Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Birding with Bill Session 5 by Jo Kovach

May 5, 2010
The wonderful rain had frozen overnight and all the buds were encased in ice. That’s spring in northern Minnesota.
As we piled into the van (all hatted and gloved again!), Bill told us we were headed out to scratch trees. Scratch trees? Well, if you scratch at the base of a [...]

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Birding with Bill Session 4 by Jo Kovach

April 28, 2010
It was a crisp 26 degrees when I pulled into the parking lot to meet the “birding” van. The sun had been up for an hour, rising over an hour earlier than at our first session. We headed out for one of the few open areas in our town – the [...]

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Birding with Bill Session 3 by Jo Kovach

April 21, 2010
The sun was well up when we assembled at 6 AM, but it still was cold and we were all gloved and hatted. This week we had one focus: Great Blue Herons. Bill took us to the rookery on Eagles Nest. I didn’t even know that Ely had a [...]

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Birding with Bill Session 2 by Jo Kovach

April 14, 2010
We met again before the rest of the world was stirring – interesting to note that the sun was already up – what a difference a week makes. Also not as cold.
Bill took us to Winton to begin the morning. He reminded us that it is always good birding in Winton. [...]

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Birding with Bill by Jo Kovach

 
April 7, 2010
We met at 6 a.m. (!) in the parking lot outside Vermilion Community College. Eight of us piled into a van with the heater going on high. It was a brisk 28 degrees. The sun was just beginning to show on the eastern horizon. Today is the first of a [...]

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Scenes from This Year’s Blueberry Arts Festival

The 29th annual Blueberry Arts Festival is a three-day, fun-filled event for all. Although rain was in the forecast for the weekend, the weather turned out fair in the low 70s, and a good time was had by all. 
   

The Festival draws thousands of visitors each year.
 
  

There are blueberry pancakes at the Festival, of course!
 
 
 
 
The face painting [...]

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Blueberry Is Back

 Just before dinner tonight, I put on my knee-high rubber boots and grabbed a bowl, my ten-year-old son, our two dogs and two goats and headed down the trail we call the Blueberry Path. 
 
At the far end of our property, the dense pine-lined trail opens up to a wide field. To our delight, the low-lying bushes were [...]

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Birding at Bear Head State Park

“It was less like seeing than like being for the first time seen, knocked breathless by a powerful glance.”
–Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)
 

 
Thirteen people gathered at the park office at Bear Head State Park at 7:00 on a recent Saturday morning to bird watch. The air was a crisp 40 degrees, the cloudless sky [...]

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Ely Farmers’ Market

Fresh Eggs from Ely’s Farmers’ Market

The Ely Farmers’ Market is back in full swing!
Every Tuesday throughout the summer beginning at 5:30 p.m., area gardeners, bakers, and artisans sell their wares in Whiteside Park. This week, over 20 vendors sold fresh produce including eggs, romaine and leaf lettuce, rhubarb, basil and other herbs, spinach, radishes, green [...]