Windy Saturday

I managed to get up early enough to make it to my nine o'clock tennis match at Wooddale. The sun was shining and it seemed almost nice enough to play outside, but the wind was blowing and we are paying for the indoor court time. I had a good day, much of the time playing well enough to consider it a day spent in the zone. The zone for a guy in his mid sixties is not nearly the same as the zone for a guy in his prime, but it's fun and gratifying to visit there for whatever time is available. After some lunch (homemade veggie soup and salad) I took my camera out for a walk. I haven't been to the State Fair Grounds in a while and I understand from Mr Moohoo's blog that it's pretty much deserted this time of year. He's right, but it was fun walking around freely in an area that for ten days or so in August is teeming with Minnesotans on a quest for food on a stick. I admired the sculptures carved out of the trunks of trees that used to live on the grounds. I include one of a Native-American standing in front of an oak tree that has changed and is showing off a bronzy red color in its foliage. It stands somewhere near where the sky ride starts and/or ends.

After an hour or so of exploring the fairgrounds, I went over to Lake Como to see if the birds have left yet for the winter. Quite a few must have gone, because the population of water birds is down, but there were a few mallards and some black headed birds with white bills still in attendance. (I think that they are coots.) There were a few mallards close to shore so I took one's picture to include here. The mallards are a regular part of the bird population at Como until it ices over. This is a mallard swimming about on Lake Como in St Paul. Wildlife.

It was nearly sixty degrees and the population of human lake walkers was up. Lots of folk were enjoying one of the nicest November days of the year so far. Daylight savings time ends tonight. I'll be missing an hour's sleep that I gained back in the spring, but at least I'll be on the same time as the rest of the state.