cold, cold, cold

but so pretty....

very cold and lots of snow

But that didn't stop us from having some fun at the park.  Bundle up and get outside!

to everything there is a season

View from my bedroom window

It snowed this weekend.  Kind of a rainy wet snow that didn't need to be shoveled, but we were reintroduced to winter all the same.

With warm clothes, good mittens and decent boots the winter weather isn't a bother.  Since I live in Minnesota it's fairly certain that a fourth of the year with be unbearably hot and a fourth of the year cold or snowy.  That still means half of the year will be pretty great.  After spending 10 years in the heat of the desert, I'm pretty happy with four seasons and each day bringing something different in the weather department.

Scottish Highlanders of Lake City

The bull

Pretty Red Wing - October 2010

The leaves are slowly changing at Frontenac State Park

View of Wisconsin and the Mississippi from Frontenac State Park

Lots of time left to watch the colors changing

The first week of Fall around the neighborhood

 We have a few weeks to go to hit our peak, but it sure is pretty right now. 

The color Fall report states we are at about 25% now. 

 Pine Street, Red Wing

Looking up Pine Street

Across the street from my house

The colors are already brilliant - looking forward to same great weather the next few weeks. 

the beginnings of....

FALL

It's still mostly green - but the leaves are starting to change. 

Pine street - and so it begins.  

A beautiful tree in my neighbors yard.  

The Blair B&B is all cleaned up and ready for some great FALL color!
Best time of the year!!  

a day at the Como Zoo

This is my favorite picture from the Como Zoo - just two little birds on the fence

 (nothing exotic about these guys)

We went the wrong way and strolled through the closed carnival.

These blue guys are kinda creepy - very Steven King moment inside this dead carnival. 

The water lilies were beautiful inside where it was a little warmer.

I'd love a pair of shoes or a purse with this pattern.  Aren't they beautiful!
Baby is having a little lunch.  

The darker the mane, the more attractive to the gals.
To be honest - I felt sorry for him.  

Hiking along the Mississippi River today, it was really hard to take a picture without capturing the garbage that is washed up along the shore.  I couldn't help but have disdain for the boaters flying by in their expensive gas guzzling boats.  Are they the ones throwing the plastic bottles, chip bags, and soda cans into the river?  It's coming from somewhere.   The eyes on this butterfly kinda freak me out.

It really was beautiful along the river though, despite the garage.  The Fall weather, tilt of the sun...love this time of year!

The only thing good about those fancy, speeding boats going by is the waves they create on the shore.  The best part is the sound the water makes as it hits the shore.    

Fun out on the prairie

Mississippi River Boat Ride

Thanks to Roseanne, a terrible day was ended great - on a boat ride!  

We left the boat houses with Tim and Susie who were great hosts.  

The eagles put on a pretty good show. 

Middle Sister, Pinot Grigio :)  

Rare and exotic birds at the park?

Some sort of mating dance?