why I walk in (almost) any weather

Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky actually begins at the earth.

Diane Ackerman

Yesterday's sky view between storms was a perfect calmness, monochromatic and voluptuous. The Mississippi ran 'swift and even' without even slowing to watch me watch it.
On my way north again this perfect and gorgeous tree in front of me turned out to be two trees as I walked by. The metaphor was not lost on me that cooperation of each 'half a tree' made for one beautiful and sturdy specimen.

Visit Skywatch Friday.

Welcome sunshine in the Twin Cities has produced some lovely skies this week, especially in the early, daylight-savings-time mornings. I captured these contrails blazing in the sun above the plant where Dave works as I was walking along the mighty Mississippi Riverside park. This was the blue-est of blue skies I saw this morning. Our snow is beginning to melt as we've enjoyed a heat wave this week in the 40 to nearly 50 degrees range. I've also seen my first Blue Heron lumbering along the River's edge and heard the call of returning Red Wing Blackbirds this morning. Winter seems to be headed for retirement. And I, in turn, feel the life returning to my old bones.

I found this quote this morning, referring to women's urge to prevent the signs of aging on their face, which seemed to parallel this winter's swan song and the stirrings of a new spring:

'Most of the time, age feels like a mask--something that I wear, not something I am--and when I gaze fondly at the faces of my old friends I can see them as they were when we were young.'

[Judith Thurman/The New Yorker]

More skies to enjoy at Skywatch Friday.

We carry within us the wonders

we seek without us. — Thomas Browne

Since winter continues to slog along, my attempts to show the sky up here have been feeble at best. Last week I took these views of the eastern sky from the Mississippi River walk in north Minneapolis as the sun was struggling to move into view. The clouds were so soft I wanted to reach up and touch them.
Visit SkyWatch Friday where the sky's the limit.