/seed pods are still visible.

With my phone/camera mounted on my handlebars, I’m stuck with this not-so-flattering photo of me against a beautiful blue sky. Riding through pine groves is one of my favorite things.

The Cottonwoods (a.k.a Poplars or Aspens) are “snowing” white fluffy stuff like crazy! So much so that it piles up along the side of the path. I read that these seeds fall in abundance during times of drought (which we’ve had in this area), to give the trees the best chance of survival.

Left: Marsh Marigolds (see below for how I knew that!); Right: not on my bike ride, but earlier in the week on my walk I saw a pair of pileated woodpeckers. They’re huge and so regal!

You learn something new every day! Yesterday, I learned that my iPhone has a cool feature that pops up when you photograph a plant. If you click on it, it will identify the plant for you! Mind. Blown. Oh, and I also learned what a Marsh Marigold is. They add a cheerful touch this time of year.

Back home, I enjoyed the view from our deck. I’ll never get tired of this.

And as a day ends with a sunset, so does this post. It’s one of my shortest, with only 423 words. Then again, with pictures, it’s worth 12,423!

Where do you love to ride, walk, hike, or relax?