how i spent my weekend

This was my first weekend at home in almost three months. Here's the view from my backyard:

Just kidding. I wish.

The plan was to go into Minnesota during the peak of autumn and emerge with a card plumb full of fantastic digital pics. There were, however, setbacks.

a) It was not yet the peak of autumn.
b) There were transportation issues to getting to picture locales. (Friends of JoAnn, she suffered another major health trauma last week. The prognosis on her life is dim, says Dad. She remains yet again in Minnesota.)

Well, those were the two biggest ones. The other one was that time spent photographing was time away from hanging with the fam, which, of course, was the whole point for going in the first place.

The above photo was the only real triumph of the trip. If you look closely, you'll notice there are two bridges in a row. Or maybe there are three...I forget. In any case, the scene is from one of the arboretums at Carleton College in my hometown of Northfield, Minn. Both the colleges there (the other being St. Olaf College) have breathtaking campuses with architecture and landscaping and what not. I know St. Olaf's buildings better, but, strangely, I know Carleton's scenery better. It has more public access and is to my knowledge more extensive, as well.

The arb has, in my mind, several parts, but it's technically just the Cowling Arboretum (upper and lower) and the McKnight Prairie. I had been all of these places many times, but didn't appreciate them quite as much until yesterday. The lower arb, for instance, includes a rare oak savanna. There aren't enough oak trees around here. And I don't appreciate oak trees enough. And who doesn't like a good waterfall? Or islands? Or geese? Or footbridges?

One of the islands (small, not even half a ballfield) had this neat maze worked into it in stone. A family with small children was squealing about in it when I arrived.

Three cheers for the arb (and not um ya ya).