Reflections on the Mississippi, Close to Home

One of my river walks in June along the Mississippi River in Winona.  

This whole group of vultures were sunning in the morning light.  Sorry to disturb you.  
It was so amazing to see so many on the bank. 




 

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.

Reflections on the Mississippi River

My life has had the dial turned up for speed lately.  I'm going to do a three part series on Breeze on my Skin about the river to calm my racing heart and remind me that the seasons turn. These last days before  Autumn, I'm savoring  lovely times along the Mississippi  River. 

Can you sense that something is just beginning or just ending?  I had to look at these images closely to see what was really going on here.  And I checked the date.  Check out the spareness on the bluff in the background.  Check out the soft green blush on the trees.  It is April 18, 2017.  A cool spring we had this year, and the trees are just getting their leaves.

The bluffs look like an animal's back bone at this time of the year.  The sky and the river are nearly the same color.

Keep on walking.  April 18th, five months ago and the earth was just waking up for growth.  Lots of changes.  Time sure is fleeting.  If I think about five months into the future, it will be February.  Past the autumn, past the holidays, with days getting longer again.  This reminder helps we not feel so low about the darker days.  They will pass too.  We live in the land of beautiful seasons along the Mississippi River.  And there is great hope in that beauty.