Something Creative » outside

Arrowhead Park Visit

Nil17 — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:42:21 +0000

I took these photos on Father’s Day. We had taken a little jaunt to Arrowhead Park, which is near our house, for a walk. The waterfowl area is well-kept & fairly clean considering all the birds. The paths are perfect for strollers and easily navigated. We walked around the quarry & up to a beautifully shaded picnic area which includes modern restroom facilities. There is a barn from the 1880s that is being restored near the picnic area. It will be interesting to see what the barn will be used for once the restoration is complete.

Backyard Mysteries

Nil17 — Wed, 18 May 2011 22:02:56 +0000

Last week when it was nice here (we had a couple days of 90 degree weather) I wandered around my backyard to check out what green thing are growing. I was pleased to discover that amidst the dandelion sea & thistle traps that I have some lovely plants fighting for attention. I have some tulips that grew up on the sunny south slope outside the basement door. Those I picked & brought inside to enjoy.

The three different tulips made a fun bouquet in my TV room. The yellow one bloomed first & was simply massive. The white one bloomed on Mother’s Day and Abe & Magnus picked it for me. The white had the most delicate hint of pink running through the petals. The photo does not do it justice. The deep maroon tulip flowered last & had a dark lavender spot at the bottom of each petal.

One of the surprises I found in the backyard is a plethora of violets. They are patchy at best but with a few days of warm weather I think I will have a lot more.Violets are some of my favorite flowers because they remind me of my childhood. Our farm back then had lots of violets growing all over the lawn by our swing. We used to pick violets and give them to my mom along with dandelions.

I also discovered lilies of the valley along the north side of my house. There is something so sweet & innocent about lilies of the valley…the graduated bells drooping lightly over, the light yet heady scent intoxicates. It is early days yet for these flowers. With some consistent warm, even hot, days they should flourish.

My lilac bushes are starting to fill with blossoms & soon I will have all the windows thrown wide open to catch their perfume. Lilacs simply make me happy. The bright lavender flowers clustered so tightly together, scenting every breath of spring air…plus they carry the spirit of my Grandpa & Grandma Jewett. Grandpa used to go out to their grove & cut a bouquet of lilacs every time we visited their farm. He would carefully wrap the stems in a damp paper towel to keep them fresh on our ride home. I only have purple lilacs…Grandma & Grandpa had purple, pink & white. I’m pretty sure that the white lilacs I’ve spied across the road in the neighbors ditch will be getting plucked in secret…

Sunrise–A Pictorial

Nil17 — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:08:58 +0000

I am a notorious night owl/insomniac. This tends to be a bit of a huge problem with an infant around. Lately it hasn’t been too bad but this past weekend I had a night where I absolutely could not sleep. I read all night & Abe woke up early so we decided to take a load of stuff over to the new house. As we were leaving the sun was just beginning to rise so I snapped a few photos. I was so fantastic to be out in the fresh morning air enjoying the fact that we will so be living in the country.

Country Summer

Nil17 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:41:19 +0000

There have been very few posts on here lately & they have pretty much been serious & a bit depressing. I won’t apologize for that because I’m hella depressed. However I have not forgotten to notice the beauty around me. Though I haven’t been outside much this summer I have managed to take pictures while traveling to & from the doctor’s office. Out here my scenery is comprised of extensive corn & soybean fields covered in a bright blue bowl filled with puffy clouds. Summer here is hot & humid during the day; the nights are hot, humid & stormy. Many nights I have woken to fierce lightning & thunder rocking my house. When the rain starts drumming on the house & lawn I roll over, snuggle deeper into the covers and slide into slumber again. Anyway, here are some of the pictures I’ve captured this summer….

And into the West a Sunset

Nil17 — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 23:01:03 +0000

These are just random pictures I’ve taken of the area around our new home. One thing I can say about living on the prairie is that when there is a sunset (or sunrise) I don’t have to worry about finding a clear shot. It’s easy to avoid an ill-placed tree in the wide open plains. I miss the giant conifers that guarded our house up north. When the weather was raging somehow I always felt safe & sheltered by those massive green giants. Out here I feel exposed & isolated…something with which I used to feel comfortable. After living in the dense forests of northern Minnesota I’ve lost that feeling of comfort & belonging that I acquired as a child. Anyway here are a few photos I took while riding home one day (I think it was Easter Sunday).

Some Scenery & A Little Football

Nil17 — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:15:15 +0000

This past weekend (from Saturday night to Sunday night) we had the opportunity to play host to Hubby’s brother Greg & Greg’s friend Michael. It’s always good to have Greg visit & now that we live so much closer it is a lot easier for him to make a trip up. The guys got to our house about midnight on Sunday morning & we decided to head into Sioux Falls so they could check out Senor Weiner. (You can see what I said about them in a previous post.) This time the experience was only slightly better than the first one. They seem to have improved their service & they guys were okay with their meals. It was a late night & we all crashed once we got back home. Sunday morning I got up & made breakfast. With my new, large kitchen I decided to try something new & made chorizo, scrambled eggs & got all the fixings out for some burritos. Based on the rate at which they disappeared I’d say they were a hit. I had some too & am glad I tried them. I’m not very adventurous with food right now as I don’t know how Baby will react. Anyway after cleaning up the kitchen a bit we got ready & headed into Sioux Falls. It was a gorgeous spring day & we spent time at Falls Park enjoying the sun & taking photos of the waterfalls. After spending a nice time at the park we headed over to the Arena & watched our first ever arena football game. The Sioux Falls Storm are the local arena team & have won the championship 4 of the last 5 years. It was fun & funny to watch how into the game the fans were. There were people tail-gating in the parking lot a couple hours before the game (we stopped to pick up tickets at the box office) & there were lots of people all decked out in team gear. It’s definitely something we will be checking out more as tickets are pretty reasonable & it’s a fun way to spend a couple hours on a lazy Sunday. Here are some of the photos from our day out.

Feeling Summer in the Winter

Nil17 — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:38:45 +0000

This past weekend we were lucky enough to welcome visitors to our new house here in South Dakota. It was fantastic to see Pete, Anne and the boys. There was lots of laughter & some adventure. One of the things we did was visit the Sertoma Butterfly House. It’s a very cool place to check out & it is also a fabulous place to feel a little bit of summer in the middle of winter. The viewing house is kept at 86° with 80% humidity. It is filled with amazing tropical butterflies that flit around & occasionally catch a ride on the visitors. Check out the pictures I managed to snag with my phone’s camera. I definitely want to go back sometime with my good digital camera & see what I can capture.

Snowmageddon 2009 or A Typical Minnesota Winter

Nil17 — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:58:44 +0000

This was the scene at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. I was deathly ill over the holidays but I did take a few minutes to bundle up & go out to capture some of the snowfall. It has been a very snowy winter this season…it reminds me of my childhood when we’d have days off of school because there was so much snow & the wind would blow so wildly. The last few years have definitely been atypical with the lack of snow/cold. Not that I complained…let’s be honest nobody REALLY likes -40 temps. I do love the look of snow falling, swirling & drifting across the prairie. It’s so peaceful when the snow closes off the world, blanketing the modern world & scrubbing everything clean with the icy winds. Of course now I have to deal with shoveling the driveway, warming the cars, paying the heating bill and all that other grown-up stuff. I do love the feeling of cuddling up on the sofa with Hubby & the dogs; a movie on the telly & a hot chocolate. It is a safe haven & I’m hoping the new house will settle well so we can spend the rest of winter cozy & warm.

October Round Up: Yippie Ki Yay

Nil17 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:55:26 +0000

In this month’s rehash I’m mostly going to post pictures of random things & the visit with my brother TJ, his wife Jen & their boy little A (now I have the Jetsons theme song stuck in my head). October was a month of more struggles for me & Abe. We’ve made some major decisions & life is on the fast track to more change than anybody could possibly want at one time. We do believe that is for the best (in the long run….I hate it with all my being). With that in mind we are relocating by the beginning of 2010. That means lots of crazed packing & cleaning while trying to find housing & employment. Oh and also the adventures of actually making the trip through the wonderful (oh so wonderful….I can’t tell you how wonderful….can you fell the sarcasm yet?) arena of a Minnesota winter. I will do my best to post updates on all of this as it transpires…. Now on to the pictures which is all you care about anyway (and that’s fine ‘cuz there are some great ones! So that’s a bit of what my October ended with. It was a good time & beautifully crisp weather…a perfect fall night.

Snow Feathers The Yard….

Nil17 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:20:08 +0000

Just a few pics from around my yard today.