Family, holidays, home, Nature, Uncategorized, Weather

Sugar Loaf in the Cool of the Morning

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To stay cool this Sunday, we got up early to explore the trail up to the base of  Sugar Loaf ,  Winona’s major landmark rock. Nice woodsy switchbacks on the way up, well groomed trails esp. at the base of the rock, and of course, the higher up we got, the more spectacular the views. Besides seeing downtown and East End Winona, we could (once we got high enough) see West Burns Valley, and some of Pleasant Valley. There are lots of valleys around here, and I still have trouble keeping them straight. We even saw the barn and silo of the “hippie farm” Husband live at in the 70s.

Here are some of the sights:

On the way down (9:30-ish) we met several people headed up, and thought “You’re going to be warm up there”.

How have you been staying cool this weekend in the 90 Plus temperatures?

56 thoughts on “Sugar Loaf in the Cool of the Morning”

      1. Yes. We honeymooned along the River so we like it from that. But we often camped in State Parks along there. Couple times camped in Winona. Climbed it twice, both times alone. Not for Sandy. Once on a fall brick day. Once to see the sunrise in the summer. We know the whole length of the river from Red Wing to the border well on both sides.

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  2. Rise and Cool Your Jets, Baboons,

    I am with Clyde, AC on and lay low. Then there is my fan system–a fan at the base of the stairs, one at the end of the hallway, one at the top of the stairs, and finally, all ceiling fans on high.

    Saturday I transplanted a lot of plants, then watered them like crazy. That was not cooling, at all. They all look pretty good, but I am watering them each morning. Yesterday was too hot for transplantation, as is today, so today I will stay in and work on other projects. This morning the dogs and I will venture out to the dog park early for a vigorous walk that will wear them out. They love the dog park, both here and in AZ. That field trip will make their day and keep them satisfied the rest of the day.

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  4. Morning all. I’ve been doing early morning gardening – getting finished up by 10 or 10:30.

    YA and I each have a little window AC unit but neither of us likes to keep our bedroom door closed. SO… we now have a curtain rod holding up an old sheet across the top of the stairwell so we can keep the two bedrooms, bathroom and hall cool. This was YA’s idea and I’ll admit that I didn’t think it would work. But believe it or not, the sheet does the trick. Warm on one side, cool on the other.

    Of course I don’t like AC much, so turned mine off last night about 10. Will turn back on later this afternoon when the sun hits my south windows. YA left hers on so her door is now shut.

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  5. What a lovely hike, BiR, and thanks for sharing it via the blog and your photos.

    I’ve never tolerated heat and humidity well, and it hasn’t gotten any better with age. But yesterday wasn’t too bad, I don’t think; there was a bit of a cool breeze.

    I spent a couple of hours on the front porch of an old friend who was visiting over the weekend from New Jersey. He was having an open house to visit with old friends who had been invited to drop in.

    Late afternoon would have been the time for the annual Eddies’ Memorial Day cook-out and singalong, but as you know, that had been canceled as a result of one of The Eddies moving to Arizona. However, one of the remaining Eddies and his wife had decided to host a pot-luck and singalong in their back yard instead. So a subset of The Eddies, some of the regular attendees, and a lot of fresh faces gathered between 4 and 5 PM at Barb and Chuck’s house, and a very fine evening ensued. Over the years, The Eddies have done a fair amount of pub singing, and in recent years, Chuck, especially, has developed a following of very fine singers. Quite a few of them showed up.

    Because of the heat, we ate rather promptly when the various foods were set out; didn’t want to take any risks with the various pasta salads going bad, dontcha know. The fare consisted entirely of cold salads, not a hot dish in sight, a very satisfying meal in the heat. Ice cream sandwiches and a couple of cakes rounded out the meal portion of the feast.

    And then we sang. Oh, did we sing. A lot of old English and American ballads that lend themselves to harmony singing or joining in on the chorus. Very fun and enjoyable evening.

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  6. While you folks lay low I will be laying high. My sil’s mother has invited us to sit on her porch overlooking the Saint Clair River, which rushes between Ontario and the US. Great Lakes freighters, most of them over a thousand feet long, pass by at close range. Today four or five of those magnificent ships are likely to go by the house. They need no help from us, but we’ll be there to salute them with a chilly beer and maybe snap a picture as they churn by carrying taconite pellets or soybeans to distant lands.

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  7. Our hot weather came Friday and Saturday. We worked in the garden in the cool of the morning, planting 7 Bleeding Hearts and 7 Maiden hair ferns, then spreading mulch. By noon we were inside

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  8. One of the reasons I was attracted to Minnesota as a younger person was because it was cooler here than where I grew up. If this kind of heat keeps up over the years I may have to keep moving North. Maybe I should move to Cicely, Alaska.

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  9. It has cooled nicely to the 70’s here now. We finish seeding the garden today. Yesterday was cooler, too, so I planted peas, bush beans, pole beans, kohlrabi, and spinach and layed out the soaker hoses while Husband weeded flower beds and planted snapdragons. Today we plant carrots, turnips, beets chard, and celeriac.

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  11. My internet is down this morning, again, may be our phone wire… I’m typing this at a friend’s house.

    Yesterday afternoon we also kayaked in Lake Winona over to a Floating Concert – they were set up on a dock near the main shelter at the lake, where you rent watercraft, etc. Lots of people in canoes and kayaks and those stand-up surf boards… listening to the “Yellow-bellied Sap Suckers” sing a variety of stuff, some of which included yodeling! A very nice thing to do on a hot muggy day.

    We’ve had thunderstorms this morning, cooled things off, and looks like there will be more this evening. I may not be able to get back later, so have a great rest of the holiday, baboons.

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  13. I keep my A/C right around 80 – mostly to take the humidity out of the air and use strategically placed fans to keep the air moving. Outdoor activities/chores are done early in the AM before the weather gets too unbearable. Wear lightweight sundresses which allow air circulation. Being in a body of water also works well (at least while I am in the water). Yesterday my two sisters and I “planted” some of mom’s ashes in the cemetery where her parents and some siblings are buried. Fortunately it was cloudy with a breeze – not too bad. Today we will be picnicking indoors at my sister’s house – too icky to be standing over a hot grill outside.

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  15. The last three days have been brutal. The motor on my lake pump – the only source of outdoor water – burned up. For three days, I’ve had to fill up gallon watering cans, then go from one end of the property to the other personally watering each shrub, flower, and new perennials. It takes about five trips back into the house to refill the can.

    Two days ago was my daughter’s annual pasture opening for her 96 horses. It’s a thrilling, heart-stopping experience as a whole herd of these magnificent animals come thundering toward the crowd, then gallop in circles around us. Grasses are catnip to horses who’ve only eaten hay all winter.

    Unfortunately, the heat index of 97 was unbearable. In the pasture, there’s no where to find shade. It felt like being trapped in an oven. I always invite my friends and their families to come. The heat was so intense that three of my high school friends had heatstroke (fainting and throwing up). Several other women around my age got by with only heat exhaustion, the precursor to heatstroke. I was one of them.

    Yesterday, one of my grandsons graduated from high school. I had to bow out because heat exhaustion still gripped me, and the event was being held in a non-air conditioned gymnasium.

    This must be what it’s like to live in Florida. No thank you!

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    2. I have my pump for watering your lawn from the lake on Craigslist
      And a guy wanted to talk tomorrow
      $75
      Do you want it
      It works that’s all I know

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  16. I golfed every morning this week and beat most of the heat. Still an adjustment to get used to that first heat wave of the season.

    Took Little Brother Ethan swimming at the pool yesterday afternoon. Water was perfect temp. Cool enough to refresh but not so cold you couldn’t splash around in it for an hour at a time. Way better than when a pool’s temp feels like a really bad hot tub (cold for the hot tub, but too hot for regular swimming.

    Other than that, thank God for AC. I remember too many sweltering days when I was a kid and all we had was a window fan, and I slept upstairs where it was the hottest. Fell asleep in my own sweat on many, many nights.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  17. I have window air conditioners and haven’t installed them yet, so I’ve been getting along with fans.

    One good way to cool off is to take a coolish shower, then towel dry your hair and let it air dry.

    My schedule this week is such that I’m going to be at the flower shop for two of the nicer days at the end of the week, so I have to get the gardening work done at the beginning of the week. The weather often seems to delight in being contrary. Worked today for four and a half hours weeding and planting annuals.

    Now we have had a drop in humidity. Much more tolerable.

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  19. OT – When we first moved into this house 39 years ago, the neighbors’ kids were running wild. They played all kinds of ball, and in the process invaded our property and broke the trunk of a mountain ash tree that we had received as a wedding present. Needless to say, the tree never recovered and died. The losses due to that family since then have mounted.

    Now we’re faced with Tommy’s grandchildren. They’re nice kids, just never supervised, and seem to have no boundaries. They’re riding their bikes over our lawn (such as it is) and kicking a ball against the side of our house. Twice within the last 24 hours, they’ve hit a window in the dining room. It’s a matter of time before they break it. I’ve spoken to them about it, and they’re always very polite, and then they resume doing exactly what they were doing before I talked with them.

    They are trying to master the art of riding a bicycle up over a curve. The older boy has mastered this, the younger one struggles. My guess is that they’re seven and eight years old. So far no one has gotten seriously hurt, there have been a few scrapes and bruises. However, when they start the exercise they ride the bike from grandpa’s lawn, across the sidewalk and the boulevard out into the street. Because of parked cars, oncoming motorists can’t see them, and I’m fearful that it’s a matter of time one or both of them are hit, injured or worse. I’ve tried to talk to them, I’ve talked with their mother, and everyone seems to think I’m the problem. Any suggestions? I want to stress that I think these are well behaved kids, and I’d really like to remain on friendly terms with them.

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      1. Like what? I know if I try hard enough I can prevent them from riding their bikes on my lawn, but how am I going to prevent them from getting hit by a passing car? Or shouldn’t I worry about it because they’re not my kids?

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        1. I was thinking something like if you block the path that went through your yard with the logs or sticks set up they couldn’t go between the cars out onto the road maybe that would help but it probably is a stupid premise they just go a different route

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      1. These are really nice little boys, NS, and I’d like for them to feel comfortable if their ball strays onto our property to go retrieve it. But, I do not want them to think there’s no distinction between their grandpa’s property and mine. I don’t want to have to pick up all their litter after a picnic on my front lawn. They are notorious for just leaving their garbage wherever it falls. I guess most kids are, unless they are taught otherwise. Our lawn is elevated by at least two feet from the level of their granpa’s lawn, so it’s not as it they don’t recognize the difference. They know no boundaries, and it’s not just about property.

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        1. On my show of choice the middle they have a family living next-door that has kids from hell that trash the yard steal all the neighbors property break the mailbox etc. Brooke Shields is the mom it’s hilarious

          In real life not quite so funny

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      2. You could phone the police and express your concerns. They might be more effectve in giving them (and their caretaker) a stern warning.

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  20. Cool is an issue only if you go out
    I had a shindig Friday night and errands onsatirdsy I was able to do on the. Motorcycle
    Cooking for the family get together tidayheequired getting up early to bbq and tending to it. Feels good to come in. I am a little out of the loop. I dont notice hot or cold as much as others bit I do have ac

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  21. Hey Kids!
    T-storms tonight and a good breeze today so it didn’t seem so bad. Unless I was actually in the sun doing something then it was still hot and I was sweaty.

    BIR, nice story. I’ve been up there with friends who grew up in Winona and know the area.

    Saturday morning Kelly and I went to the RGB movie. Ruth Bader Ginsburg movie. It was good.

    I spent the last two days in tractors. And they have AC. Finished planting about 6:20 tonight. And an hour later we had rain. Perfect.
    No AC in our house. But it’s cooler in the country you know. And we have windows open and fans on. It could be worse.
    But I do think living in the valley is hotter… you know those tornados skip over but the heat sinks down in here…

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