Valerie's Voice – Musings on Life

Vermont In October

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." 

A quote by Anne Shirley in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.

We wanted to plan a trip to visit friends in Vermont. We chose to go in October, to hopefully see the fall colors that the New England states are known for…and we did. It was peak!

A view from the airplane. We knew we were going to see color!

The forecast before we left was rain. We had one afternoon of misty rain, and the rest of the time it was sunny!

We took a day to drive a few mountain gaps in the Green Mountains before heading to our friend’s house. We were enjoying the drive, seeing a carpet of color all around us when we came upon a ski resort offering a chairlift ride to the top of the mountain.

As we were thinking about it, I talked to a friendly guy close by and he said, “now you are seeing the beauty, but on the chairlift you are in the beauty.” I liked that description, so we bought our tickets and up we went.

Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, maroons, golds, brown…o my.

It was a great 20-minute ride up. At the top we looked around, and then got in line to go down the mountain.

From the top….Mad River Glen Ski Resort.

As we approached the platform to get on a chair to take us down, the whole operation stopped. Something had gone wrong and they needed to fix it! Fortunately, we were only stranded on top of the mountain for about ½ hour…

Being surrounded by color, having sunny weather and spending quality time with our dear friends made our October trip to Vermont delightful, and I agree with Anne…I’m so glad I live in a world with Octobers.

Saturday’s Sunrise

I love sunrises… and was gifted with seeing one out our back windows last Saturday.

All three photos were taken within one minute.
Photo taken 9/26/26, 6:54 am

My favorite color is sunrise.*

It can change so quickly. Photo taken 09/26 /26, 6:54 am

I will always be that girl that gets excited when the sky turns pretty colors…*

Illuminating the corn field. Photo taken 9/26/26 6:54 am

Be grateful for every sunrise and thankful for every sunset because everyday is a blessing. Roger Lee

*I found these fun expressions online – author unknown.

My row of striking zinnias out back are showing off some of the same colors as the sunrise. Photo taken 9/25/26 2:49 pm

The North Shore

The colors up on the north shore last week were just starting to turn so we didn’t see much fall color, but that’s ok. We hope to see color in Vermont when we go there to visit friends in a couple of weeks. What we did see up north was a lot of the big, beautiful lake…and we were excited to be there…my happy place.

View of Oberg Lake from Oberg Mountain Loop Trail.

We checked into a new place for us, Bluefin Bay Resort, known to many. We walked out the door of our unit and took in the beautiful view of Lake Superior from the deck.

View of Lake Superior from Bluefin Bay Resort.

We settled in for our quiet get away, hoping to be nourished and refreshed. The weather was cooperative…seasonal temps, great cloud art, sunny weather – it rained only once and that was at night.

Our unit had a good view to see the morning sunrise. It rises later these days so I didn’t need to set an alarm to get up to see it.

Wednesday, 9/16/26, 6:50 am, sunrise through low clouds.

Our unit had a wood-burning fireplace with unlimited wood supply to create a lovely atmosphere indoors (although we did set off the smoke alarm once). For our outdoor campfire, the resort lights a bonfire each night in a large fire pit by the lake.

Firepit along the lake shore at Bluefin Bay.

Guests gather there to visit and make s’mores. Individual s’more packages are made up to hand out to all who want them. (We did.) It was an interesting, but nice, change to sit around the campfire with friendly strangers.

We brought our bikes along and took in a nice bike ride on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. And, we took several hikes; including a new trail to us, the Kadunce River.

The steep rock ledges on the Kadunce River were hard to capture in a photo.

It had rained the night before so the water was rushing down the many cascades of falls and through steep rock ledges, creating a slot canyon of sorts. It was a fun hike.

Although we didn’t feel the wind while hiking, it was a very windy day. At the end of the hike, we went to the shore to watch three guys surfing the waves on the big lake.

A snap shot from a video of surfers on the waves of Lake Superior.

Time goes too fast these days, and seems even faster when one is on a trip, away from home and from daily routines. But I’m always grateful for any time we can be on the shores of Lake Superior.

This view is from Tettegouche State Park.

Plein Air

Plein (pronounced plen like in plenty) air…these two words are fun to say out loud. It is a French expression for “in the open air” and is usually associated with a type of painting that involves leaving the studio to paint outdoors, to paint what is in front of you.

A section of rocky shoreline of Lake Superior, near Tofte.

On our trip to the north shore last week, we saw several artists painting Plein air, more that we have seen in the past. And I was included in that number.

The resort we were staying at had several activities one could participate in, for free. I decided to sign up for the watercolor activity, since I recently have started a humble attempt at watercolor. It was a beautiful morning, so I was delighted when I arrived at the classroom and learned we were going to go outside to paint, near the water’s edge. The disappointing part was it was not a class, but an “activity” where they handed out paints, brushes and paper to the four of us, and that was it…no instruction or tips or anything…just supplying the tools.

OK, so I had to decide what I wanted to paint. In my beginner’s class I’ve been learning to paint flowers… maybe I could start on pumpkins. However, since we were outside and the beautiful shores of Lake Superior was the scene in front of us, I decided I would try Plein air painting, even though I knew landscapes was not something I would excel at, especially without any instruction.

Looking at the lake in front of me, I started to paint, but I didn’t get any satisfaction from it. It was a disaster, so I quickly finished it and started painting pumpkins.

But now I can claim I have done Plein Air painting, if only for an hour. It was fun to be looking at the lake visualizing what others can paint. For me, I will try to capture the landscapes with photos.

Sipping coffee while sitting near the lake is what I like best…

Austin ArtWorks Festival

We went to the 15th annual Austin ArtWorks Festival last weekend. It was a nice fair…your typical pop-up canopy tents set up in an open area of downtown, with lots artists displaying their different forms of artwork: painting, photography, glassworks, ceramics, and jewelry. It was fun to walk around to see it all.

There were food trucks of course, and a small area set aside for local author’s talk, but what was different from other art fairs I’ve been to was an area designated for kids. They had a few craft tables set up for kids of all ages to try printing, calligraphy, painting. Plus, there were two activities that were unique and stood out.

A car was parked on the road and one could line up to get paint and a brush to paint on the car, or one could choose a small bucket of paint to the throw on the car. Kids had fun doing this unusual activity. (I wondered if it was washable paint and if the car could be cleaned afterwards …I hope so.)

A large mandala on the street of Austin.

The other fun project was a young woman chalked a large mandala on the street and offered colored chalk for kids to color in the different areas of the mandala. I was the first kid (the big kid in me) to color in a star. I thought this was a great idea…the chalk will eventually wash away in the rain, but for a few days it will decorate a street in downtown Austin.

I was the first to chalk in a star with blue chalk.

It was inspiring to see these creative ideas helping to get children involved in art…

A Haiku

An August sunrise over Daggett Lake. I took this photo one morning. The clouds dissipated and we had a beautiful sunny day.

Up at my friend Barb’s cabin this week, on Daggett Lake, I found myself hoping to see Minnesota’s elegant state bird, the loon. Although I heard it calling, I never did see it. I wrote a haiku.

A photo of me sitting on the dock, taken through the cabin’s window screen. Photo credit: Barb Sackett

Sitting on the dock,
I hear, but cannot see them,
Watching for the loons.

Overlooking the dock from the cabin (not through the screen. ;-))

We did see some wildlife…a great blue heron walking along the shore, and a large turtle swimming off the dock, a deer in a field, and multiple families of wild turkeys in several places, squirrels, chipmunks, seagulls…

A blue heron walked along the shore to our dock to check us out, then turned around.

All though I did not see any loons while we were up north, it’s always wonderful to hear their call. And we had a relaxing time and refreshing time…

I was not at the cabin when my friend’s granddaughter took this beautiful photo of a sunset over Daggett Lake. Photo Credit: Jeri Sackett/Summer 2026

Indiana Glass

On a recent trip to Indiana to visit a dear friend, I wanted to gift her with some dishes since I know she likes dishes (likeI do) and she likes to host gatherings (like I do). I chose a couple pieces of Indiana Glass from my “collection.” In order to give her a little background of the glass pieces, I looked online and discovered some interesting information.

I learned Indiana had a thriving glass manufacturing industry during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The discovery of natural gas in the region during the late 1800s was what drew dozens of glass factories to the state.

Our informative guide telling us about the colored glass pieces. I love colored glass.

I found out the specific Indiana Glass I was gifting, was made in Dunkirk, Indiana. Dunkirk is known as the “Glass Capital of Indiana.” (I didn’t know.) Dunkirk had over 20 glass factories at its peak. The dishes I gave my friend were Indiana Glass Sandwich pattern, made in the 1920s.

A few of the many enclosed cases of all kinds of glass in the museum.

There’s more… I learned there was a glass museum in Dunkirk, Indiana. That sounded very interesting. On a whim I looked up to see how far Dunkirk was from the town where I was going to visit my friend, and found it was only 30 minutes away! I thought it would be great fun to visit the museum, and my friend thought so too, once I told her about all my discoveries.

So, off we went to visit the glass museum in the tiny town of Dunkirk with many vacant storefronts but a nice, small, public library attached to the nice, larger glass museum.

We paid our admission fee ($2) and an elderly gentleman got up from behind the desk and took us into the museum. He had retired from the glass industry where he worked for 30 years. He had a ton of knowledge that he enjoyed passing on to us.

We had a great time looking at two floors of glass, with hundreds of glass pieces, all labeled and most in enclosed cases.

An unused, hand- painted, glass table setting.

On the way home we stopped at an antique store. We found some Indiana Glass, and I bought another piece. 😉

This fragile crown is placed on the Dunkirk Glass Days queen, but just for a photo op.
(Apparently the Dunkirk Glass Days is still an annual affair.)

There’s a new trail in town…

The new trail is another section of the Mill Towns State Trail that eventually will extend from Faribault to Cannon Falls. They are slowly working on one section at a time, only as funding allows. It has been years in the making…and there is a lot more sections yet to be completed.

We’re already enjoying this new section that starts near our home. It’s very convenient for us to hop on the bikes and get to the new trail. Currently, it’s about a 10-mile ride, out and back from our place. To extend the ride we can go to the nearby Dundas Trail and add more miles to our trip.

Other cyclists are already using the trail, although they are still working on parts of the trail. We passed runners and walkers too.

The new section runs along the Northfield Golf Course, then along Carleton’s upper arb. There is a long tunnel under the busy Highway 19, and then a nice, hilly trail through the woods that ends at an old abandoned, steel bridge, near Highway 47.

This is the beginning of the new section. It goes along the golf course (left side of street).

The straight concrete and stone tunnel offers safety to avoid the busy road overhead.

The curve in the trail that goes under the new bridge, ends up at the old steel bridge (built in 1909).

Thankfully there is a barricade at the end of the trail, since there is about an 8-foot gap between the trail and the bridge, and one could miss it and end up in the Cannon River.

Eventually the trail will cross the 1909 bridge.

They are continuing to work on a section of the trail, along Jefferson Parkway, which has created many vehicle detours that are inconvenient for our side of town…but, it will be worth it in the end.

There is grass seed planted along many parts of the trail. The trail will be even more beautiful when the grass grows.

Gardens

On our way home from Alexandria, we took a slight detour and drove into St. Cloud to see the Munsinger and Clemens Gardens. It had been many years since we had been there.

The Munsinger Gardens are located along the Mississippi River. A brief timeline includes: In 1915 the city of St. Cloud acquired the site of a former sawmill where in 1926 Campfire Girls planted Scotch and Norway pines that still shade the grounds today. In 1930 the gardens were developed using labor from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and thus was the beginning of Munsinger Gardens.

The tall pines planted by the Campfire Girls.

Today there are thousands of annuals and perennials and I believe every single one of them was in bloom the day we visited! It was an immense splash of color. Breathtaking.

Sweet water droplets from the sprinkler system.

Fun plater ideas found all over the gardens.

The Clemens Gardens are up the hill from Munsinger Gardens where there are stunning, sun-loving plants.

Plenty of benches are scattered around the gardens.

From the brochure, Clemens Gardens was “developed as a gift of love from Bill Clemens to his wife, Virginia”. I had heard the love story before, so I looked on the internet to get more details.

Virginia Rose and William Clemens sculpture.

In 1988 Bill Clemens bought a vacant lot across from his home to protect their river view and prevent commercial building. They gave the property to the City of St. Cloud Parks department.

Virginia suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and had limited mobility. She loved roses.

In 1990 Bill funded the construction of the Virginia Clemens Rose Garden so she could look out and enjoy the thousands of roses from her window.

It is such a sweet story!

And what a legacy for all of us to enjoy these spectacular gardens.

There were several fountains throughout both gardens.

Rumours and Dreams

One of the attractions for our bike get away this year, was to attend an outdoor concert at Lake Brophy County Park – along the Central Lakes State Trail near Alexandria, MN. The bike trail runs right through the middle of the park.

Summer Sounds is what they call their summer outdoor concert series (free), sponsored by the Rotary Club, and it’s a big deal. Thousands show up at this park with a large hill going down to Lake Brotphy where the bandstand is set up near the water, creating an amphitheater. People sit on the hill to watch and listen. There was a jumbotron so all could see.

The stage set up on the shores of Lake Brophy.

We went to hear the tribute band for Fleetwood Mac, called Rumours and Dreams. Apparently, this tribute band is part of the Summer Sounds concert series every year. I can understand why people keep coming back to hear them. They are very good. Three lead vocalists and other instrument players sounded like the original band. The 70’s and 80’s were Fleetwood Mac’s most active years.

Lots of people seated everywhere, overlooking Lake Brophy.

We rode our bikes to this event (from a parking lot one mile away). If you ride to the concert, you can park your bike in the bike corral (safe and secure) and in exchange you get a camp chair to sit on to listen to the concert. A creative idea!

Part of the time I used an umbrella to be shaded from the sun.

There were food trucks and a playground for the kiddos, lots of trash bins brought in as well as Porta-potties. The concerts attract thousands of attendees.

The sun started to set as the concert came to an end. This photo was taken on top of the hill where additional people were seated to hear the concert.

At the end of the concert, about 9 o’clock, there was a beautiful glow as the sun began to set. We hopped on our bikes and rode one mile back to our car. It was so easy and quick, and we avoided all traffic jams and others leaving the area.

Outdoor concerts are a quintessential part of summer. I’m grateful for the many opportunities all over Minnesota.