Some pictures from last Saturday's hike north of Grand Marais. The orchid was a highlight. As were the falls and Devil's Kettle. All of these are located within Judge Magney State Park.

In knitting news: starting Chart 3 of Icarus today. Slow going on any knitting when temps top 100 in Duluth. Yesterday we had a cool down (loving those winds from the east) and knitting became possible again.

Take care in the hotter parts of the state. Duluth will be joing you again when the wind switches!

Thank you Lake Superior!

For those of us living in Duluth, todays' weather took a surprising turn. High today at my house was 89.6 degrees farhenheit. That happened before 10:00 a.m. this morning. The temperature in town has been steadily dropping since then and is currently 68.3 degrees. All it took was a wind off of the big lake. Thank you Lake Superior for never really warming up! You really are God!

"One of the many pleasures of living in Duluth is that you have to look at the lake a lot," writes Barton Sutter in his 1998 book Cold Comfort: Life at the Top of the Map. "You might only mean to get some groceries or a hammer from the hardware store, but on your way you see something so grand, so terrible and beautiful, that you absorb your daily requirement of humility just by driving down the street....I finally realized that the lake was God." (City Pages February 2001)

HOT!!!!!!

Need I say more!? Downtown Duluth and the lakeshore hit 100 today. The high at my house? 98 degrees fahrenheit! Did I mention most Duluthians (including me) do not have air conditioning or central air?

HOT!

This has been going on long enough - and the nights have been so warm - that closing up the house is pretty pointless. We still try, but by the time early afternoon rolls around, opening doors and windows to catch the wind is better than stewing inside the house.

Friday Lake Superior was a refuge. Cool water, but not so cold your feet went numb seconds after entry. Ah, but today the wind was blowing hard from the southwest (which is why it was warmer by the lake). Out blew all the warm surface water, in came the frigid stuff from down deep. Provides a lot of entertainment in the form of watching all the humans behaving like plovers, running in and out of the water quickly, but lessens ones ability to just sit in the water cooling off.

Worked on Icarus a bit last night when it had cooled off enough that the yarn wasn't sticking to my hands too bad. Just a few more rows and I will start the second lace chart. I've been keeping an eye on the Yarn Harlot and her progress on the shawl. She is ahead of me, but not by much.

The socks are coming along. Finished one as I stood outside the International Flights area of the Mlps/St. Paul airport waiting for my daughter to appear. Worked on the second sock while sitting in the sun today watching the same daughter play soccer. Temperature when we left for the field: 88. Temperature when we arrived home an hour and a half later: 91. Number of players on her team today: 8 (yes, there should be at least 11, but you can legally play with 7).

Kept working on the sock later as we sat in the Rose Garden, overlooking the Lake and watching Dances on the Lakewalk. This was the 10th Anniversary of this event and the girls and I have attended every year. By 7 pm there was shade to sit in, but the dancers still had to perform in the 100 degree heat.

Did I mention that Duluth rarely sees temperatures like this? Yeah, we are reknowned for our cold in the winter - and the summer. I rarely head downtown without a sweater or fleece shirt in the car. But now I am trying to figure out how comfortable I am with bare skin! Needless to say, running is on hold until temps moderate a bit. I had got myself used to running when temps hit the mid 70's and have even played soccer into the 80's, but this is crazy hot and this northern gal is not acclimated to exercising in this kind of heat.

Hope you are keeping cool wherever you are!

It has been awhile and I thought I would add an update:

- I am now the proud "owner" of a: Minnesota RN and Public Health Nurse license as well as a Wisconsin RN license.
- Still trying to keep to a running schedule, though the 85 degree days are messing with that. I skipped my five miler this weekend, but will need to just go out and do it tomorrow - or forget about it and continue on as if I had run it. Did I ever mention how much I hate running in the heat??
- Won my age group in a small local run last weekend!! Despite it being a hot running day :->
- Still playing soccer, still collecting bruises, still having a great time playing.
- Getting a bit lonely for my kids - they are both gone right now - a little peek at what an "empty nest" will be like.
- Icarus (the black shawl) is coming along nicely. I have just started the fourth repeat of Lace pattern 1. One more repeat and then I move on to another lace pattern. I would show you a picture, but my digital camera is in Norway.
- Socks are coming along, I have started the toe decreases on the first sock. It is now traveling with me, filling in those moments when I have nothing to do and am waiting, or am sitting in a meeting and need to keep my hands busy so that I can listen attentively.

I will try to get some pictures of the shawl up by next week (when my camera - and Gilah - return from Norway). Until then, have a nice holiday!!