photos

Winter is here

Right after sunset on the solstice, I snapped this picture of Main Channel Bridge, which connects Winona with Wisconsin to the north. As its name suggests, it crosses the main channel of the Mississippi River, which is currently frozen. Today, I captured this video of a BNSF train passing through Trempealeau, Wisconsin:

Next adventure: homeownership

Late last month, my wife and I went down to our local credit union, signed a very large stack of legal documents, and joined the ranks of millions of Americans who own their own home. And then, about a week or so later, I bought a cordless electric lawnmower and mowed the lawn.

Record snow!

We had some nice spring weather this week in Southeastern Minnesota. On Tuesday, the temperature got up to 27°C (80°F) and we had our apartment windows open in the evening. Then on Wednesday, the temperature dropped precipitously, and we awoke on Thursday to this: That picture was taken in the morning. The snow came down most of the day, piling up to 3.5 inches (89 mm). But we didn’t get it as bad as Rochester, which is about an hour west of here.

Still some ice in the river

Taken at the Verchota Landing, just outside Winona in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge: Yikes! Zebra mussels are pretty terrible: