Kayaking in Southeast Minnesota

There are so many great ways to get out and enjoy the beauty all around us.  Bob and I got out for a paddle on Lake Winona this afternoon.

Photo by Bob Stuber

This was a monumental paddle for me.  Two months ago, I broke my elbow in a biking accident when Bob and I were biking to Fountain City. (More about that another time.)  Today, we were paddling a short, easy one on the lake to see if I could join him for the Mike Munson & Ben Weaver Concert on a sand bar later in the afternoon.

Here are a few of the beautiful plants on or near the water.

These look like a hibiscus.  They have a soft fragrance. And cat tails

These pretties may be swamp milkweek.

This little orchid type plant grows near the shore of the lake.

A little bud

Yellow water lilies

Oh, the water and paddling were lovely.  No sand bar concert for me today.  Another day soon.  More strength and healing on deck.

Now the Green Is Here: Reflections on the Mississippi River

The bluffs are green.  These photos are early June.  I've finished a year of teaching art and to celebrate such a grand accomplishment, Bob and I are paddling the backwaters of the Mississippi River in our kayaks.

After paddling we stopped for a picnic.  

 Sand and sticks and sky

A breath of fresh air.

Boat Houses on the Mississippi

 

Notice the sky in these pictures.  Can you figure out the time of year?  Just curious if you're noticing the changes in the sky as the seasons change.  These pictures are of the Mississippi River in mid-August about two months ago.  The sky still had the summer blue--not the crisp blue of autumn yet.   The sky changes as the season's change.  The clearness of the air with less humidity and more cool air creates amazing clear cerulean skies in the autumn.

Bob, my husband, and I put the kayaks in at Prairie Island Beach to travel to the back side of the island to see the Boat Houses and beyond.  It was a still day and we were getting more confident about traveling for a short while on the main channel of the Mississippi.

 

 

Each Boat House is unique and beautiful.  Some very utilitarian for fishing and others very decorative for year round living.

 

 

 

 

The reflections in the water are fascinating.  Golds and reds shimmer on the water.

 

Life's perspective changes when one is on the water.   Looking through eyes with fascination.

Kayaking in the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

White water lilies

Yellow water lily buds

 

 The waves of water outline the white water lily.

Lots of water in the refuge.

Water droplets on the lily leaf.

White egret on the right.

White egret taking off.

Learn more about the Refuge by clicking on the link:

Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

Blue Heron Watching

 

 

 

Kayak paddling in Mertes Slough watching  blue herons