I was out shooting in farm country and spotted a bald eagle perched on this metal barn. It was the second time I’d seen an eagle there. I watched for about twenty minutes hoping to catch it in flight but all it did was swivel its head and watch out over the land. Thought today was the perfect time to post pictures of America’s bird, plus a few other holiday doodads.
The next day visiting Phil and Patrica, we took a roadtrip. On our way out, we toured Boutwells Landing, the senior community where they live. I took pictures of their apartment deck, full of beautiful flowers and birds. I fell in love with the Peking lilac tree, which seemed to be everywhere. Our first stop was Stillwater, where I captured the city skyline and the lift bridge over the St. Croix River. We slid over the border into Prescott, Wisconsin, to Freedom Park and the sacred confluence, where the waters of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers mix. You can see the muddy Mississippi waters on top and the clear St. Croix on the bottom. I also grabbed another shot of Phil and Patricia by an outdoor sculpture. Our last stop was through Afton State Park. Right away we saw a deer munching greenery by the roadside. But the biggest surprise was seeing another osprey. When I came to Minnesota to visit my friends, I hoped to photograph one of these beautiful birds. How lucky I was to see three!
We did a lot of story telling on my trip last week to visit friends Phil and Patricia in Minnesota. We also shared time outdoors hiking and taking pictures. I’d hoped to see the osprey Phil had photographed in the winter at Lake Elmo Park Reserve, a 2000 acre park of hills, prairie, woods, birds, more hills, trails, and wildlife. Near the end of our hike, we were rewarded with seeing two osprey on their nest. It was my first time photographing these huge raptors and they were amazing to watch. We wondered whether there were babies in the nest but couldn’t tell. It was a memory I’ll cherish.
I just returned from a wonderful trip to Minnesota to visit my dear friends Phil and Patricia. I took thousands of pictures, some of which I'll share with you next week after I've had the chance to go through them. Meanwhile take a look at these nighttime photos.
