Jeffers Petroglyphs

Ron and I stopped at the Jeffers Ptroglyphs on our way home from a birthday weekend in Okoboji Iowa.  It's on some list of places you should see in your lifetime in the midwest.  I really liked the atmosphere...quiet, secluded and spiritual.  It was difficult to see the carvings in the rock because the sun was directly overhead.  Another check off of the bucket list! 

For literally thousands of years, the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site has been an important place for the people who lived here. Before the pyramids were built, before the first stone was erected at Stonehenge, there were carvings in the rock. Long after those first petroglyphs, this was a holy site to the native people who lived in and around this area -- the Iowa, Oto, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, and Ojibwe. 

The carvings weren't discovered by European settlers until the 1870s, but since then it has been visited many times by scientists, archaeologists, anthropologists, and curious visitors. 

Several books and articles have been written about the petroglyphs, and in 1966 the Minnesota Historical Society bought the property from W.H. Jeffers to preserve the petroglyphs for future generations.

Kay and Ron

 Far from being a place with all its glory in the past, however, the Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site remains a living holy place. Native Americans still come to visit and pray at the site, and visitors are often touched by the peacefulness and power of the place. The staff works closely with Native American elders to make sure that the site is treated with respect and reverence, and we hope you can feel that during your visit.

Manatees - lumps in the water not moving....

Beach at Long Boat Key 

Manatee photography...they were much more interesting than the manatees.  

Another day around Long Boat Key

Cortez Fishing Village - best food ever!!

Long Boat Key, Florida - January 2014

We checked into the Sea Horse Beach Resort in Long Boat Key.  The place was really nice and right on the beach.  Ron and I shared the condo with sister Cathy and the week was a blast. 

The calendar says its spring

Although it's April 15 there is still snow on the ground and more snow in the forecast.  The temp outside is just above freezing and I'm home nursing a cold, sore throat and low grade fever.  This little painting was inspired Larry Pray and his watercolor paintings at PrayTell.  

April 2013


 

 

My new hobby

I've been playing with watercolors for the past almost two years.  It's a hobby that is irresistible to me as I love the way water and paint interacts on good watercolor paper. 

I've almost nothing to show for this passion as much of my work ends up in a pile of near misses or complete disaster.  I've taken two classes from a local watercolor artist, Dan Wiemer and my skills continue to evolve....slowly. 

My first framed painting.

A cold, cold day at Colvill Park, Red Wing

The Duluth Flood of 2012 - after the storm

Walk around Walker with a photography class - focus on composition

Photography class at Walker Art Museum 

Birds of the Mississippi at Colvill