Category: Lake of the Isles
Lake of the Isles is part of the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis. It's the one closest to my house and my favorite to walk around. It has a meandering shape, so the view changes dramatically compared to a round lake like Calhoun or Harriet. Something I discovered long ago, there's actually a short-cut around it — if you cut into the neighborhood between the Lutheran Church and the horse fountain, it's shorter that following the shoreline.7
The Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
The monsters of the midwest have returned as bird week continues here on Mitchster.com. This big guy let out from behind a tree as I was photographing a loon. Luck was on my side as I quickly drew a bead on him and fired away. The high-speed focusing of the Nikkor 70-300mm VR is incredible, only three out of over twenty shots was out of focus. The Great Blue always makes me think of wise old men. They walk carefully on the shore inspecting as they go, looking as if their hands are folded behind their back. When they take off, they are so slow and deliberate. When I accidentally disturb one, I feel the need to apologize. Tomorrow: The American Robin, Turdis migratorius2
New Path Coming Soon!
When not picking fights with the geese, I've been observing the gradual construction of the new path around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. It's been a long slow journey, but stabilizing almost three miles of shoreline and a commensurate path is a lot of work. There's just a small stretch of path to go and a lot of grass to replace, but it looks like they will make it before the snow starts blowing. Speaking of construction, the greenway bridge is supposedly done and there is a Grand Opening party this afternoon. I'll be heading over at 4pm to join in the festivities and hopefully drag home a few pictures for the blog. The park system here is really impressive, there are trails all over and with the bridge done, you can take a trail by bike or foot from the mighty Mississippi all the way to the lakes. Other trails circle the city and I often bike from Uptown Minneapolis all the way to Downtown St. Paul on trails the whole way. So head out and enjoy the parks. Keep your chin up, enjoy the view, but watch your step, the geese are everywhere.0
Fall Colors around Lake of the Isles, Minneapolis
A brief break in the rain and the desire to get a picture sent me out today to circle the lake. I walk around Lake of The Isles pretty much every day. Sometimes I bring the camera, but usually I don't. There's some kind of jinx thing going on that prevents cool things from happening when I have the camera. Now that the blog is officially up and running, I guess I'm going to have to bring the beast along with me. A Nikon D200 and lenses is a bit to carry, but it's probably easier to manage than a kid, a stroller and two dogs.0