My Favorite Photos - July 2021

A lot went on during July, so there are quite a few photos that I like and want to remember the month by. Below are some of my favorite photos from July.

We went to a small-town parade on the 4th of July. It was in the 90s and felt so hot. We each had an ice cream treat to help us cool down. The covered chairs we brought also helped keep us cool. 

The hibiscus tree was blooming all month. There are two colors of flowers - orange and red. The third part of the tree with the yellow flowers didn't make it one year. 

 

We have another orange flower growing by the back door.

The bee balm is doing exceptionally well. The bees love it. 

This is a perennial that is unusual and that stands out in the garden.

There have been a lot of dragonflies.

Olivia and I coordinated a planting session with the Lions. They helped plant more native wildflowers at this local park.

After that park, they went to another one and planted more native wildflowers. The garden looks really good - very colorful!

The yarrow is doing well.

We enjoyed seeing the orioles reappear after the nesting season was done. They are liking the hummingbird feeder versus their own feeder.

Another orange/red flower in our garden.

The cherry tomatoes are blooming. The tomatoes are very sweet. 

This little wren wasn't happy with me as I was weeding a garden too close to her birdhouse.

The black-capped chickadees like eating at the seed feeders.

The hummingbirds have been visiting our five hummingbird feeders. It's a joy to watch them.

The pears are getting bigger. 

We were thrilled to see another wren family use the chickadee roosting box. The mother wren laid six eggs and all hatched. Both the father and mother wren search for caterpillars throughout the day and bring food to the babies. By the middle of the month, the babies fledged and the home was once again empty.

Here's one of the wrens chattering away...reprimanding me for being too close to the babies in the birdhouse.

On the day when Olivia took her ACT, we went down a road that we normally don't use. We were pleasantly surprised with this doe and her fawn.

For Olivia's 18 1/2 year old birthday, she wanted to go miniature golfing.

There were also the go-carts that Sophia is sitting in and bumper boats. 

On July 20th, Olivia and I went to Grand Marais for a photography workshop. On our way there, we stopped at Banning State Park. Saw this squirrel staring at us as we walked by. 

We stopped at Enger Tower in Duluth. We climbed to the top level just in time to see a ship go under the Lift Bridge.

This is the cargo ship going under the Lift Bridge.

In the same park as Enger Tower is a Japanese Garden. This is the structure where the bell is held. 

We stopped at Gooseberry Falls because we heard that the waterfalls were dry. They are definitely lower than past years, but water can be found.

On the second day of the photography workshop, we got to go to a farm in Grand Marais. Saw this beautiful horse walking through a pasture of daisies.

For lunch, we went to Trail Center on the Gunflint Trail. There was an old, rusted vehicle in the flower bed. This is one of the wheels of the vehicle.

Nearby, there was an old gasoline pump. You don't see these every day.

On the Gunflint Trail, our instructor (Layne Kennedy) showed us how to photograph flowers for more of a "wow" factor. One trick is to use black velvet behind flowers so they stand out when you photograph them.

We went to Lake Superior the next day. Olivia left her sandals on the rocky beach as she explored the area.

Further north, we went to Naniboujou  Lodge to take some photos of the dining room. 

We also stopped at a little road-side business. I liked the sign out front.

We went to Grand Portage which is very close to the Canadian/U.S. border. This is in the kitchen by the wood-burning stove.

Olivia and I traveled to the border so she could see it. This is the side showing where people come from Canada into the U.S. The border to Canada currently is closed, so it was rather quiet here.

Olivia got out by one of the barriers warning people not to trespass onto Canadian soil.

There's a big Minnesota sign as you come from Canada into the United States.

We stopped at Grand Portage State Park. The waterfall (fed by the Pigeon River) was gorgeous.

On our way back, we noticed this road sign.

It was by some quirky characters in the ditch. This is one of them.

The lupines had hard pods filled with seeds. We stopped by the side of the road and took some of the seed pods to bring back to our area.

There was a partially done basket on the table at North House Folk School.

On the final night of our photography class, we went out around 9:45 p.m. and took photos of the lights from Grand Marais reflecting on the harbor water.

We waited patiently for the moon to rise. It finally did!

There were lots of seagulls resting on the cliffs by the Grand Marais harbor.

I was trying to focus on the bicycle that someone rode and parked on the beach overlooking Lake Superior. The towels on the fence ended up being in focus instead. I still like the shot. 

On the final day of class, we were asked to submit ten photos that we took during the workshop that we liked the best. This is one of my ten photos. The instructor said that this photo was his favorite one out of all the photos submitted. That made my day! 

This is the base of Cascade Falls (part of the Cascade River). I learned how to change the settings on my camera plus set it for 10 seconds to give the water that smooth look.

We asked Olivia to go out on the rock in Lake Superior and pose. So she did the Tree Pose (yoga) on it just as the water splashed up on her.

I like Olivia's smile in this photo. It's a natural one that reflects her personality.

This is a view from Artist's Point looking at the harbor and main road in Grand Marais.

We saw these girls at the lighthouse in Grand Marais. Our photography teacher introduced himself and the girls ended up going multiple times off the cement ledge into Lake Superior.

Olivia climbed up the steps that are under the lighthouse.

When we returned from Grand Marais, our last cat - Meenie (who isn't mean...it's just her name since she was part of a trio of cats - Eenie, Meenie, and Miney) - was not doing well. At 19 years old, her health had been declining. However, while we were gone it went downhill fast. 

We came home Sunday, July 25th, and she was sleeping on the window ledge in the kitchen in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. 

By the next morning, she was still not wanting to eat or drink anything. She stumbled a few times and couldn't stand up well. She ended up falling on the counter and then off of it in the late afternoon. It was time to make the call to the vet. They were able to get her in.

This is the last photo of Meenie at home on July 26th after we spent time saying goodbye to her. 

To end on a more positive note, the girls both completed drivers education during June and took their written tests on July 1st. Both passed and then got their permits on July 6th! I'm so happy they were able to experience this milestone together.