slightly better than average

The Namesake

2011-01-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

This show was at Fitzgerald Theatre in St Paul, the original location of A Prairie Home Companion, and of course the origin of the name "slightly better than average."

It was the annual joke show and our favorite was: How to the Amish hunt? They sneak up on a deer and build a barn around it.

The show also got us reminiscing about an episode we heard last year that accurately depicted the Minnesotan's relationship with winter. I finally found the episode and here is the link to the audio is below. The relevant section is called Complaint Script and starts at minute 49.

Powder

2011-01-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Although we missed the snowy owl reportedly hanging out in Northfield, we consoled ourselves with some skiing in near-perfect conditions at Cleary Lake and Terrace Oaks.

Lutefisk

2010-12-28T16:14:00.001-08:00

Taking advantage of our time in Minnesota, we decided to try a locally-popular Norwegian specialty: lutefisk. Literally "lye fish," it is a gelatinous mass of cod that, well, actually didn't taste too bad. Especially when eaten with Swedish meatballs and lefse....

Winter Has Arrived!

2010-12-05T12:40:00.001-08:00

Lighthouse Atoll, Ambergris Caye & Blue Hole

2010-11-21T05:53:00.001-08:00

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Belize

2010-11-20T05:44:00.001-08:00

Belize is different than its Central American neighbors, most notably in being anglophone, as it was until 1981 the British Honduras. It is also rather small and sparsely populated (300k people in a country the size of Massachusetts). Several Mayan dialects are still commonly spoken, especially in the southern coast and inland areas, but it also has large Mennonite and Amish communities. Belize also has the second largest reef in the world, much of which is easily accessible (all we needed was a kayak and snorkels).

Although we started our trip in the jungle highlands near the Guatemala border (more on that in a bit), perhaps the most striking and memorable hour of our trip was, immediately upon arrival to our beach-front casita, being whisked by helicopter 50 miles off the coast to see the Blue Hole (below) and Lighthouse Atoll (see the movie above this post). The picture above is an eerily beautiful shipwreck that occurred on the atoll in 2004 (there's an Osprey perched just aft of the bridge).
We started our trip in the Chaa Creek reserve, a beautiful location where each morning, chachalacas and aracaris (one is pictured below) visited the fruiting palms outside our window to forage. Our first excursion was across the Guatemalan border to the Mayan ruins at Tikal, where the impressive ruins were matched by the incredibly intact surrounding jungle that was filled with wildlife: the raccoon-like coatimundi, howler and spider monkeys and exotic birds such as emerald toucanet, crested guan, montezuma oropendula and (Kristen's favorite) oscillated turkey. You can check out our bird blog for pics of all these (and more).
We were fortunate on our next outing to have an excellent guide, Miguel, who paddled us through the Barton Creek cave, where pottery and skulls from the rituals of his Maya ancestors still lie.
As it turned out, Miguel is also an expert on local birds (able to identify many simply by call) and was our guide on a birding excursion the following day.
It's hard to pick a highlight, as we saw so much, but if pressed I'd say the spot of the day was a breeding pair of jabiru at a marsh near Aguacate. We watched in awe as the male platooned back and forth between the shoreline and treetop roost with carefully selected nesting material.

Bemidji

2010-09-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

We took a weekend trip up to Bemidji (home to the "Pidgie from Bemidji" and, of course, the above statues) to do our second century. Due to trail construction it turned into a "gentleman's century," delightfully spread out over two crisp days and incorporating fall colors, migrating Common Mergansers, the Itasca SP Wilderness Drive.

...to the Largest State.

2010-08-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Alaska is big. Really big. And the Alaskans love to tell you just how big.

Kristen spent most of July in Alaska, primarily working on a psychiatric unit in Fairbanks. The hotel abutted a nature preserve with a variety of trails and this lovely "dawn" image (the actual time being about 4am).

There was the requisite midnight flight into the Arctic Circle. Below is a portion of the Yukon Flats (tributaries of the Yukon River) from the air.
After 3+ weeks of work there was some time to sightsee. Below is the unofficial greeter to Denali National Park.
What follows is a series of images of Denali and the Alaskan Range, which were simply majestic. The mountain was shrouded for the first day (which is its most common state in the summer months), so Kristen did the Denali "triathlon" -- hiking 6 miles up to a range to NOT see Denali, biking 6 miles to Wonder Lake to NOT see Denali, taking a flight to get above the clouds to finally see Denali! These next three photos were taken from that plane trip.
The second day was crystal clear in the morning and we were rewarded with spectacular images of the mountain on the way out of the park. These next three are the reflection of Denali in Wonder Lake, close to where Kristen was staying at the Kantishna Roadhouse. This is the Zen photo....
The classic photo....
And, an image with ducks, since we have a soft spot for the birds....
This is Denali in Reflection Lake, the location of Ansel Adams classic photo.
Here is Denali from a bit up the road with fireweed in the foreground.
I call this the "fake background" photo of Denali.
From Denali, Kristen took the Alaska Railroad down to Anchorage. After a brief stop there, she headed down to the Kenai Peninsula and the charming fishing village of Homer.
There she spent a delightful two days at the Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge and sampled wild crow berries, bear berries, blueberries, salmon berries, and watermelon berries. The drive back to Anchorage was delightful as well, with classic vistas of Alaskan peaks.

From the Smallest State...

2010-07-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

The end of June found us in Rhode Island visiting Ted and Joanna Rolfes. It was a whirlwind tour with an inauspicious start as Richard's Friday night flight was delayed by several hours. We were undeterred, however, and spent a lovely Saturday visiting the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge,

taking in the US World Cup loss to Ghana at a bar adjacent to Mudville (yes, THAT Mudville),

sailing on an America's Cup yacht off of Newport Beach, and finally making it back to Providence for Firewater under the full, if obscured, moon.

Sunday was decidedly more laid back with a five-course meal at a local winery and a walk around town. Who knew there was so much packed into such a small state?

Utah

2010-05-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Though not completely intentional, May turned out to be the Month of Utah. Kristen took advantage of the last few weeks of her 7-on, 7-off schedule to explore southern Utah, an area Richard had already canvassed 20 years earlier.

I started off in Moab, and went immediately to Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park. Though this is my favorite photo of the arch (because it doesn't have any people in it) it also has the disadvantage of not having any people in it (which best demonstrates its enormous scale).

The next day was devoted to the Devil's Garden hike, which (along with some bonus birding) showcased the Double O Arch...

...and the Landscape Arch.

There are other fabulous places in the Moab area besides Arches, of course, such as Dead Horse Point State Park...

...and Canyonlands National Park.

The drive across the southern portion of the state, from Moab to Bryce Canyon, was amazing.

For example, pictures cannot express the grandeur of the Escalante / Grand Staircase area. So, I didn't include any.

Even a "ditch" -- this is Tropic Ditch, and really just a turn out on the road with a couple of parking spots -- can be quite spectacular.

This is Red Canyon, again, with little more than a sign and a few parking spots.

Finally, I arrived at Bryce Canyon where I spent a chilly hour staring in awe at the beautiful amphitheater.

Though I had not intended to go back, I couldn't pass up the chance to hike down into the canyon itself later in the week.

It also gave me a chance to say "hoodoos" a few more times.

And, what trip to southern Utah would be complete without a trip to Zion National Park? Even though the Narrows weren't open yet due to the spring run-off, it was clear why this park is a national favorite.

***

Two weeks later, both Kristen and Richard arrived in Utah, but this time focused on the Salt Lake City area, a birder's paradise.

We stayed at the handsome and service-oriented Grand America (directly across the street from the Little America hotel) which offered this lovely view of the courthouse from our window.

We had a great birding outing with Bill Fenimore, adding over 50 new species to our life-list. One of our favorite spots was Antelope Island, which offers this view of Salt Lake City.

But, as with most of our travels, it was the natural scenery of Utah which enchanted us most.

Play Ball!

2010-04-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the graciousness of a new friend and the convenience of a 7-on / 7-off work schedule I was able to take in the second home game of the inaugural season in the Twin's new outdoor baseball stadium. The park is literally steps from our house and Richard and I have watched in awe over the last few years as the ballpark has been constructed so precisely in the middle of a city with minimal disruption (well, they did have to move a train track five feet over to accommodate). Though the Twins lost 6-3 to the Boston Red Sox and it rained a good bit of the time, it was a magnificent day. The location of the seat didn't hurt.

Next time I'll make sure Richard plays hooky.

Blue Lake Waterfowl

2010-02-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

A quick Sunday jaunt to the Minnesota River Valley Reserve did not produce any new species, but the video does have some decent audio of the Trumpeter Swans (one of whom also flaps quite beautifully near the end) and slowing it down you can see a gadwall and a wood duck among the mallards. It was a perfect winter day, and a challenging snow-shoe hike to boot.

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Great North Woods

2010-01-30T16:39:00.001-08:00

At first thought, it seems a bit mad to head north in the heart of winter.
Okay, seems crazy on second thought as well. Still, if one can brave the cold, few sights can match the beauty of the North Shore in January.
This was our third trip to Gunflint--our second this year and also our second in winter. Although it is a popular Summer destination, we prefer it cooler--and less crowded.

Anyone who has been to Gunflint is familiar with the welcoming committee.

In spite of the cold clear nights, we missed the Aurora Borealis (again), but did have a fantastic full moon. Note the similarity between this photo and the one we took for the "Winter Wonderland" entry exactly one lunar month ago.

In addition to skiing, we went snowshoeing for the first time.

We also did some birding in Zax-Sim Bog, which has lots of great avian life and these unusual (if somewhat gruesome) deer carcass feeders.

In the Fall, we came across a wolf while on a hike. This trip we saw several moose. They are usually quite reclusive, but the males especially seem a little less shy in winter.

It can be difficult to find someone to take your picture when you are in the wilderness, so we just had to do it ourselves.

And here's what we are looking at, Lonely Lake (that's our showshoe tracks along the left).

Puerto Vallarta

2010-01-18T06:01:00.000-08:00

Having endured a month of winter since our visit to the Yucatan last month, we were glad to be back in sunny Mexico. Our good friend Patrick has been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past couple of months-- a gracious host who, along with his upstairs neighbor, Luis, provided this trip with a lot of local flavor.
Of course, one great benefit of the Pacific coast is spectacular sunsets, and we were certain not to miss this daily opportunity to sit with friends, revel in beauty and transition from daytime activities to nocturnal fun.
As much as we enjoyed the town, we also managed to see much of the surrounding countryside. We first ventured north to San Blas, where we toured hillside coffee plantations, bays and mangrove swamps-- all filled with birds. Later we headed south into the jungle clad mountains, where we soared above the valley gorges on zip lines hundreds of meters in the air and over a quarter of a mile long (some we even did hanging upside down).

Winter Wonderland 2010

2010-01-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

A truly rare occurrence, a blue moon on the last day of the year, still hung in the early morning sky on January first as we headed North- ward into the teeth of an arctic blast (a much less rare occurrence). Although our hopes at seeing lots of bird activity were not realized, our spirits remained high, as we were headed on an 800-mile round trip journey through western Minnesota, where prairie, deciduous and evergreen landscapes converge. How different in every way this trip from our recent foray in the Yucatan!

The picture below was taken in the truly remote reservation lands to the west of Lower Red Lake. At -33 degrees, the soil begins to deep freeze, creating a low hanging a fog. We have witnessed this phenomenon over water, but never over land, as this is the coldest temperature either of us have ever seen.

From Thief River Falls, we navigated across back roads to Itasca State Park, which we had visited over the summer. Along the way, we saw a few white winged crossbills and grouse, and marveled at their ability to be "out and about" in such extreme con- ditions. The Mississippi headwaters, while far from mighty, remained unfrozen.

We took some cool "car cam" video as we drove through the park.

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In spite of the cold, we did manage to get some skiing in at Maplewood State Park north of Fergus Falls (it was a balmy -8). That's Kristen below, all bundled up in our thwarted attempt to do some hiking. Without show shoes, the drifts proved too deep.

This fox, seen as we were headed to ski at Bunker Hills, seemed quite well equipped to handle the cold and snow.

Yucatan and Riviera Maya

2009-12-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

As we dig ourselves out from the snows of Christmas and the chigger bites fade (more on this later), it is alas time to record our last travels of 2009, a year which began in New Zealand and ends with more--albeit less exotic-- changes yet in store. As such, this will likely be the last installment of SBTA, and I do not know what will follow.

We began our travels in Chichen Itza, the center of the Toltec/Mayan world, and a part of Mexico where the Mayan language is still commonly spoken. We were lucky to be the first on site with an excellent guide on the day we visited. The centerpiece of Chichen Itza is Kukulcan, a remarkable architectural achievement that echoes with the call of the quetzal and reveals the descent of snake/bird god quetzalcoatl at the Spring equinox.

Although the jungle has returned, it is surmised that environmental degradation and drought are what drove the Mayans from the Yucatan southward a full 200 years before the arrival of the Spanish.
Alone with these ruins in the silence of early daylight, their grandeur is quite impressive-- and haunting. As the hawkers, crowds and heat arrive, the atmosphere is more carnival than sacred.
After Chichen Itza and some initial birding excursions, we headed coastward to Tulum, which boasts its own ruins,
stopping along the way to swim in a cenote and visit yet more ruins at Coba (not as impressive as either Tulum or Chichen, but you can climb to the top),
A rather large chunk of our time was devoted to birding, and we saw 57 new species (55 of which we photographed). Our beach bungalow in Tulum was just North of the magnificent and massive Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve, where we saw our first Yucatan Jays--and severely tested the suspension of our little rental car on the muddy, potholed roads. By far, our day of birding in the small village of Muyil was a highlight. This is where was stalked the elusive Trogon among the eerie Muyil ruins, and picked up a nasty case of chiggers in the surrounding jungle. See our birding blog for pics.

On the way back up to Cancun to catch our flight home we stopped at a little private reserve, Achun Chen, where we visited a cave/cenote and ended up seeing both species of Mot-Mots and other birds.

Venice

2009-11-09T02:21:00.000-08:00

As the sun set to our right and the full moon rose behind, we boarded the vaporetto from Aeroporto Marco Polo to Lido, the thin barrier island that separates the lagoon of Venice from the Adriatic Sea. This is where Thomas Mann's Von Aschenbach retreated to assuage his wanderlust and ultimately to die. Lido is "young" compared to Venice proper, and reminded me, in places, of Charleston. The night cooled quickly, threatening rain, and we were very tired from the long flight, so we stumbled into an quaint little restaurant (two tables!) and enjoyed a fantastic dinner of local fish grilled in butter and garlic, accompanied by a crisp Sauvignon.

Our first day in Venice was cold and rainy, and we immediately became lost in the tangle of narrow alleyways. As all tourists do, we found our way to Piazza San Marco. The balance of the day was spent out of the drizzle and in museums: Il Museo Correr, the Peggy

Guggenheim and the Academia. The following day was sunny and warm, an interesting contrast to the day prior. We strolled the length of the island, starting at the far end of the Grand Canal, stopping for a cappuccino at the Rialto bridge and wending our way back to the Basilica.

The grandeur, variety and detail of Venice's palazzos and churches is staggering, even 500 years after her prime.

Even so, it is hard not to feel like one of a million fleas on a dead dog during the day as the streets teem with tourists and the shops and restaurants that cater to them (I suppose that includes us, too). At night, the crowds dissipate, and the lighted facades and dark medieval alleyways form a chiaroscuro that recaptures a hint of the old, living island-city. From the square, we continued eastward past the ancient shipyards of the Arsenal, where the tight alleys are replaced by relatively broad boulevards.

At its Eastern extreme, the island is surprisingly placid, verdant and uncrowded. This shot was taken near La Biennale, where pieces from emerging artists from around the globe were on exhibition. We stopped into (free) exhibits by New Zealand and Icelandic artists.
The last two days were spent exploring the diverse bird life along the Adriatic coast from the outskirts of Trieste to the Po delta near Ravenna. Despite their relative proximity, the days provided very distinct experiences. The Isola della Cona, at the mouth of the Isonzo River, is a small but incredibly rich reserve with several blinds and an impressive three story observation tower. On the second day, we relied upon the formidable Menotti Passarella, who guided us through the Po's maze of waterways to various avian hot spots, including this flock of flamingos (that long pinkish-while line on the water at left). You can check out our birding blog for more.

White Columbus Day

2009-10-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Even as the Fall colors are just getting started on the St. Anthony Main bridge to Nicollet Island.

Seattle, Anacortes and the Northern Cascades

2009-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

As the first assault of winter arrived back in Minnesota, we were fortunate enough to be in Washington enjoying a spell of warm, sunny days and visiting two of my favorite people from New College, John and Kristi.

Although hastily conceived, the trip coincided with the Fall migration, so after sleeping off the over-indulgence that accompanies seeing old friends, we headed north to Fidalgo Island to do some birding and tramping. Our luck and the weather held on our hike up to Hidden Lake (video below), which at 6,600 feet and 48N latitude included a lot of up and a fair bit of tramping across ice and snow. The magnificent view was more than worth the effort.

Back down at sea level, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over Rosario Beach, a great birding spot (you can visit our "Birds we've seen" blog for bird pics).
Just south of Rosario, Deception Pass is a mecca for kayakers. On the ebb tide, terrain and flowing water combine to form several dramatic whirlpools and boils.
Although we are nowhere near brave enough to try anything like that, John (a very skilled paddler) graciously took us on an urban kayak tour on Lake Union in downtown Seattle.

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Sailing the Apostle Islands

2009-09-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last summer, we paid our first visit to Bayfield and took the ferry to Madeline Island last for a 25 mile bike tour. This year, we returned to the area (Pike's Bay) for a 4 day coastal cruising course with Thom Burns of Northern Breezes Sailing. Our boatmates Bill and Eric (father and son) shared the experience.

As we drove up from Minneapolis, the forests showed increasingly broad flashes of orange, yellow and red. The cool Summer has thus far been followed by a warm Autumn, allowing the color changes to progress slowly and the green to linger. A pair of Sandhill Cranes fattening up among a flock of Canadian Geese portends the Fall migration, and the still balmy evenings evoke whispers of an Indian Summer.

We took advantage of perfect sailing weather for the first two days, putting Taboo (a 36' Catalina) through her paces and soaking up instruction from Thom. We slept aboard, and spent what little free time we had studying for our bareboat certification tests.
The winds shifted and rains approached on day three, but this did not dampen our spirits as we headed for Saxon Bay, 23 miles down the south shore. Motoring into an unfamiliar harbor in the dark and rain was a bit of a challenge, but was rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment (as well as beer and pie).
The winds and weather were more favorable on the return trip, and left us looking forward to include a bit of sailing in our upcoming trips.

Century

2009-09-11T07:39:00.001-07:00

Still looking snazzy in her Curious George jersey, Kristen breezed through her first century along the Munger Trail. All told, it took us just over 8 hours to cover the 100 miles, starting at Hinckley and turning at Otter Creek, a little south of Duluth.

It was hotter and more humid that we had anticipated. Still, there were plenty of deer to shoo off the trail in the morning and some touches of early fall color to enjoy.

Arboretum Mushrooms

2009-08-30T11:24:00.001-07:00

Last time we were at the arboretum (May), we found wild asparagus, ramps, fiddleheads and morels. With summer winding down, we returned to see what new bounty the forest floor had to offer. We were not disappointed.

Heaps and heaps of wee puffballs along the trail . . .

and some real giants, too. We had a puffball feast last night with some we found near Medicine Lake yesterday.
Lots of lovely, yummy oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus).
A nice woody shelf mushroom, which may be several years old.
Just as we were coming of the trail, this perfect little hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa) called out, "nibble me."

Minnesota Wilderness (with wolf encounter)

2009-08-28T05:41:00.000-07:00

In an age when most of the "woods" have been replaced by degraded second-growth, we are very lucky in Minnesota to have over a million acres of contiguous pristine public lands. From forest floor to the canopy, and in the waters between, the Boundary Waters and surrounding Great North Woods are truly intact ecosystems.

The Gunflint Trail (look closely at the center of the picture below) runs through the heart of this wilderness, from Grand Marais on the north shore of Lake Superior all the way to the Canadian border.

Of course, no trip to this area is complete without some canoeing. Here is an early-morning picture taken on Poplar Lake.
For comparison, here's a picture taken while dogsledding on nearby Gunflint Lake during our March 2008 trip. Then as now, we were overwhelmed with the scale and beauty of this area. We also did some back-country skiing on that occasion, and saw lots of moose tracks.

And although it's a little early for the Fall migration, birds are still plentiful. Here's a pair of yellow-bellied sapsuckers working over a birch tree along the Meads Lake portage.

And here's a gray jay checking us out (look at the center of the picture below). Other sightings included the red crossbill, belted kingfisher, sharp-shinned hawk, red-breasted nuthatch, ruby-crowned kinglet, brown creeper, white-throated sparrows and a variety of warblers. Driving home along the North Shore, we stopped to check out a large group of juvenile mergansers.
On Wednesday evening, we took a hike to South Lake on the Canadian border. After pushing through miles of dense undergrowth (and feasting on wild blueberries and raspberries) on what was little more than a deer track, we finally came to the end of the trail, an old voyageur portage site.
As we stepped up onto the small clearing to get a better look at the lake (where, incidentally, a magnificent loon was cruising the shallows), we heard a heavy rustling from the forest to our left and saw a flash of gray come out from the trees and move towards us, parting the high grass in its wake. Then, just 10 meters away from where we stood, a massive Timber Wolf appeared on the edge of our clearing. When he saw us, he stood stock still and fixed us for a few seconds with an emotionless, calculating stare. I think one of us said, "umm, that's a wolf . . . a big wolf." He then turned and padded back into the forest, leaving us both in absolute awe.

Gunflint Mushroom Porn

2009-08-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

After a dry summer, the heavy rains of the week past produced a bumper crop of mushrooms, and great variety. Above, a patch of Rusula in the shade of some spruce trees.
Here's a classic hericium coralloides, or "coral tooth", fruiting from the end of a cut log. We couldn't resist taking a bit of this home for dinner.
On the other extreme, amantia muscaria, or "fly agaric" is a potent hallucinogen.
These little opportunists were growing out of a moss-covered birch.

And, finally, a "hat trick" of fungi along the trail.

Images of Iceland

2009-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

The glacial lake Jökulsárlón, flowing off the mountains and into the sea.
Reynisfjara beach . . .
whose basalt cliffs jut upward, forcing perspective like some impossible city of stone
and whose black beach stretches through the mist towards Dyrholaey.

Falls and grassy highlands above Skogar, on the trail to Þórsmörk ("Thor's Forest").

The volcanic palette of Heimaey Island from Eldfell ("Fire Mountain")
and a pair of happy trampers overlooking Eldfell from her sister mountain, Helgafell.
Darkening skies above the lighthouse at Gardskagi

and a lone dwelling near the bird cliffs at Hafnaberg.

For some experiences, words fail and pictures are inadequate to the task of full description. Still, they have the power to stir memory, and to render the perfect details present for us again. Like the marvelous langoustines at Höfn, or the horses sheltering in the ruins of an old farmhouse as sun set on the way home, finding a dead puffin (our first) at Reynisfjara, then looking up at the cliffs teeming with life. Whimbrels in the morning, cairns (and more cairns), trees and gravestones behind a chapel in Reykavik, a loon teaching her chick to dive and a last family of terns at Kleifarvatn. If there is a god, it is in these moments.

Grass Houses, Geysir and Gullfoss

2009-08-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so starting with the letter "G" and being in Iceland is about all these things have in common.

The origin of the word we commonly use to describe a geothermal vent traces back to one particular such vent in southwestern Iceland.

Although it hasn't been active for many years, it's near neighbor, called Strokkur, is actually more faithful than "Old Faithful", erupting on average every 5-8 minutes.So get ready . . .
Get set . . .
and Gooooooo! What's particularly amazing is how close you're allowed to get to these vents. Standing just 3 meters away, you really feel the shock wave and hot spray. After a few minutes of rapt anticipation, the blast is a bit overwhelming, and evoked that giddy, involuntary "roller coaster" laughter from both of us.
And how's this for a coda from hot to cold? A frosty early morning video of Gullfoss, just a few kilometers away from the Geysir fields.

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Vatnajökull- a video hike

2009-08-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Dominating the landscape of southeastern Iceland, Vatnajökull is Europe's largest glacier, exceeding 100km in diameter at some points. Skaftafell National Park lies on the southern edge of the glacier, a mountainous terrain poised between the Vatna's icy fingers. It is difficult to imagine a more perfect place for a rigorous hike.

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Birds of Iceland

2009-08-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

At first glance, this doesn't look like a bird picture at all. But look closer (click photo to enlarge) at both the sky and the water. Those myriad little dots are puffins, who flock to Heimaey Island every spring to breed. If you can't enlarge, or want more "action", there's a video clip of the puffin flock at the end of this post.

The puffins share the island with other birds, such as the Fulmar, a relative of the albatross. . .

and the kittiwake, a mild mannered smallish gull with lovely coloring and delicate features.

Even the plucky white wagtail makes a (blurry) cameo. . .
as does the industrious redshank.
On the mainland, summer is the time when 5,000 or so breeding pairs of great skua mate along the rocky southern coastal flats. These are large birds, and they make a living harassing smaller shore birds into regurgitating up hard-earned food in mid flight. A puffin or an arctic tern is no match for this rascal.
In Iceland, the oystercatcher has evolved into more of a generalist, and is as likely to be seen working the soil of a paddock as he is wading along the shore.
Here's a shot of a young golden plover we encountered on the Skaftafell highlands. We spotted mom first, perched on a rock 30m away, and heard the lad below peeping from the marshy flat just alongside the trail.

Also near the glacier we ran across this ptarmigan, who eyed us suspiciously and emitted several guttural croaks, but made no haste to get out of our way. In winter, the ptarmigan's plumage turns snowy white and the red brow patch turns bright scarlet.

Other species encountered but not shown include the wheatear, arctic skua, great norther diver (aka loon), arctic tern, turnstone, greylag goose, black guillemot and a variety of waterfowl.

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Random Summer Pix

2009-08-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

Cricketers on Bryn Mawr Fields, where we met Patricia, a plucky Englishwoman who had studied at the U and stayed in town for 20+ years to teach. She contemplated some globetrotting over a Red Stripe (for breakfast, no less). We also met Charles from the West Indies, who tried to recruit us for the local side. Hmmmmm . . . we'll see.
Here's Kristen, looking lovely on the balcony . . .
. . . as is evident from Teo's enraptured gaze.
Me and Maddie at the baseball game (I think that covers all the Pluntzlings, between this blog and the last).
And last, for good measure, a Grizzly keeping cool at the Minnesota Zoo.

The Last Days of July

2009-07-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be summer without baseball.

Here's Alexandra mugging for the camera along with Muddonna, the St. Paul Saints' mascot. Ellie, at right, is a bit more demure, but enjoyed the celebrity encounter nonetheless. The Saints prevailed over the Sioux Falls Canaries, 7-0, highlighted by an 8th inning grand slam.
The following day, we explored the Wilkie Unit of the MN Valley Reserve. Tracking along the river, we snacked on wild grapes and saw several impossibly bright (and fat!) goldfinches and even a lovely male indigo bunting, who graced us with a treetop concert.
By now, the land is lush and overgrown from the long, mild days. August heat will brown then September turn all to red, orange and gold-- but for now, green is everywhere.
The little dots against the sky in the photo above (click to enlarge) are swallows sweeping out from under the bridge to catch insects above the marsh and bring them back to their young, who wait in mud nests affixed to the substructure.

In addition to the Minnesota River, there are three lakes (Blue, Fisher and Rice). This area is a major rookery for Great Blue Heron.
We also stumbled across a dozen or so garter snakes sunning themselves beside the path, another sure sign of summer.

Birds of Amsterdam

2009-07-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

One of the pleasant surprises of Amsterdam is the abundance of bird life in such a dense urban area with relatively little green space. The gray heron does quite well here, as do magpies, coots, swifts, swamp hens, terns, wood pigeons and a variety of ducks.

Other sightings included the winter wren, great tit, and we even saw a great crested grebe during our boat tour of the canals.
And here are a couple of white storks nesting in the Vogelpark, one of only a dozen or so pairs in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam

2009-07-20T05:26:00.001-07:00

It was a bit of an impulse that took us to Amsterdam for the week, a city that neither of us had visited before but had always wanted to. We stayed at the Pulitzer Hotel overlooking the prinzengraacht, or "prince's canal", shown below with an array of houseboats in the foreground and the tower of the Westkerk behind.

Amsterdam, most of it at or below sea level, is a city of canals, the banks of which are cluttered with elegant row houses, many of them dating from the 17th Century.
Although the city is best known for its Red Light District, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Anne Frank, we really enjoyed the Vogelpark, the Hortus (botanical gardens) and the Artis (Zoo).

You are as likely to see modern wind turbines as you are the classic windmills when traveling in the Netherlands these days, as Holland obtains more of its energy needs from non-petroleum sources than any other industrial nation.
In addition to Amsterdam, we took a day trip to the Hague, which has an interesting mix of old and new architecture.

4th of July on the River

2009-07-07T12:38:00.001-07:00

Minneapolis has preserved the banks of the Mississippi as public spaces, and this surprisingly lush strip of land and river is a favorite walk of ours year-round.

Remarkably, one of the first things we saw today on our walk was a bald eagle flying northward above the river. A swallow darted out to harass it as it approached the Plymouth bridge, and it swooped out of sight. Heading south, we soon reached the iconic Grain Belt Beer sign and Hennepin Bridge.

Farther along, crowds gathered at Mill Ruins Park to await the fireworks display. As it was not dark enough for the show until 10:00, we watched the fireworks of the northern suburbs from our balcony, enjoying the balmy evening air before retiring to bed.

Welcome Summer

2009-06-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Summer officially began with the Solstice River XIII Celebration at the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. This is an annual event with performers all along the river, up on the silos on the shore, on the lock, on the Guthrie theatre. Thankfully the rain held off. Many thanks to Bev and Julia for introducing me (Kristen) to the event!

While Richard worked the rest of the week I went to Ludington Michigan for some time with family. It was a relaxing week and lots of fun with the nephew (Teo, below)...

...and neices (Alexandra, Maddie and Ellie, shown with Heather, below). We had to introduce the kids to Michael Jackson and had a dance party in his memory.

Since Richard was STILL working on the weekend, I went to the Pride Parade and took in the sights. It was a beautiful day and the energy of the parade and the spectators was fantastic.

This is summer in Minnesota: an event on the Stone Arch Bridge, vacation at a cabin, and a parade! Now just counting the days until the State Fair....

Dancing Winds Farm

2009-06-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Mary at Dancing Winds for her hospitality. After a day biking the Cannon Valley Trail, we spent a couple of days with her and her goats.
Nearby, the town of Zumbrota celebrated its covered bridge (ostensibly the only one in MN).
And we celebrated the solstice the following day helping mama Jasmine give birth to a couple of kids.

Stillwater

2009-06-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, its a week later (a nasty cold and a lot of "where are we going to live next?" in between), but here's couple of pics from our bike trip to Stillwater.

Below, the St. Croix River from the bluffs above. The cottonwoods along the river have covered the ground with a fine white down, and the ferns, jewelweed and wild grape are coming out in full force--not to mention the widflowers.

And next, the Elephant Walk B&B. Our favorite hangout, a laid back vibe and truly funky decor (an old Victorian crammed with carvings, cloths and other crafts from Bali.)
Aside from a couple of flat tires (good karma to Larry and Mike, who helped us out), it was a near-perfect ride.

Summer in MN almost makes you forget about the winters. Almost.

Video from Patrick's New Zealand Show

2009-06-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

The following link is to a video taken by CJ, a Star Tribune reporter, at Patrick Pryor's show of New Zealand artwork at our loft.

Columbuzz

2009-05-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Columbus. Home to THE Ohio State University. Kristen took a trip there over Memorial Day weekend to see good friends, especially Ouida (left), Allyson, and Amy.

Friday night was an opportunity to see old friends at a cookout. Saturday was a chance to catch up with Amy and then go on a boat ride up the Scioto River. I had never appreciated the beauty of this river before. We spotted lots of great blue herons, a coromant, and several hawks. The weather was perfect!

One of the highlights was dressing up in beekeeping garb and checking on the hives with Glen. I learned a lot and got to taste honey straight from the hive. The bees are busy alright and need minimal intervention. Ouida and Glen got four gallons of honey off just one hive last summer!

Itasca

2009-05-21T06:17:00.001-07:00

Can you guess the name of this river?

As unlikely as it seems, this is the Mississippi, and in a mere 2,500 miles it will arrive (considerably less potably) at the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the thousands of beautiful lakes in Minnesota, Lake Itasca is unique in that it gives rise to America's mightiest river. The photo below is taken from the northern shore, where the lake's waters flow over the rocks at right and become the Mississippi's headwaters.

The lake is also home to Minnesota's oldest state park, where stands of majestic red pine meet pristine marshes. In this haven for birds and other wildlife, we encountered yellow-bellied sapsuckers, great blue heron, hummingbirds, redstarts, orioles, grouse, purple finches, hooded merganser, yellow warblers, rose-breasted grosbeak, and the loon (our state bird).
We saw a red tailed fox on our early morning drive, and later rescued a snapping turtle who had decided to hang out in the middle of the road.

St Louis

2009-05-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

The arch and the river from my hotel window.

Al and Nana begging for food.

Lou Brock throws out the first pitch. Cards lose 8-2, but a beautiful day nonetheless.

Scorching Bay

2009-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Morels!

2009-05-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

For a few brief weeks each spring, delicious little morel fruiting bodies emerge from the forest litter. This morning, we drove to an 'undisclosed location' for the first morel hunt of the Minnesota Mycological Society.

After a couple of hours of foraging, we had a pretty good haul; enough for a good feed of butter-sauteed morels.
This is such a fantastic time for fresh food in Minnesota. Our first CSA box arrived this week, loaded with goodies from the earth. K made an awesome sorrel ramp sauce for the fresh trout we had for lunch today and followed with a magnificent rhubarb date cobbler. Stay tuned for a report from sparglefest (asparagus) later this month.

As Flat as the Earth

2009-05-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

An obscure little (less than 1 min) song from the late Chris Whitley, recorded in the downstairs bathroom (by me, not him) on the camera mic. Why not?

May Day-In The Heart of the Beast

2009-05-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

May Day is an odd holiday-- a workers' holiday grafted on an old pagan festival. Here in Minneapolis, the "In the Heart of the Beast" May Day Parade is the offspring of this unlikely coupling--celebrating Spring, music, dancing, family, partial nudity, odd bicycles, Labor, religion, atheism, Leftist politics and some things I still can't figure out. In such cases, the old adage "show, don't tell" is the preferred approach, so . . .

April in NY

2009-04-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

There are many cities, but only one New York. The sheer density of culture and human activity is an experience that always recharges the intellectual batteries, and exhausts. We arrived on a foggy morning, checked into the Algonquin and headed towards MoMA. On the way, we passed by Rockefeller Plaza, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Radio City Music Hall. The Plaza is shown at left. I have bittersweet memories of a stay here just after 9/11.

The obligatory photos of Central Park were, of course, irresistible. Thus we did not resist . . .

. . . but rather indulged.
But let's get back to MoMA. Where else in the word can you walk through a room of Jackson Pollocks . . .
past a magnificent Monet . . .
and then end up face to face with Picasso's genius? Truly amazing.

Onward, then, to Central Park West and the Museum of Natural History. What a great place to get lost in!
We capped off the evening by catching a preview performance of 9 to 5 on Broadway. Oddly, the Marquis Theater was in the same hotel at which we had presented a poster at for Psych Services two years prior. Here's Times Square, in front of the theater, at 10PM on a Tuesday.
As I mentioned above, we stayed at the historic Algonquin Hotel, where Dorothy Parker and James Thurber held court, and where, more recently, the two children in the adjacent suite played "hungry, hungry hippo" at odd hours. To escape the ridiculous for the sublime, we went downstairs to the Oak Room and listened to Daryl Sherman--formerly a regular at the Waldorf-- perform standards (and a few not-so-standards) in front of a very intimate room which seemed to consist entirely (except for us) of NY Jazz luminaries.
Lastly, for our Kiwi friends, we took a pic of Helen Clark's new digs at the U.N. on the cab ride back to LaGuardia.

Okay, I wasn't going to blog on this . . .

2009-04-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

. . . but spring is a little more here, and I suppose that's big enough news here in MN to warrant a few lines. This scrappy little marsh marigold and its mates are most welcome. In any case, the next blog will be from NYC, and from a content perspective, just didn't seem to go.

Hiking along the Minnesota River nature reserve, here's a mini-panorama of the old Cedar Ave Bridge, where we started our walk.

We really got into birding in NZ, and this interest has persisted. Below, a male hooded merganser (the bloke with the rust-colored wing) is pictured among the reeds with a group of coots (the black chaps).

And here are a pair of Tundra Swans. Sorry for the fuzzy pic, but they were quite far away. From this photo, it is hard to appreciate the scale of these birds, which are almost a meter and a half high, weighing nearly 10kg.
The river is just a short drive to Burnsville, where Kristen's sister lives. Here's Richard with the girls (Alexandra, Maddie and Elie)
and here's Kristen with pretty much everybody (Ali, her husband, Rich, and Mateo are pictured along with Kristen and the girls).

Back in the Minneapple

2009-04-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are Minnesotans (and/or public radio nerds) will get the reference, "slightly better than average", as part of the tag line from The Prairie Home Companion. Actually, those who listen to NZ National Radio on weekend mornings may also. In any case, we are back, and having enjoyed blogging the last six months in NZ so much, decided to keep it rolling. Conceptually, I'm not quite certain where this blog is headed. It may simply serve as a kind of personal scrapbook, but could also become a forum for discussion/keeping up, as there will be a link to this site on Kristen's facebook page. So, add K as a friend if you want to stop by now and then.

I won't go into the gory details, but the flights back from Welly were quite an ordeal, and only now are we getting over the jet lag (just in time for work orientation tomorrow AM). We awoke this AM to an inch of snow that quickly melted away, so we decided to take a walk North along the river, as was our custom last year Spring through Fall. Here's the panorama from about a mile upstream of downtown's edge:

Along our way, we lingered at "gopher hill" to snap a few shots of the solitary "first gopher of spring".

Here's a closer look at him (or her). In about a month, this hill will be home to several breeding pairs and their roly-poly little pups.

Along the river's edge, we encountered this lone pair of Canadian Geese. Like the gophers, their breeding season is imminent and, if it's anything like last year, we can expect hundreds of little goslings along this kilometer stretch over the summer. These same adults, now quite blase at our approach, will hiss loudly and even attack if one comes too near their young at that time.
Finally, here's a video tour of our loft for those who haven't visited (yet).

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com