Actually there are around 15,000 lakes.
Also known as the Gopher state or the North Star State
Home of the MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Minnesota's four seasons are not as some people think,
cool, cold, freezing and frigid.
We really do have spring, summer, fall and winter.
Granted, it sometimes seems like winter lasts forever.
But eventually spring arrives, often summer too,
and then our glorious fall.
Below are scenes from west central Minnesota
and other favorite places here. Some pictures, I took myself,
others are from different tourism publications.
The snow melts, the ground begins to thaw.
Beneath the gray brown land, the seeds begin to stir.
Tulips burst out of the ground and proudly stand erect,
And soon the trees turn green again, new life occurs.
Phelps Mill
Lake in front of our yard.
Summer
The lakes warm up, it's time to fish and swim.
Boats appear, many with a billowed sail.
There are beautiful cool nights and warm lazy days,
Camping, canoe trips, and hikes along the forest trail.
Lake in front of our yard.
Beginning of the Mississippi River
Canoeing in the Boundary Waters
My Mom and I
Fall
The nights get cooler, the days are short and crisp.
The leaves change color, red, yellow and gold,
And the pine tree among them, forever green.
Indian summer, that gorgeous time before the bitter cold.
Winter
The first snowflakes, so beautiful as they gently fall
The ground is white, sledding, skiing, and making angels in the snow.
Then come blizzards, freezing temps and frostbite danger,
Roads get icy, icicles form, and cold winds begin to blow.
Snowmobiling along a trail
A common sight in winter on the lakes.
State bird, the Loon
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