Flower planter bird's nest

Not sure if it's the same family each year but birds seem to like the hanging plant I put out on our front deck.

Making the selection......

Making sure no one is watching.

Keeping a watchful eye....

"I didn't get enough! Come back"

Not fair, they all left and I wasn't here to say good-bye!

Red White and Boom 2015 half marathon

Nicole invited me to go with to Minneapolis for her latest half marathon.  The day before we spent the afternoon at the Minnesota Zoo. I haven't been there for many years and was pleasantly surprised with the additions and updates they have done. Here are just a few of the animals we saw.....

Just a lazy afternoon

Chomping on a piece of ice

Practicing with the zoom on my camera.
This guy was pretty far away.

Got to stay the night at the Depot Hotel which was the Milwaukee Railroad Depot for many years. When we were kids it was a big treat to go down and meet grandma when she came back from visiting her sister in California. I even recognized the hallway with the big doors leading out to where the trains arrived.


Early July 4th it was time to
make sure everything was
 ready for the run.

From the hotel we walked across the Stone Arch Bridge to get to the race activities and start/finish. Part way over the bridge we realized we hadn't allowed enough time. Nicole had to start running before planned just to get to the Start Line.

The race started at 6:30 am. Nicole thought she would be finished about 9 am.
13.1 miles is a long way! I found a nice bench to spend some time at and could look across the river at the skyline.

Success. A great finish for Nicole's third half marathon. 

Very Proud of you!

The cats survived with care from dad.

Lake Superior Northshore

We spent a wonderful three days on the Northshore with no rain; just sunny skies and beautiful scenery! I will never get tired of this area and it still is my #1 favorite place to go. Maybe it's tradition, maybe it's nostalgia, but God's beauty is always there. Over the years some of the areas have been modernized which at my age I actually appreciate! As hard as the steps are, they are still easier and safer.

The first thing to greet us is the lift bridge in Duluth. We drove over it and went out to the beach at the end of the island. Too early for anything to be open at the beach but it was still fun to visit.

Next stop was  Gooseberry Falls. Here we are celebrating being married for 42 years!

The rest of the photos are
not in any special order because
some are with my phone and some with my camera.

These steps don't look as bad as they were. They were at Caribou Falls which we have never hiked at before. We went up and up and up and up and up forever on steps like this and just dirt trails. Reid had to find me a walking stick to go back down! The trails were sand and slippery. It was fun and we were glad we did this trail. 

We thought this was an interesting way to travel from Point A to Point B

Can't be at Lake Superior without seeing these birds

Artists Point in Grand Marais with the bonus of
a sailboat passing by

The next several are at Temperance River. 

This is an old stairway that is falling apart.
We would go down these steps to get
to the bridge and walk under the bridge.
Not this time! We looked on both sides
to see if it was possible. We decided NO.
However, there was another couple (younger)
who did go from one side to the other. They admitted
it wasn't a very smart thing to try!

One Side

The Other Side

We had a cabin right on the shore. These are some of the views from the cabin.

Sunrise

View the third day. We had a different cabin at the same place.

Well, ok, it is a little chilly in May right by the lake. I had to sit on the swing!

I think these were the steps at Baptism River

Gooseberry again

more Gooseberry

mushroom