May 30: Lake Minnetoka is one of Minnesota’s crown jewels, and not only because of the fishing. Lunch with Dorette yesterday at Maynard’s in Excelsior was special, too.
May 30: Historic Fort Snelling.
May 29: The “St. Croix Crossing,” connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin, photographed yesterday from Stillwater, Minn., on a foggy morning. The bridge is a year behind schedule but is expected to be done in late 2017. Seeing it made me think of my college roommate, Warren Johnson of Grafton, N.D., a civil engineering major who after graduation would design bridges for many years in the state of Washington. One of Warren’s favorite lines was his difficulty “passing water” at the University of North Dakota (the class, that is).
May 28: Dorette Kerian today finishing the Stillwater, Minn., Half Marathon. She once held a North Dakota Prairie Rose Games women’s race walking record and hasn’t slowed down much since. Today’s distance was longer — 13.1094 miles.
May 27: A pair of mallards near our house in Bloomington, Minn. This bird (returns to its place of birth and builds a nest to hatch seven to 10 baby ducks. Or rather the female does that and all of the parenting. As with some humans I know, the more colorful male limits himself to impregnating the female.
May 25: Guess who just came home from the groomer? Pixie did!
May 24: I’m a fan of “garden sculpture.” This great one is at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum near Chaska.
May 22: Dorette Kerian and I had a great afternoon hiking the Lyndale Trail in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge not far from our home in Bloomington, Minn. It may have been our last opportunity before the mosquitoes arrive. The air was filled with bird songs. But the leaves already are so thick that one must look closely to see them. The one I photographed today is a Baltimore oriole. A field guide suggested the possibility of the unrelated “Bullock’s Oriole,” but the Audubon Society website says it doesn’t reside in Minnesota.
May 22: Pixie this morning during her walk, cooling her tummy in the shade. “Geez, Dave, it’s almost 80 degrees already.”
May 21: Hardly anything I love more than a used book sale. This one was held this morning at the Hennepin County Penn Lake Branch a few minutes from our place in Bloomington, Minn. Lots for sale, of course (more Danielle Steel than the world could possibly need, for example). But some great “finds,” too. I departed with six books for less than $10. Haven’t decided my favorite: “Essays of Francis Bacon” or “The Little Guides: Pasta.” The later, probably.
May 20: Great white egret, possibly wondering if turtles are edible, photographed a couple of days ago at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Minn., not far from our place in Bloomington. I’m not a fan of winter in the Twin Cities, but the other seasons are just fine.
May 19: Legendary former Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant this mornning at his annual yard sale in Bloomington, Minn. True, his teams never won the Super Bowl, but that is mere footnote in his amazing record. I didn’t cough up $25 for an autograph, but he smiled when I gave him a “thumbs up.” Chatted briefly with Bud’s daughter, who pointed out a former Vikings player, Nate Wright, who had flown in from Florida for the event. Nate was the Vikings defensive back in 1975 covering Drew Pearson when Pearson caught the famous “Hail Mary” pass from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach as time ran out, thus defeating the VIkings in the NFL Divisional playoff. I doubt anyone mentioned that today.
May 17: On our way the other day to the wonderful Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis. Dogs with or without leashes were prohibited, but Pixie was allowed in because of her Shih-zu charm and the fact she agreed to ride in her rolling dog carrier.
May 16: Fly me by the moon. Photographed over Bloomington, Minn., May 15, 2016.
May 15: It’s hard to believe that today our little Shih-tzu Pixie has been with us for six months. Isn’t it amazing how much joy dogs bring into our lives?
May 12: Robin building a nest on our neighbor’s house, Bloomington, Minn., May 11, 2016.
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland snapped these shots this past month, including a shot of legendary Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant at his annual yard sale. You just never know what Dave will come up next.
One thought on “DAVE VORLAND: Photo Gallery — May Snapshots”
Naomi Dunavan May 30, 2016 at 8:39 am
Reading this from Savage, Minn Dave. Beautiful
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