floral freakout

the longer i looked at these bare flower discs and their perhaps overly dramatic dried calices, the more i saw, not beauty preserved, but a collection of alien creatures just given truly shocking news that none of them was prepared for. the photo has captured them in mid freakout. i wonder what the news was.

winter wildflower stems

grass lake, saint paul, minnesota

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a walk down the dock

steve had two watercraft to deal with today, on a day when, most years, we should have been skating on the lake, not pulling boats from it. the jon boat had taken on some water, but was still afloat. the kayak, which had been presumed stolen, showed up in the shallows, sunken below the surface, and converted into a modest muskrat house, mounded with mud and cattail stems. while steve evicted these squatters and reclaimed our kayak, i went a-gathering, and discovered how much color there can be among the stems and leaves of a december cattail bed.

woven collection of winter stems and leaves

turtle lake, saint paul, minnesota

  • Mo says:

    you have such a good eye for colour and pattern, thank you for sharing!

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  • mary says:

    This looks like a sled of twigs. Really neat. I love the winter browns and grays and yellows.

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  • Beautiful !!!

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  • Kris Ruff says:

    I love that story! I bet the water was REALLY cold. Love the photo too. Plaid is such a big trend right now but I haven’t seen anyone else do it in stems!

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commissions

i spent the day working on a commission, so i didn’t get out for a walk even though the temps are mild and inviting, and even though my puggle is starting to resemble a vietnamese pot bellied pig due to lack of exercise.  i am almost embarrassed to post these anachronistic daisies in december, but they are what caught my attention on a day spent inside near vases of flowers, not on trails among the muted vegetation of early winter. you all are just going to have to deal…

florist bought gerbera daisies

bachman’s, saint paul, minnesota

  • Katie says:

    They’re so happy and cheerful!

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  • Dede says:

    Whoa! What a surprise this morning-almost stronger than my coffee. I guess my mind gets prepared for the muted grays of winter and then, BAM! Always stunning and beautiful, thank you for all the beauty you capture for us!

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black lightning

in the woods today i looked up and this lightning bolt shot across the sky. i rummaged for my camera, turned it on, adjusted the aperture and speed, changed my mind and picked a different aperture and speed, looked into the viewfinder, decided to use the flip screen instead, and just barely had time to snap 25 or 30 shots of this elusive black lightning before i got bored, and headed back home, with the lightning still shooting across the sky.

oak limb in winter

saint paul, minnesota

  • Erica says:

    Love how nature recycles the best ideas. That could as easily be the branches of a tree, or the roots.

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  • Gisely Dramis says:

    Hello, I found your work wonderful. My end-of-course work has a relationship with this image, could you send me it in the best possible quality by email? I will quote as necessary, placing your site if there is no problem and youit’s power, send me to this email: giselydramis@hotmail.com

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november in december

all the green in my back yard, gathered into a modest mixed salad. normally by this date, the thyme and sage would be black and frozen, and possibly covered by snow. but december got lost somewhere on its way to minnesota this year, and we are waiting for news of its whereabouts.

bits of december green

saint paul, minnesota

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