Hiking in Minneapolis

One of the amazing things about Minneapolis is that you can be out in the woods and by the water in no-time flat. On Monday morning we went for a hike along the Mississippi. Tuesday morning, another walk, this time by one of the many lakes scattered throughout the city. The sun was shining, the air was brisk but still sweater-weather, and you could see the blue sky.

Much of the walk reminded me of Rivers and Tides, the documentary about the work of sculptor Andy Goldsworthy and the influences of time and nature on his work. I was inspired, as we hiked, to collect hundreds of leaves, arrange them by shades of orange and yellow and green, pin them together with thorns with an uneven circle of open space at the center, and set them to flow with the Mississippi. I didn't, but I thought about it.

Here's a beach along the Mississippi. A beach. In Minnesota?

And the river with the sun shining. Makes me think about Huck and Jim.

And three of the group hiking.

These pictures and the wet fall leaves, lying on the ground, as I walked from the car into the house today, make me want to dye some yarn in these colors. Maybe I'll try to collect some photos for inspiration for another day, as Sundara, a master dyer, seems to do.