Owl

This owl looked so soft. The variation of colors of its feathers is amazing. No wonder it blends in so well when sitting in a tree.

Antique Sled and Ski Poles

Scandia Heritage Alliance had a display of outdoor sports and recreation gear. This is an antique sled and ski poles.

Major Snowfall

We received a lot of snow overnight. Everything is coated in white.

Luciadagen - St. Lucia Day

On December 11th, Gammelgården had its annual Luciadagen - a celebration of St. Lucia. A local high school girl is chosen to portray St. Lucia. 

Gammelgården Museum in December

Winter is here - with its snow and chilly temperatures. On this day, Gammelgården hosted a coffee party celebrating the winter and holiday season. 

 

19th Adoption Day Anniversary

On November 17, 2003, we adopted Olivia at the age of ten months old. She was born in Dianjing, China. It is hard to believe it has been 19 years already. 

I had the opportunity to do a quick photo session with her at Bethel University where she is majoring in Art and minoring in Photojournalism. The chair was in the photo studio, so we used that. 

The first photo is the one Olivia liked the best. The second and third photos are ones that make me smile because they capture Olivia's personality and mannerisms. The laugh with her eyes closed, and the hand covering her mouth when she laughs are very typical of her. I'm glad I was able to get these two shots because they are meaningful to me. 

Cooper is 10 Years Old

Cooper turned ten years old today. He was adopted when he was about six months old. He is a cross between a German Wirehaired Pointer and a Golden Retriever. He is looking out the window as the snow falls hoping to spot a squirrel or a rabbit. He ended up seeing more blue jays, cardinals, and finches than what he truly wanted to see. 

Swedish Doll

This is one of about 150 dolls made by Charlotte Weibull, a Swedish artist, that is at Gammelgarden Museum. Each doll shows a different folk drakt (folk dress/folk costume) from a region of Sweden. 

Resourcefulness

This artifact - a copper tea kettle - is at Gammelgarden Museum of Scandia. The director of the museum told me that the kettle was so valued by the family that they hired a tinker (a person who traveled from place to place to mend metal utensils as a way of making a living) to put a new base on it when it was no longer good. 

So, rather than throwing away an item, the family repaired the kettle to extend its life. How different the environment would be now if we all valued our possessions and repaired them instead of throwing them away.  

Unique Children's Book

Our World - A First Book of Geography is such a clever board book. The cover is magnetized so that it can attach to the back cover and stand upright as a globe. Written for 2-5 year olds, there is a story on the base and beautiful illustrations on the globe portion of the book.

Wood Carvings

I saw these cute little wood carvings of a gnome and tree. They are hand-carved and colored. I like that they are both in shades of blue...not a typical color you see with gnomes or trees.

Dala Horse Rotating Candle

I'm doing some photography work for Gammelgarden Museum of Scandia and one of the products in the gift shop is a Dala horse rotating candle. It reminds me of the Christmas one that my parents had that had angels on it. This one, though, is a smaller version with a single tea light.

Straw Goat

It is hard to believe it is November already. Later this month, the Christmas season will begin. This is a Yule goat which is a northern European and Scandinavian tradition and symbol. The Yule goat is typically made of straw. This one was at Gammelgarden Museum in Scandia.

Spider Web

It amazes me how quickly a spider can create a web...and how beautifully simple it can be. This was taken many years ago in the early morning in Grand Marais after an evening rain. It seemed fitting for Halloween today.

SAORI Woven Scarf

I tried some new techniques with SAORI weaving which I enjoyed including partial-row patterning. This is a departure from my more "textural" pieces that have bits or rows of wool roving from sheep in them. 

Quinceañera

My sister and I visited Incarnation Catholic Church today to see where our parents were married in 1964 and where our grandma was a parishioner for over four decades. As children, we had attended mass, but only remember the church as being dark. All of the photographs from our parents' wedding are in black and white. 

So, we were delighted to see the church with all its colorful stained glass windows plus a quinceanera that was in progress.    

Migratory and Local Birds

The Dark-Eyed Juncos have arrived from Canada! They are here to spend the winter and will stay until about April. The American Goldfinches are losing their bright summer color and will become a grayish-tan during the winter. The oddball bird on the feeder comes up on the Seek app as a Brown-Headed Cowbird. However, I thought these were larger birds. A very common bird we are seeing is the Black-Capped Chickadees. 

All the feeders - seed and suet - are full now. There are 15 feeders in the front- and backyards. It is hard to keep up with the seed feeders with so many birds visiting us each day.

Halloween Window Stars

The Halloween origami stars that I made are up on the windows now. These are in the family room. As the sun rises and there is more light, the window stars will become brighter. I like how nature and art coincide.

Waterlogue - Chickadee with Outstretched Wing

This is another image I created in the Waterlogue app. My original photo is of a black-capped chickadee with an outstretched wing. It was balancing on the wire part of a birdfeeder. 

Heart-Shaped Flower

It wasn't until I looked closely at this image that I saw that the center of the flower is in the shape of a heart. Just what I needed to see today.