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.  

Perseid Hunting

Last night we went down to the Spirit Tree to sit and enjoy the beautifully calm night but also to watch for Perseid meteors, which are visible this week.  We saw a few small ones and one big fireball but that was about it.  The meteors may not have put on a very good show, but everything else sure did.  When we first arrived on the shoreline most of the sky was covered in clouds.  It didn't take long for the clouds to move out, however.  And when they did the stars were big and bright.  I really liked this mix of the last bit of remaining clouds along with the stars.  The orange glow on the horizon is from the city lights of Thunder Bay, Ontario which is about 40 miles away. 

Mindfulness and the Milky Way

You may have noticed over the past year that I haven't been posting as many images as I usually do, especially images photographed at night.  This isn't because I haven't been out there enjoying the world and the night, it's simply that I've been trying to change the way that I do things. 

I've been practicing mindfulness and being in the moment as much as I can and it's had a profound effect on my life.  I used to busy myself with capturing as many images as possible and thinking about when/how I was going to share them with the world.  But lately I've been doing less of that and instead trying to fully immerse myself in each moment and experience.  

Much of the time when doing this I never even take my camera out of the bag.  Sometimes, when I do make images, I don't share them for a month or more.  An example of that is the "Tranquility" photo I posted earlier today. I made that photo at the end of June and instead of sharing it right away I waited until it felt right to share it.  

In the practice of being mindful I've noticed that I feel much calmer than I used to.  My mind doesn't race the way it used to.  I feel rested and peaceful more often than not.  My actions with the camera are much more deliberate and thought out than they used to be.  And I feel like that shows in my images.  This photo, taken a few nights ago, is a good representation of that mindfulness.  It is one of only six images that I made that night. I feel like it really conveys the sense of calm and peacefulness that comes with truly being in that moment, right then and there.  

It also reminds me of a favorite saying (and title of a book about mindfulness): 

"Wherever you go, there you are."

Tranquility

This photo is one that I made back on June 29th and is the last photo from an incredible night of Milky Way shooting at the Greenwich Wind Farm in Dorion, Ontario.  On our way back out to the highway we stopped at the Goodmorning Lakes not far from the entrance to Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park.  The night was so still and calm that the reflections of the stars in the water were unreal.  Taking in this scene was the perfect way to end the night!

Summer Storm over Pike Lake

The culmination of a massively interesting day of clouds and thunderstorms moving through northeast Minnesota.  This photo was taken from the public water access on Pike Lake in Cook County.  

Pike Lake Thunderstorms

The past couple of days have felt like monsoon season in the southwest.  The thunderstorms and clouds rolling through each day have been incredible with very localized rainfall.  For example, yesterday morning I drove to the local store just two miles away where they had experienced a downpour just minutes before but at my house I didn't get a drop of rain.  

In the afternoon I drove just west of Grand Marais and went for a bike ride on one of my favorite loops in the Superior National Forest.  After the ride I was taking the forest roads back to Grand Marais and I could see these incredible clouds building to the northeast.  As luck would have it I was passing by Pike Lake so I made a quick detour down to the public water access and made these photos from the boat dock. 

The Path Forward

What lies ahead?  Only one way to find out!

Arrow River Road - Ontario, Canada