Winter Wonderland

As I a write this, we’ve had a month of interesting weather, with more on the way. We’ve had several forms of precipitation, leaving behind much snow and ice on sidewalks and some of the lesser travelled roads and streets. Before the latest Arctic blast, it finally starting to melt, making it easier to drive my favorite backroads to work and walk my dogs around town. Before that, I was getting tired of the babystep workout, never knowing which sidewalks would be clear, and which would be a pile of hard packed snow and ice. I just tried to remain an upright position, which was challenging at times, when we’ve had layer upon layer of several forms of precipitation, including days and days of frozen fog.

We’ve only had a few days of actual sunshine lately, which I know can be gloomy for some. I’ve learned to appreciate gloomy days as much as bright and sunny days, but even I was getting a little sick of the total fog we had for so long. From sun up to sundown, nothing but fog—assuming we could actually see the sun, which we could not. However, one day, while driving to work, I was wondering how I would ever get there with the very murky fog that morning. A few seconds later, I drove up and down a hill, the fog lifted, and the sun not only peeked through the clouds, but shone brightly. Reflecting off the snow, ice, and hoar frost, it was an amazing site.

As you may know by now, I entertain myself and find peace during these turbulent times (and yes, 2021, is starting off to be just as interesting as 2020 was!) by photographing our local natural beauty. This year I began in my backyard, taking photo after photo of almost every combination of snow, ice, and hoar frost on the trees and shrubs in my yard. The herbaceous plants had been trimmed back for the season, other than the shorter prairie grasses in my landscaping, of which I did photograph. Since we are fortunate enough to have a wind and privacy break of Colorado Blue Spruce and Norway Spruce I began by taking pictures of these conifers. Their branches laden with snow and ice, they made a spectacular site.

I then moved on to the deciduous trees. The derecho in August did a number on some of them, but I was still able snap several photos of remaining trees and shrubs.

From here I branched out. I decided to photograph my favorite trees, white oaks, that look beautiful, even leafless in the middle of the winter. There are a few in town that are single and solitary, so they have much room to really spread their wings—or branches. With the foggy background, snow, and dark branches, these pictures look like they were taken in black and white, but they were actually taken in color. I found some oak leaves still on the branches, and zoomed in on the leathery leaves, sparkling with hoar frost, even in the gloom.

The day the sun finally shone, I was fortunate enough to have my camera with me. Once I arrived at work, I snuck a few pictures of the Rock Island Trail, prairie plants near the office, and the pin oak near the back door. They were all gorgeous, with the blazing sun, blue sky, and trees and plants covered with snow, ice, and frost. 

If this past year has taught me anything, it’s to appreciate my surroundings and all the everyday things we may normally take for granted. Exploring local nature with my trusty camera has opened my eyes to the natural beauty that surrounds us, whether we notice it or not.

Hitting the Backroads

Not wanting to travel too far from home during these crazy times, other than our quick trip to Minnesota before COVID numbers started flaring up again, I have entertained myself the past several months by expanding my photograph collection of plants and other nature related subjects. I started in early spring, as spring woodland wildflowers began to bloom. I already have hundreds of photos of the same plants, but there’s something soothing about hiking in the woods and connecting with nature, even when crouching on fallen leaves to get the best angle, then having to stand back up again. My daughter and pooches accompanied me on many of these spring hikes, which made for a fun family outing.

As spring turned into summer, I switched to photographing prairie plants. I have hundreds of pictures of many of these plants as well, but still, I kept snapping pictures. I have a backyard prairie, so photo subjects were very handy. I’d snap pictures, view them on my laptop, and retake, if necessary, to get better shots. Soon, I was taking pictures of bees, butterflies, and whatever flying wildlife would sit still for a few seconds to have their pictures taken.

As the season progressed, I’d carry my camera with me to take pictures on the way home from work in areas I’d spied particular plants blooming. Sometimes I’d spend a half hour or so on a weekend, driving to a local spot to capture pictures I hadn’t during the week. Soon my photo collection grew even more, and I could see an improvement. Even though I’ve been taking pictures since I was ten years old, there’s always room to learn and grow. 

Many may think taking so many pictures is a waste of time, but it’s good entertainment for me, and since I use them for work,  and to help promote the books I write about nature, the photos come in handy for promotional purposes, and maybe even a future book cover. Besides, when I get back to organizing my pictures, I’ll be deleting photos taken several years ago that don’t cut muster.

As the growing season came to an end, and the leaves had mostly dropped, I branched out and started paying more attention to some of my favorite backroad landmarks. I don’t have to go out of my way to photograph these spots, since they are on some of my favorite backroads I take to and from work many days. I’ve taken pictures of historic barns, bridges, and even concrete fence posts along my favorite backroad that runs along a portion of the Hennepin Canal.

 

My older daughter will be getting her senior pictures taken in three days, and my eyes have seen local spots through the lens, so now I have some areas in mind I think will make amazing backgrounds. We’ve postponed getting pictures taken until after her braces come off in two days, so we’ve missed some of the beautiful plant life that makes great outdoor backgrounds. The two areas I have in mind still have some color and texture that should work well. Hopefully the photographer (not me!) and subject (my stubborn daughter!) agree with my ideas, but even if they don’t, my eyes have been opened this past spring and summer to the beauty that surrounds us each and every day in our area. Even though I love to travel out of state and out of the country, there’s something to be said about appreciating our local backroad scenery.

A Superior Vacation

This is not the first time I’ve written about my obsession with the Great Lakes. My family traditionally travels to Lake Michigan over Columbus Day weekend most years, but this year was an exception. I wanted to travel to a spot that wasn’t crawling with tourists escaping Chicago or other metro areas, so I looked for somewhere that would hopefully be less crowded. Because I’d heard great things about Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior, we chose that area for our trip. Though we’ve visited multiple areas along Lake Superior, we’d never travelled to that particular area.

Noting several state parks dotting the shoreline, I tried to prioritize which to visit during our short stay. While it was nice to take a fall vacation, we still had to work around our daughters’ school schedules, so we didn’t have enough time to visit all the places that looked interesting. I booked a room in Duluth, thinking that would be a good starting point for areas to the north or even if we wanted to visit the shoreline in Wisconsin. Duluth itself is an interesting and beautiful city, especially with the fall foliage dotting the hilly city, and nestled along Lake Superior, right into the Minnesota border. We visited the Great Lakes Zoo, my daughter’s choice, and also spent some time at Leif Erickson Park. We drove across the Aerial Lift Bridge. But, what I was itching to do was hit the shoreline for some spectacular scenery.

We were not disappointed. Between the beautiful fall foliage, shimmering blue water, and granite shorelines, the scenery was indescribable. The weather was perfect, and the light hitting the water, granite hills, and tree leaves made things even more gorgeous. We traveled on scenic Highway 61 northward to visit many parks—even as far as Grand Portage at the Canada border. Knowing they wouldn’t let us in, we didn’t bring our passports, but one of these days I hope to cross the border and travel all around the lake.

We started off at Gooseberry Falls State Park. As the name implies, there are waterfall and also streams, wooded trails, and amazing views of Lake Superior along sheer granite cliffs. The view right outside the visitor’s center is a perfect photo opportunity, with birch and aspen trees framing the blue lake water in the distance—simply breathtaking!

From here, we continued north to the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. We hiked along the shoreline but decided to visit the lighthouse until the next day. My daughter drove us back to Duluth, so I could sit back and enjoy the views along the way.

The next day was more of the same. We visited the Split Rock Historic Site for views of the pristine and interesting lighthouse and grounds, not to mention the lake, then hiked down to the shoreline for views from below. The scenery from the wooded trail on the way back up were just as amazing. Continuing our journey northward, we headed to the border and visited Grand Portage State Park, where we saw more beautiful waterfalls. But the views that were even more amazing were from two scenic pull offs along Highway 61. I could have spent all day gazing at all the shades of golden tree foliage, contrasting with the rocky hills on one side and the beautiful lake on the other side. We could see for miles, as far as Canada and Isle Royale National Park.

We broke up the drive southward to Duluth by making a quick stop at Tettegouche State Park. We hiked down to the tiny bay and knew we would like to spend more time at this park but were pretty worn out by this time.

In addition to taking more time to explore Duluth, there are dozens of other parks and natural areas I want to visit or revisit the next time we make this trip. And trust me—there will be a next time!

 

Just Released

 Leaf Peepers, the Sixth Book in the 

Nature Station Mystery Series

What starts out as a carefree road trip turns into a dangerous murder investigation when Kristen Matthews and her friends head to the beach over Labor Day weekend and find more than they bargain for along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan.

Kristen and her friends are enjoying the beautiful lakeside scenery at the Indiana Dunes and several southwestern Michigan parks while they plan a trip itinerary for a Nature Station ecotour aimed at Leaf Peepers. But the fun stops when Kristen stumbles upon a dead body, and they switch from researching possible tour stops to researching murder leads. While the women are busy searching for clues and interviewing those who knew the victim, Kristen wonders if their girls' trip will turn out to be all work and no play. Travel along with Kristen and her Nature Station buddies while they not only soak up the scenery but also hunt for a killer.

To schedule author events or programs, contact the author at jannifer.powelson@gmail.com

Softcover ISBN: 978-1-950560-37-0  $12.95

EPUB ISBN: 978-1-950560-38-7  $4.99

Purchase Options

Publisher Website

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

or jannifer.powelson@gmail.com to arrange for personalized copies. 

Adventures in the Prairie

If you “Like” my Author Jannifer Powelson Facebook Page, you will have noticed several wildflower pictures posted on a regular basis during the past several months. In the spring, it was spring woodland wildflowers, and now that it is summer, I have posted several prairie species photos.  I enjoy posting these pictures to generate interest and familiarity with the featured plants and to help promote both my Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk books, as well as Nature Station Mysteries. I also want to share something positive on social media to help offset all the negativity we see every day. 

However, there is another reason I’ve been posting so many, and that’s because I’ve been taking so many! Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 putting a damper on traveling too far, plus the huge workload I've had this summer with my work as a conservationist, I have not been able to take a vacation this summer. We hope to go somewhere this fall but are waiting to see how this unusual school year goes for our daughters before we make firm plans. Our one quick trip to Iowa for a school shopping getaway was perfectly timed for the weekend before the historic Derecho hit. The area where we stayed was hit particularly hard. It’s sad that the country backroad scenery we enjoyed traveling through now looks entirely different.

Luckily, I’ve been able to take even shorter trips to local prairies to photograph some of my favorite plants. My own backyard prairie has been a hotbed for photo opportunities. It’s buzzing not only with a variety of colorful and diverse plant life, but it’s also a haven for bees, butterflies, other insects, and songbirds. I’ve also visited Center Prairie, west of Princeton, the Hennepin Canal near Wyanet, Princeton Library’s pollinator garden, and Stark County’s Route 40 Rest Stop to capture some of my favorite bloomers. We’ve had some beautiful blue skies with white puffy clouds that make beautiful backgrounds.

Even though I have hundreds of wildflower photos in my collection, I can’t seem to stop myself from taking more! I don’t mind, though, as taking and sharing the pictures gives me much joy and stress relief. I’ve had fun getting down on the ground to get the same old wildflowers from a different angle. Getting up again isn’t so much fun, but the pictures are well worth the effort.

One of these days I’ll be able to travel to my favorite places, plus those on my bucket list, again. In the meantime, I try to make the most of sticking closer to home. If you look closely you can see nature’s beauty no matter where you are.