I've started running again in the mornings.....

.... And this is what I've discovered!

Fall Winding Down

So I went to Duluth today and took an excessive amount of photos...you might recognize Jay Cooke State park from my previous photos. A friend and I went back there to do a structural geology project. It was a gorgeous day, and I feel like when those come around these days it's best to take advantage since winter will be setting in before I know it. Also this weekend I rode in Critical Mass, which is just a bike ride that happens in cities the last Friday of the month and everyone just gets together and crowds out the streets to raise bicycle awareness. Its super fun to be riding around Minneapolis blocking out traffic with literally hundreds of bikers. Yesterday it went until after dark, which was sort of cool, but sort of depressing since it's getting darker too early!

October

Time is flying! It is October and every day there are less leaves on the trees. I'm in the midst of a two-week ambush of assignments and tests, but I can see the end of the tunnel.... Sorta. Haven't done much knitting but I did finish this purse a couple weeks ago when I was home. I blocked it and lined it with brown fabric. It turned out really nice, but I'm not sure if I will keep it. I don't use small bags like that very often, and I have so many others. Hopefully I can find someone to give it to for Christmas....

Fall in Wisconsin

I've done very little knitting over the past three weeks... I just haven't had it in me. I did make this hat, it is the Foliage pattern from the most recent Knitty.com. It took me two nights of watching The Office reruns to finish it - and I love it. Even Frazier likes it.
On Saturday there was an owl festival at a local nature center that we went to. It was mostly for the kids, but they had a saw-whet owl that they released and they also had a barn owl there. I, of course, thought it was pretty interesting. I learned a new thing about owls - their ears are not across from each other on their head like ours are. One is up higher than the other, and that way they can hear better. That is why you sometimes see owls bobbing their heads up and down - so they can catch all the sounds! Anyway...

It was such a gorgeous fall day so my mom & I took Frazier out to our nearby state park for a swim (Frazier) and a stroll (the rest of us). The colors are really pretty right now, and they were having trick-or-treating at the park. All of the people camping decorate their campsites for Halloween and then the kids go out in their costumes... it made me wish I was a kid again. It looked like so much fun!

Fall in Minnesota

I've been super busy the last week two weeks, but I finally get a chance to relax now! Here are some highlights of the last two weeks. As you can see-- not all bad.
The first pictures are from a field trip for Structural Geology class to Baraboo, Wisconsin to see some Baraboo Quartzite and a giant fold. The first one is Devils Lake.
This is the vertical bedding that shows you're on the inverted limb of the fold. The quartzite is on the right and on the left is a shale. There was also a sign that said that this rock is a "geologic mecca." Take that as you will.






The third picture is from another field trip, this time to Northeastern Minnesota for my Glacial Geology Class. This is Jay Cooke State Park (have you been there?) It is absolutely gorgeous, even though the weather was in the 40-50's and wet. Those rocks are greywacke, a sandstone that has been metamorphosed.




We also walked on a peat bog and saw some mudcrack formation in action. And we went to Lake Superior and did some Agate-searching. These are really unique rocks that form from water filling gas vesicles in cooling magma. There are a lot of them along Lake Superior and glaciers carried them all around Northeast Minnesota. I think I'm going to try and make some jewelery with them or something....
















And then this weekend was the Zombie Pub Crawl... My friends Dave & Chris went all out (Roman Zombies) and my friends Nick and Joelle and I were just pretty bloody. But a great time was had by all the undead. ..









And, back to knitting! I am working on a sweater! Wow, this is hard. I got this gorgeous green yarn and I have a pattern that is supposed to have cables down the front but I am not including those so it's just going to be plain. you knit it top down in the round, so it shouldn't be too bad, right?

So..... I'm a busy girl. Plus, I still need to finish that entrelac bag.... I think it'll be cute but I'll probably give it to someone for Christmas I think. I have so many little hand bags like that.
Hope all is well with you two!