Northern Lights - August 31, 2019

Things got pretty interesting just after midnight last night.  Let's see what tonight might bring!

An old friend returns

It's been way too long since I've seen or photographed any northern lights so last night I was pretty excited when I saw that telltale glow on the horizon.  I spent the next few hours watching and photographing the old friend which had finally returned.

Late Summer Sunset, Swamp Lake

Last night's sunset was pretty superb, even without any clouds to spice up the sky.  It was a chilly evening... the feeling of fall is definitely in the air!

Fireweed Valley

Fireweed is one of my favorite flowers but it also signifies the end of the warmest time of the year, which can be bittersweet.  By the time the fireweed is finished blooming, summer is basically over. As is often the case, summer seems to go by way too quickly and this year was no exception.  While I do love fall and look forward to it, I love summer as well and this year I'm a little more sad than usual to see it go.  Probably because I've been enjoying biking so much over the past couple of months :-)  But, I'm looking forward to some awesome fall bike rides as well!  This photo was taken just across the border of northeast Minnesota in Ontario, Canada.  I made it while biking along one of my favorite gravel road routes.  

Foggy Day in Grand Marais

Fog always adds so much to a scene.  I love photographing foggy landscapes.  This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago in Grand Marais, MN looking toward Artist's Point from Angry Trout Cafe. 

August Morning Fog

George Washington State Forest, MN - After a fun presentation of my night sky photography at the dark sky festival in McCarthy Beach State Park (and a very peaceful night camping at the park), I woke early to make the drive back home.  Not long after hitting the road the sun was rising and as it did so it put on quite a show, illuminating the low-lying fog with a golden glow.  

Beautiful Silence

Last week while out photographing the Milky Way I did see a little bit of aurora glow as well.  It was barely visible to the naked eye but showed up more prominently in this long exposure photo.  The most notable quality of that night was the silence.  To hear that silence you need to push everything out of your mind and let yourself truly be in that moment.  It's not an easy thing to do.  Our minds tend to always be running with some sort of thought or memory.  I know mine is like that.  Our subconscious is always replaying that day's events, or thinking about what might happen tomorrow.  Most of the time I don't think we even realize it.  That's why I like the night sky so much.  It's the easiest way I can quiet my mind and just be there in the present.  When I'm gazing up at the sky, especially on such a quiet night, I feel utterly and completely relaxed and refreshed.  It's one of the best ways, in my opinion, to balance out the clutter and commotion of modern life.