Originally Posted April 2011.
This last weekend I was in Madison Wisconsin to teach a two day workshop at Olbrich Gardens. If you have never been to Olbrich you must put it on your list of places to visit. It is a spectacular garden in downtown Madison. While it was early for the outdoor gardens there were crocus and snowdrops in plentiful bloom adding clumps of color to the grass lawns. In the gardens I saw my first robin of the year-a sure sign that spring has arrived. I had a great time with the workshop participants including a dedicated group who got up early on a rainy dreary morning for a sunrise shoot at Olin park on Lake Menona. We had a wonderful time photographing the bare branches of gnarly oaks against the heavy overcast skies.
Up north here the melt water has begun its annual run-off. The rivers are a mix of snow, ice, and melt water. Sometime in the next week or so the ice cover on the rivers and streams will break up and big chunks of ice and snow will flow downstream into Lake Superior–a totally unpredictable but awesome event.
In this newsletter I am finishing up the second half of the article on tripods, and I have featured the Summer Solstice Retreat at Cloquet Forestry Center through Split Rock Arts.
Watch for the spring bloom of the pasque flower (shown in the photo above) this prairie bloom should begin to make its appearance sometime in the next 2-3 weeks.
Stop by the gallery on your next trip up north.
Sincerely,
John Gregor
April 2011