The First Day of Fall

June 23

OK, a couple days at home before fall . . .

[Morning on Lake H2Obert . . . ]

[Great Blue Heron in Lake H2Obert . . . ]

[Finally, pelicans on Lake H2Obert – we hadn’t seen any all summer?]

OK, fall . . . 

[Sunday morning.  Sunny.  Projected high of 72.  Road trip in the convertible?]

[Why not?  Put the roof down, head past Lake Le Homme Dieu, on an 83-mile trip to Park Rapids for – Art Leap, an “open studio event” featuring artists and guest artists and other culturally rich destinations in the Park Rapids area, will be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22 and 23. The 2018 event has expanded from 14 studios to 22 sites. Highlights of Art Leap include music, hors d’oeuvres, live demonstrations and seeing fall colors at their peak while driving from studio to tudio (business.parkrapids.com).  Plus, Jami would be there.]

[Past Blakes by the Lakes above; past Sunnie’s below . . . ]

[Up scenic County Road 42 north, coming up to the Lake Darling (left) – Lake Le Homme Dieu (right) isthmus . . . ]

[Rotary Beach on Le Homme Dieu . . . ]

[Over the connecting channel . . . ]

[Alexandria’s mountain on the east side of Le Homme Dieu . . . ]

[Now coming up to Interlachen and the Theatre L’Homme Dieu turn . . . ]

[Interlachen . . . ]

[Past L’Toile du Nord vineyards . . . ]

[Classic roadster . . . ]

[Real men drive pink . . . ]

[Attempted selfie when the Super started by the roof up.  We hadn’t thought that the weather might by different 80 miles north of us.  As we approached Sebeka, it began to get cloudy and when we reached Park Rapids the temp was in the low 50’s – we hadn’t dressed for that!]

[Sebeka in sight . . . ]

[“suh-BEE-kuh” (for non-natives)]

[Shortly thereafter, welcome to Menahga . . . ]

[“Gateway to the pines” . . . ]

[St. Urho, the patron saint of Finland . . . ]

[See, I told you it was the gateway to the pines . . . ]

[Played there a couple of times – didn’t much care for it . . . ]

[When we arrived in Park Rapids, we found Jami – hanging out with Deb and Paul Trumm  – and dressed for winter . . . ]

[They were enjoying music behind Smoky Hills Art (these 2 photos by Jami) . . . ]

[It was early afternoon and we were hungry . . . ]

[So, welcome to – Bella Caffé – That’s Italian for beautiful coffee!  And much more… espresso, lattes, Chai tea, mochas, cold drinks, panini (grilled) sandwiches, antipasti (Italian for hors d’oeuvres), cheese and dipping oils, crostini, salads, wine and beer from many different countries, undeniable deserts! Visitors will find high-speed wireless Internet, unique styles and architecture, a solarium and, best of all, great people who are committed to making your visit more than you expected (bellacaffeon3rd.com).]

[We wandered in search of Art Leap stuff, which led us to the old courthouse, now the Nemeth Art Center . . . ]

[Jami reaches for hydration . . . ]

[And this is Kari Grace singing (originally from Mpls, now Bemidji) while Nate Luetgers paints . . . ]

[We had a nice visit with both of them . . . ]

[Ruthie’s photo . . . ]

[Always willing to share “ART” . . . ]

[“America Gothic” . . . ]

[“American Gothic” (part 2?) . . . ]

[Again, “art” . . . ]

[We should go before it gets dark . . . ]

[Signing in . . . ]

[Signing out . . . ]

[Yes, it is Smoky Hills Art mural . . . ]

[Where the guys were singing when we first arrived . . . ]

[And from the front as we were leaving for home . . . ]

[RDO’s processing plant, where all your McDonald’s french fries come from – iinvolved in many issues concerning water use and lake pollution . . . ]

[Back home again to scenic County Road 42.  We put the roof back down when we hit Sebeka and rode the wave to 75-degree weather in Alex . . . ]

[Now it’s Le Homme Dieu on the left and Carlos on the right . . . ]

[Late afternoon sky over Lake Carlos.]

Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.  ~  David Letterman

Up Next:  Still thinking Russia . . .