Tag: photos

Land of Opposites

The weather was perfect this morning, so I jumped on my trusty bicycle and headed out on the backroads that criss cross the farmland here to enjoy it up close. I’ve been here for almost three years, and I’m still amazed at this land of opposites.

The land is really a mix of big farms and woodlands. You never know when a silo or two (or three) might pop up out of the trees. It’s perfect for deer and migrating birds.

The sun-bleached fields are in stark contrast to the lush, verdant banks of the creeks that wind through the dry countryside like Oases in the desert.

Old, abandoned barns dot the landscape, even as productive farms seem to flourish everywhere. The old and the new together never fail to intrigue me.

There’s always some new-fangled farm equipment on the roads now, it’s that time of the year. And it’s all high-tec; what used to take a whole family of sons to accomplish on the farm can now be done by one man and his dog. Apparently.

–Photos by me

The Boondocks

My son Aaron and I decided to explore a very remote area of forest, swamp, and bog to the south of us. This is the only road through it–a 45 mile dirt trail with no phone or internet at all. We’re going to drive about half-way through before we hike in. We just saw a bear cross the road ahead, so maybe we’ll run into some wildlife out here in the sticks.

Out here, nature can be harsh if not downright cruel at times. This little bunny is crawling with woodticks; his ears are rimmed with them, and there are some bloated ones hanging on his face. And if that’s not bad enough, every animal he runs into wants to eat him.

Just after I took the bunny’s picture, a dark shadow slid along the ground, and he ducked down a hole. I spun around in time to get a quick shot of his nemesis, a big ol’ broadwinged hawk. Life is hard in the wilderness.

It looked like a storm was coming, so we started heading for home. The forecast had been for partly cloudy skies, but now they were saying that a tornado warning was in effect for the Roseau area. We had to make a quick decision, as it was heading directly toward us. We flew down that dirt road and got out of the way in time, but it sure was scary. There’s no help for you out in the boondocks.

–Photos by me