Hope Springs Eternal

We're exhausted after a big day of exploring the Gunflint Trail, searching for Moose, and spotting eagles and hawks and grouse, oh my!  As I type, Terry is taking his well-deserved birthday nap while I sit in the sunny window seat in our room overlooking the ski hill and the Big Lake.  OH NO!  The sun is ssssslllloooowwwwly dipping below the hill........ :(

The day began with an early drive to Grand Marais for breakfast.

Look at that lovely lake!  Good morning, lake! :)

We went to the Blue Water Cafe...

...and started with hot chocolate -- did I mention it was 34 degrees when we hopped in the car??!?  The hot chocolate was so good, we sucked all the REAL whipped cream off the top before I could get a picture (surprise!!).

Birthday boy is smiling this morning!!!  Sugar shock?  Caffeine?? Hard to tell. Happy 34th Birthday, honey (again)!

Breakfast was fantastic!  Swedish pancakes with Lingonberries imported from Sweden.  A first time having Lingonberries for me -- trying new things is the best!  They taste a bit like cranberries...small, tart and delicious!  Did I mention, MORE REAL Whipped Cream?? :)  Birthday boy had a ham + cheese omelet with blueberry pancakes (his favorite!).  Life is good!

Bellies full, we drove up the Gunflint looking for some fun hikes.  Our first stop was at a spot where we could hike into a moose habitat.

Here's the snow I promised you!  Eeeeeek!  It's really around the corner, isn't it??

At the head of the trail was this very informative sign, all about spotting Moose.  I LOVE these naturalist signs the DNR posts on hiking trails.  They are hilarious!  As instructed, we put on our Moose Sleuth hats and began our search...

...and found a '55 DeSoto, instead.  No, I'm not that good at my car identification...there was actually a little wooden sign with the details.  Crazy!

We arrived at the habitat and sure enough, NO MOOSE! :(

But, we got some gorgeous pictures instead.  Fair trade.

We continued on along the Gunflint.  I wanted to drive all the way to the end because I had never been before, so we did.  It's a long drive!  But worth every second of it.

Our second stop was a hike into the 2007 Ham Lake wildfire area. Devastating, and yet after four years, hope is alive in the form of...

 ...baby pine trees!  Go, little guys, go!

To give you an idea of how much work those little jack pines have ahead of them...

...pretty...

...incredible.  Gives new meaning to the word "tenacity".

There are days when I wish I wore a pedometer -- the map said the trail was 3 miles round trip but I swear it was 3 miles there and 3 miles back.  It took us forever to get to our destination...The Magnetic Rock!

From down the trail, at first view it looked like a Stonehenge type formation, but of course, it is only one rock (can't even imagine how cool Stonehenge is...it's on the bucket list!).  It is noted to have a strong magnetic attraction...but of course, we'll have to take their word for it since we didn't bring a compass or magnet or anything else we could test it on.  I tried meditating near it to see if I could sense anything different but all the shaking I was doing was because the temps were still in the 30's!

To give a little perspective on how big it is, can you see little itty bitty Country Mouse taking a picture??

We hiked double-time back to the car because we were getting hungry...

...and drove all the way back into town (about 45 minutes) for a quick lunch at the infamous Sven & Ole's and visited a couple of shops before heading back to Lutsen.

We never did take our Moose Sleuth hats off, so even though we never saw a real moose, we did manage to find some moose tracks outside of the Sivertson Gallery!

Close enough!//


What's For Dinner Tonight?
For this evening's celebration, we're heading to Tofte to Bluefin Bay where we spent our honeymoon eleven years ago.  Near and dear to our hearts...

Have a great night!

The Farm

The weather is still holding out for us, so we enjoyed a long warm walk through the park at Ritter Farm first thing this morning.  I've rarely been a regular church-goer, unless you count the time in junior high when I was in confirmation classes, but somehow I can't help but make the comparison -- our Sunday morning jaunts feel a bit like church...our church.  A deeply meaningful weekly ritual that grounds us, brings us back to ourselves in communion with creation, and fills us with peace.

On the rare occasion when the parking lot is busy when we arrive -- "busy" meaning more than five cars -- Terry jokes, "Looks like we're late for mass."

What I mean by "our church" is that Nature is our connection with the sacred.  The farm's miles of trail by lake, through woods and prairie opens us to the cycles of life and our place in it.  Through the changing of the seasons, the comings and goings of the animals, we are brought back to the awareness that we are all connected, that we are all energy, that we are all one.

the pond

working the trail

the lake

the outside woods trail

the prairie

And sometimes, like this morning, we are reminded of the reality of death...

I can't for the life of me figure out how the deer leg ended up eye-high in a tree.  Talk about startling...yikes!

One edge of the park even borders a llama farm!  (Hi guys!)

Trooper often reminds us that it's important to just stop, breathe, and take it all in...

Can I get an amen?

Where do you go in Nature to reconnect?//

What's For Dinner Tonight?
Tonight we made ourselves an all-American meal...a little surf and turf, baked potatoes and homemade Apple Pie, as promised!  When we cook like this, I'm reminded that my hubby is a restaurateur at heart.  Sure beats the meal we'd each pay $50 for at a steakhouse.  The good part about enjoying this meal at home is that leftovers are much more easily transported...without that pesky non-recyclable to-go container.  And at home, I get to have cottage cheese on my baked potato!  Yum, yum, yum!

Apple Pie

2 pie crusts, ready-made or from scratch

6 cups (8-9) peeled and sliced apples

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

milk for brushing the top

sugar for sprinkling the top

We're still using up apples from our Apple Orchard adventure.  Pile all the goodies in a bowl and stir to combine.

Line the pie plate with the first crust and pour the filling in.  Lay the other crust over the top, trim the edges and tuck the top crust under the bottom as you work around the pie plate and crimp the edges.  Cut slits in the top to release the steam.  Brush with a small amount of milk and sprinkle the top with sugar.  Bake for 1 hour at 375.

I made my own crust, but it's just as well to use ready-made.  Mine got a little overworked in the food processor (still relatively new to the pie crust thing) so it's flat instead of flaky.

Our new ceramic pie plate we bought at an art fair earlier this summer got its test-run.  Worked like a charm!

Smells incredible!  And not too shabby tasting either, especially with a little Sweet Chai ice cream...

Enjoy your night :)

Finding Our Own Way

One of my favorite things to do, regardless of season, is hike with my husband and our dog at a 400-acre park whose previous life was that of a local resident's farmstead. When he passed on, he left this oasis of woods and prairie, lake and pond, with miles and miles of trail to explore to the city with the stipulation that it only ever be available for public use. My family can't thank him enough for his generosity. The gift of Ritter Farm is never lost on me.

Last weekend, when the frigid temperatures broke for a couple of days, we were back to our old tricks -- waking early to get out to the park to start our day. Trooper couldn't have been happier, waggling her tail as she worked the trail before us, nose to the ground, stopping to scratch in the snow to uncover secret scents. There are few things as joyful to me as witnessing her grand adventures in freedom, exploring, exploring, exploring. If only we could take in our surroundings as thoroughly and with as much abandon...

We couldn't have been happier either. Feeling the early February sun beginning to regain strength is wrought with hope. Good ol' Punxsutawney Phil informed us we still have six weeks of winter to contend with (at least!), but each moment we can soak in the wonder of being out in the cold and feeling contendedly warm, we know it won't be long now until the trees begin to bud and the red-wingers return. All in its own time.

Spring might not be right around the corner, but she's close. Close enough to taste on the wind; close enough to feel on the skin. May we all find our own way to her, and with hope in our hearts, welcome her whenever she feels her time is ripe to arrive.//