Contemplating.

Contemplating.
Wayzata, Minnesota

Monday, September 14, 2026

Duluth Getaway and Critters Too

Welcome from my recent visit to Duluth, Minnesota and some surrounding areas like Two Harbors, Castle Danger and out and about on Lake Superior.

Posting to 

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS 

and City Daily Photo



"Why meet we on the bridge of time to change one greeting and to part?"
Sir Richard Burton  


"From the towering heights of the Aerial Lift Bridge to the crashing waves of Lake Superior every corner of this city tells a story of nature, resilience and timelessness.





"I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world."
Rainer Maria Rilke



A Lady Ice Blue 







The Duluth "Lakewalk and Boardwalk" is truly worth your walk.







"Only by going alone in silence, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter."
John Muir



The Canal Park Board Walk is another name for this.






I always take a boat ride on Lake Superior. Vista Star, and others in the Vista Fleet.




"One of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands." Sir Richard Burton (19 March 1821 - 20 October 1890 British explorer) 






A few shops downtown.















"We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again."
Katherine May







"Duluth is a place where the industrial grit of shipping ports meets the ethereal serenity of the boreal forest." 






My hotel room looked straight out at Uncle Harvey's Mausoleum.



People say they take vacations, to see the sights, or a getaway from life's daily routines. I agree but there's another entire reason for me to go away, like escaping from our familiar haunts.

New adventures, even on old paths but with new eyes.




"Standing on the shores of Lake Superior, I feel the raw power of nature whispering secrets of the North Shore to my very soul today."



"Doing those deeply unfashionable things, slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting, is a radical act now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when you need to shed a skin. If you do, you'll expose all those painful nerve endings and feel so raw that you'll need to take care of yourself for a while. If you don't then that skin will harden around you.
Katherine May





Glensheen, Congdon Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota










The pilot house from the iron ore ship Frontenac is a historic maritime artifact no on display at the Two Harbors Lighthouse in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Yes, you can go inside on the tour!




Just because.



Lunch time!




Two Harbors, Minnesota



Finally, after too many years to count, I've driven or ridden past this restaurant and finally coming home on this trip I stopped, and it truly was worth it. Lazy Bear Grill in Barnum, Minnesota. 
Everything is made from scratch.





Everything and anything it's all out there waiting for our attention. 
Seek and you shall find.

Believe, persist and follow for we shall find the peace we seek.

Thanks for sharing time here and for your comments.
Take good care of you.


Tuesday, September 8, 2026

All the Things and Critters

Welcome to my recap of recent adventures. This post is from the Minnesota State Fair and (my next post) will include romps in and around Duluth, Minnesota.  

I'm posting to 

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

 and City Daily Photo.

Going to the fair, be it county or state evokes a joy of being set free. Where time stands still putting everything else on the back burner as you simply enjoy the day. 




Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. 
Ruth Ann Schabacker




The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. 
e.e. cummings




Oh, where should I begin.

Put your future in good hands - your own.




My first stop is usually right here at the Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall so I can enjoy their delicious egg coffee!




Below photos are from the Fine Arts Building at the Minnesota State Fair 2026




One of my favorites this year is this painting which is also the
People's Choice Award Winner: 
The Lee A. Tregurtha (1942) Enters the Icy Duluth, Minnesota Harbor
Artist: Nathan Klok, Burnsville, Mn.



This fine house hanging like in limbo is still at the Franconia Sculpture Park.






It was an awfully good day at the fair!




Douglas Wissing said, "State fairs are the confluence of the garish and the profound."





You were once wild here. Don't let them tame you.
Isadore Duncan


Please don't tell the pigs that they offer Bacon-on-a-stick! 



These adorable little piglets are 10 days old.

Alternative choice- Did anyone enjoy jumbo-shrimp-on-a-stick at the fair? 




Kisses!

No matter where you live, we are all in the membership of this small group of people that we call a county. The difference is not a matter of who's in and who's out; it's a matter of whether you know that you are a continuation of something bigger than yourself, we are all a part of the life and history of the place.
Eric Overby

That place is Minnesota!




Always a huge crowd to see this show so plan ahead for a good seat. Come early!





Pickle-pie-on-a-stick was new this year! 
Let me know what you think!




Of course you have to stop by all the things here. Remember to do what Smokey says.
Only you can prevent wildfires!







Of course, cows talk to each other!


Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Robert Frost





Yep, created and crafted by a 4-H student!

There's something that feels all American about going to the fair.



We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the Secret sits in the middle and knows.
Robert Frost





We all have our favorite things to eat or drink at the fair
 it's one of the biggest draws for going to the fair!




Like a rustic at a fair, we are full of amazement and rapture and have no thought of going home, or that it will soon be night.
 William Hazlitt





Crop Art at its finest made by Minnesota-grown seeds.









It was Military Appreciation Day! 

Our Minnesota National Guard, the 34th Infantry Red Bull Division put on an excellent show honoring all Veterans. Music performed by Boots 'N Brass.












I hope you felt a sense of being at the Minnesota State Fair while looking through my photos.

Thank you for browsing through a few of my many state fair photos!



Downtown Duluth, Minnesota.


Keep your best wishes close to your heart and watch what happens.

Thank you for stopping by and gifting me with your comments. Enjoy the summer like days as they slip into autumn. 
Take good care of you