The Uptown Chain of Lakes are connected in many different ways, Calhoun and Lake of the Isles are connected by a lagoon, but Isles and Cedar are connected by a canal. While out on a walk with my friend Sam, we crossed the canal on a small bridge near the old railroad bridge. The cottonwood trees were doing their thing: you can see the haze on the water from all the fluff. By the time we came out of the woods, we were both covered in cottonwood fluff and inchworms.
In the Northwest bay of Lake of the Isles is a Sea Serpent. Not just any serpent, this one is a regular. Ever since I moved to Uptown, I noticed that someone builds this serpent in the same place every year. A few weeks ago I actually caught the builder at work. Bob Flick lives near by and he has been building it since the 70s. His son used to help, but has since moved away. But Bob still gets down there every year and builds this local winter landmark. Thanks Bob!
This past Saturday, Dusty, SnapShutter, Ravsitar and I spend a long cold evening photographing the unusual Minneapolis event known as the Luminary Loppet. This next series is from what was called the Enchanted Forest and was created by Jennifer of Ice Lanterns. It was created on the peninsula by the Northwest bay of Lake of the Isles.
The view from Raspberry Island in the middle of Lake of the Isles, middle of the winter.
Crusty crunchy ice-covered snow under the low midday winter sun.
The cross-country ski race known as a “Loppet” is coming to Uptown on Feb 6&7. That Saturday night they light up ice sculptures with candles all around the lake. This is the beginnings of the sculpture at the Northwest corner of Isles. It’s quite the sight to behold and to take photos of. If you are interested in coming down to take photos, leave a comment and let me know, there’s a group of us locals planning the best locations and techniques.
One of my favorite things about living on Lake of the Isles in the winter is the ability to visit the islands (they are bird sanctuaries the rest of the year). his tree fell over years ago, but still hangs on.
I thought I’d add a little color to the program after yesterday’s purely monochromatic event. These stairs are at Lake of The Isles and James Ave, south of 28th. They are WPA era and are just too hard for the city to keep safely clear, so they chain them off. See the chain? It’s got an orange flag on it to make sure.
Merry Christmas! Remember, lift with your legs and take breaks.
