Up from St Paul to clean a SHT Campsite

Daughter Tracy, husband Derek, their daughters Autumn (foreground) and Maiya in chestpack, dogs Meap & Kera. - Superior Hiking Trail campsite maintainers.

"The Superior Hiking Trail is a 205-mile long distance footpath that follows the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. It begins just north of Two Harbors, MN, and ends just before the Canadian border. The trail has 30 trailheads and 81 backcountry campsites making it ideal for both day hikes and backpacking. There are no fees, reservations or permits required to hike or backpack on the trail. Click on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information about camping." http://www.shta.org/

Fall Clean-up of Crow Valley Campsite  

Perennials make gardening easy.

Joe Pye Weed, Black-eyed Susans, and Sedum did great this year. The Monarch butterflies like them too.

The Bee Balm was great earlier but a 2 month drought allowed the powdery mildew to get hold and they never recovered.

Sphinx moth stopped with digital camera shot

These look pretty prehistoric stopped by the digital flash but resemble humming birds in flight. Both are daily visitors to our deck.

What happened to summer?

I recently received an email from someone who had seen my Blog. They were wondering why I quit Blogging. I'm doing some reflecting about that issue.

This has been the summer that wasn't for some reason - nothing earthshaking - just a bunch of small issues.

I did manage to get the garden in this year, but the canoe never got wet, and Mama C and I have done no overnight camping. We managed to fit in some hikes.

Anyway, while I ponder (the summer that never was) I thought I would post a picture, or two, of a humming bird that visited our petunias last night.