Minnesota Autumn

Sunlight angles through the woods casting our home in a glow.

Nights cool enough to grab a sweater and mid-day temperatures that cause you to run the air conditioning in your car, it's autumn in Minnesota.  The turning of summer to fall is a brief, but beautiful passage in our region.  The red and gold colors of the leaves and the crisp edge of the early morning air alert me to my favorite season.  My attention turns to the vegetable garden.  Is there a frost warning tonight?  Can I cover the tender plants or do I need to bring them in?  (Oops, I lost some basil).  The herbs next to the house last the longest, as they benefit from the heat sink that is the massive amount of stucco plaster covering our strawbale home.  I recently made the first fire of the season in the woodstove, mostly for ambience, but it did take a chill off.

Another fall chore is to give the windows their last cleaning before cold weather sets in.  Our large south and east facing picture windows in the dining room give us a view of the changing seasons and wild turkeys that pass through as well as provide passive solar heat energy.  The house is backed up to the northern edge of the clearing to protect us from the northern wind while allowing as much natural light as possible in the winter from the south.

A dining room view into the woods.

This picture of the dining room gives you an idea of the mass of the strawbale walls.  There is a peeled pole in the corner that is a structural support in the post and beam framework.  To the left of the pole is a "truth window."  Truth windows are a traditional feature in strawbale homes that give you a peek inside the wall structure.  The chicken wire mesh (lathe) and straw bales are exposed and invite you to try to poke your finger into their depth.  Ken put built-in window seats with storage drawers below these windows.  It's a favorite place to sit in the sun for people and cats.

Minnesota children return to school on the day after Labor Day.  That holiday weekend is a traditional time to sharpen pencils and have one last summer fling if the weather cooperates.  The weather did cooperate, so we packed coolers and fishing gear and headed to the St. Croix River with my brother's family for some paddling, casting and a last swim in the river.

Canoeing the scenic St. Croix River in September.

We are fortunate to live close to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, a part of the National Park Service.  We usually access the river through Wild River State Park, about 20 minutes from our door.  It's a great park and we use it for activities throughout the seasons: hiking, biking and skiing.  I am hoping for a more generous snow fall than last year so we can make use of the ski trails.  Although I am not eager for autumn to end, I do look forward to cozy time around the woodstove.