Lake of the Isles

Picture I took of downtown Minneapolis from Lake of the Isles back on April 4, 2012. 

Minneapolis from the Air

Returned from Phoenix recently. Got some cool shots as the plane was coming in for a landing. Downtown is in the distance. Cedar Lake is center left, Isles is center, and Bde Maka Ska to the right. 

Bde Maka Ska

Lake Harriet

Washburn High School  & Justice Page Middle School (formerly Ramsey)

Lake Nokomis

Coming in for a landing. 

Lake of the Isles

Dale and I stopped by Lake of the Isles after my doctor appointment yesterday. Downtown is in the background.

Goose on Lake of the Isles

I had a doctor's appointment last week. The office is located near Lake of the Isles and since I arrived a little too early I decided to walk over and see how the lake was doing. The day was a good example of what a snowy April we've had this year and I was intrigued by this lone goose making it's way through the icy waters. Despite how gray it looks in these photos there was actually a peaceful and still beauty to the day - very lovely.

Jeff's House

Dale and I drove around Lake of the Isles today and we passed by the house of an old friend of mine.

Lake of the Isles

Got to my doctor appointment today on the right day! Took Lake of the Isles home and snapped this photograph in which you can see the lake's two islands. They are to the left and right of the downtown skyline. Mike's Island is to the left and Raspberry Island is to the south.

Lake of the Isles

I thought I had a doctor appointment today. WRONG! I showed up at the right time but on the wrong day. The appointment was originally scheduled for tomorrow. Since my clinic is so close to Lake of the Isles, I hiked over and took this photo. Beautiful day today.

Buds

I guess spring is here. We're getting buds on the trees, bushes, and shrubs. The ones pictured here are near Lake of the Isles. I had a doctor appointment this morning and my clinic is just off the lake. Last year at this time there was still snow on the ground.

Lake of the Isles Part 2

Lake of the Isles has a very odd shape with and "arm" that juts out to the north.

Lake of the Isles

Lake of the Isles has two wooded islands. The two wooded islands are actually wildlife refuges and it is prohibited to go on either of them. Mike's Island is to the north and Raspberry Island is to the south. The lake is surrounded by stately homes.

Minnehaha Creek & Parkway

The family house on Stevens Avenue was only about a block and a half from Minnehaha Creek. We loved taking family walks and riding bikes on the wonderful trails. I remember the paved walking and bikes paths were put in in the early to mid-1970s. We sure took advantage of them. Before the paved bike paths the city would close off the parkway from cars on summer Sunday afternoons so people could ride bikes. I remember doing that too. As a kid I remember searching for crayfish at the creek in the summer and walking in the dried out creek bed in the fall. As a teenager I loved taking my bike on the Minnehaha bike paths all the way to Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and sometimes even Cedar Lake and riding around them. As a college student I would drive Minnehaha Parkway to St. Paul where I attended the College (now University) of St. Thomas. As an adult I trained for the Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS Ride using the paths on Minnehaha Parkway and the lakes and now drive the parkway to work.

The following is from Wikipedia:

"Minnehaha Creek is a tributary of the Mississippi River located in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from Lake Minnetonka in the west and flows east for 22 miles through several suburbs west of Minneapolis and then through south Minneapolis. Including Lake Minnetonka, the watershed for the creek covers 181 square miles. The creek might have been unremarkable except for the 53 foot Minnehaha Falls located near the creek's confluence with the Mississippi. The site is not far from Fort Snelling, one of the earliest white settlements in the region."

"While the name is often translated as 'Laughing Water', the correct translation is 'curling water' or 'waterfall'. The name comes from the Dakota language elements mni, meaning water, and haha, meaning waterfall. The Dakota called Minnehaha Creek, 'Wakpa Cistinna', meaning 'Little River'."