I returned home from Ely for good this week.
It feels good to be home again
Spring is just unfolding up north and I was sad to leave the stark beauty of spring in the boreal forest there, but am so happy to home again. As I re-enter spring in Minneapolis the lushness of the deciduous trees is striking to me compared to the forest near Ely. Up there, birch tree leaves were just beginning to pop out and the landscape was beginning to green up. Even when fully green the conifers in the boreal forest don’t have the generous fullness of the deciduous forest of the Big Woods areas of Minnesota.
It’s a totally different feeling here in Minneapolis and I am reveling in it’s beauty.
In Minneapolis the greens are vivid and gorgeous. The forest in Ely is different and about a month behind in the arrival of spring greens and wildflowers.
The cycles of life are more apparent in the boreal forest, with downed trees in all stages of decomposition throughout the forest. Covered with lichens and mosses the rotting trees often support new tree seedlings as “nurse trees”. With rocks and stony outcroppings, ridges and plentiful water, the north woods have a wilder feeling. When I went hiking there I was usually the solitary hiker on the trail neither meeting nor seeing anyone else. Signs of animal tracks and animal scat reminded me that bears, wolves, and moose shared the landscape with humans.
At home, I’m almost fully unpacked and have begun reviewing and working on my Ely area photos on my big 27 inch iMac. Now begins the work of curating my work and figuring out if a have a consistent body of work that speaks to me. I have 3 different series of images I’m working on and a possible fourth series in the back of my mind. I will be happy if one of those series feels strong enough to show and over the moon happy if 2 or more series turn out to be view-worthy.
Today I spent a couple of hours wandering around at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum with my camera. Along with enjoying one of my favorite places to visit I was scouting out locations for a photo shoot planned soon for a family I’ve been photographing regularly for several years.
Looking around at the plants and trees here, it feels as if I skipped an entire season. The tulips and daffodils are almost all gone. I totally missed the crab apple tree blossoms and the early summer flowers are already coming into bloom.
The Arboretum was abuzz with activity today but most of it was crews weeding and working on the landscape. It takes a lot of work to keep this place beautiful. There was a sweet smell in the air from all of the blooming bushes and flowers. The azaleas and rhododendrons are in magnificent full bloom and many other less showy but quite beautifully scented flowers are in bloom.
I am so appreciative of the time I spent up north and also filled with gratitude for the place where I live and to be home again.
May you walk in beauty and gratitude.
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