The End of a Very Long Winter

This weekend has seen the banishment of the very long winter we've experienced here in Minnesota. Everywhere one looks people are out in shorts and t-shirts, biking and walking, and generally making the most of the arrival of spring. It was a very different picture just a week ago, as the following images show.

Above and below: On the evening of Monday, April 22, we had what would prove to be the last snowfall of our extended winter. It was heavy, sticky snow – the type that clings so effortlessly and beautifully to the trees.

On my way to work the next morning I paused along Minnehaha Creek and took a number of pictures. As the day progressed it got to be quite warm so that all day long there was a constant sploshing sound as globs of snow fell from the trees. If you were out walking or driving under overarching trees, you were bound to get hit! By the evening there was no snow left on any of the trees.

Above: Minnehaha Creek, Minneapolis – Saturday, April 27, 2013.

Yesterday I walked with my friend and housemate Tim along Minnehaha Creek to Turtle Bread Cafe and Bakery, located on Chicago Ave. in south Minneapolis. Here we sat outside in the sun reading and enjoying our refreshments which, in my case, included a good cup of coffee!

Walking back home along the creek we paused and took a number of photos, including the ones below.

Above: Standing beside Minnehaha Creek and holding the book I'm currently reading, or rather re-reading – Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783–1787 by Winston Graham.

To read Kate Sherwood's review of this novel, the first in Graham's 12-book Poldark series, click here.

Above: Tim, standing by a stretch of Minnehaha Creek not far from our home in south Minneapolis.

As I've noted previously, Minnehaha Creek is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It starts at Gray's Bay at Lake Minnetonka and winds 22 miles through the cities of Minnetonka, Hopkins, St Louis Park, Edina and Minneapolis before flowing into the Mississippi just beyond Minnehaha Falls.

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Photo of the Day – April 22, 2013
Spring Snow
Shadows and Light
A Winter Walk Along Minnehaha Creek (March 2013)
Winter Storm (December 2012)
An Autumn Walk Along Minnehaha Creek (October 2012)
A Springtime Walk Along Minnehaha Creek (March 2012)
Waiting in Repose for Spring's Awakening Kiss
A Springtime Prayer

Images: Michael J. Bayly.