Frontenac State Park :: Memorial Day

See more images from Frontenac here.

summer garden

In the garden this year: sunflowers, asparagus, carrots, green peppers, mild red pepper, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, onions, eggplant, brussel sprouts, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes. I'm sure I'm forgetting something; I always seem to. Old successful standbys, a few new tries.

I've also started a small compost pot. In it, cantaloupe and organic strawberry bits from our barbeque night, dried leaves from the yard, basil.

See more gardening pictures here.

more on hay creek

I don't know what it is about this place that draws us--perhaps the closeness, how easy it is to let the dogs off the leash, the ease of ambling about, but here we are again. I didn't get much sleep the night before, so we kept ourselves active: walked downtown for breakfast, gardened, went to Hay Creek--to keep me from the temptation of the nap. Zephyr returned with a serious slice to his paw (we would have taken him to the vet had they been open, but it is, after all, Memorial Day weekend)--he'll go in tomorrow, I hope.

See more Hay Creek adventures here.

identifying minnesota trees, orzo-less feta chicken, anniversary trip ideas (more whatnot)

Above: Elm, I believe, American (ulmus americana) from the Urtels' backyard

More often than not, I need help, but I'm learning how to identify things I find in the field. Perhaps this is emblematic of the impending blog move, though I must admit, I have long loved collecting scientific and natural factoids (and using them in poetry). I found this really neat site on identifying Minnesota trees; a bit of an after-the-fact exploration. I have a pocket guide too, which may have driven Ryan a little batty on our excursion to Afton.

Ryan brought up our one year wedding anniversary this summer, how we might celebrate. It seems strange to celebrate a first year anything when we are actually hitting nine years of being together, but I won't deny I'd love to take advantage and go on a trip! Because we are facing three years of nearly-single salary when I return to graduate school (the TAship covers tuition and a small stipend), his suggestion was to pack up the car and camp cross-country. Or rather, half cross-country, since we happen to be planted dead center. Oregon or Maine as end-destination? I've already been to Oregon once, but I would absolutely love to return. And truth be told, I have fantasized about meandering to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. Or Canada. Or we could go south, return to the land of my childhood. I haven't yet had the opportunity to show Ryan Chattanooga. But I'd love to drive to Missoula again, see the Idaho forests. Or the Tetons! Oh, but the coast. Cape Cod would be wonderful.

The ping pong again, this time, not as hard as deciding between MFA programs. So I ask, dear reader, if you had the opportunity to do a little camping adventure with this geography restricting you, where would you go? Maybe a week's time?


Last night we tried a new recipe: Bell Pepper Chicken with Feta Orzo. I couldn't find anything labeled orzo at our grocery store, so I substituted with another grain sized pasta and omitted feta from Ryan's portion.

afton state park, camping

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We went camping this past weekend. You can see the rest of our photos from the trip here.