A Walk With Maggie

Mags and I decided to take a walk the other day and brought the camera along. We love our country setting and thought we'd share it with you.

We started with a little sitting on the porch, to gear up for the walk.  It's a delightful place to sit.  Some neighbors stopped by yesterday and sat a spell with Maggie and I - they also commented about what a delightful place it was.

As we started our walk, we stopped to admire the pops of color along our sidewalk.  I love the tri-color flowers; wish I had planted more of those.

Although we have neighbors all along our road, we have a field across the road, and a lake on the other side of our house, so we still get that country feel.  We're excited for the corn to get tall.

Some of our neighbors have beautiful landscaping.  The deer are fake, but everything else is real. :) We love how green and lush Minnesota is in the summer.

This is Maggie's favorite tree.  I have no idea what kind it is - any guesses?

One of our cute neighbors stuck some wooden cutlery in her flower bed.  Makes me smile every time I walk by.

Maggie and I decided we love the combination of pine and willow trees on this lot.  And that little shed - too cute.

This barn sits at the end of our road.  I wish it was mine.  I have big plans for it, if it ever should become mine. :)  A girl can dream...

Can't you just picture window boxes with colorful flowers spilling out? 

Maggie would like to keep a couple of horses in it.  For now, we'll just enjoy the neighbors' horses.

And the wildflowers in the ditch.  Probably a weed, but we don't care.  Still beautiful.

Not only are we near a lake, there is a little pond right across from the world's coolest barn.  It's surrounded by reeds that are home to hundreds of birds.  For several years, we had baby geese marching back and forth across the road this time of year.

This is the country lane that leads up to the barn.  I would walk up and down that lane several times a day if it were mine.  Just because it's so darn pretty.

One of our neighbors make bird houses/mansions. 

Complete with fireplaces and stone chimneys.

At the dead end, there's a path through a field.  It has become a favorite spot.  We call it "The Jungle."

Some natives (named Jake and Maggie) built a tee-pee there.

There's a huge culvert in the jungle...many hours of pooh-sticks have been played there.  (If you don't know what pooh-sticks are, I feel sorry for you.  Go read Winnie-the-Pooh.)

Along the creek is a path...

To a dam, with a little footbridge over it.  At least, we treat it as a footbridge.

It's fun to stand there and watch the water rush through.

And sometimes, when you're standing up there, you can spot junk in the water and you have to check it out.

We never go the same way back...there's a path mowed through an empty lot (thanks, Scott!!) that leads back to the road.

And lots of long grass along the way to whistle with.

Thanks for coming on our walk.  You are all welcome to come for real sometime. :)

Blustery Day Art

Since we are still awaiting summer here in the north reaches, we're finding things other than swimming and boating to occupy our time. Today, we decided on an art project.  First, we gathered a bunch of sticks.  Fresh from the forest floor.

Then, we found some old pieces of wood.  The one I used was pulled out of the lake by my son.  It had been drying up on shore for a few weeks.  I brushed it with a little bit of gray paint to give it an even more weathered look.

Then it's time to arrange your sticks in your desired shape.  Can you guess what this will become?

Someone decided to do a sign for his room.  He picked a very appropriate word.

And then we just used some hot glue to attach the sticks to the boards.

Mine.  I actually started out with the idea of a door hanging for the door into my garage, but it got a little large for that.  I'm going to put it on a wall in the lower level of my house.  "Lower level" is Minnesotan for "basement."

His.  It's going in his room.  Or on his door.  We're still trying to decide.