2023 in Thirteen Photos

Beside the river, through the woods, and up the butte

Now that the new year is well underway, I’m finally sharing my version of a 2023 photolog. Choosing a picture from each month of the year was an interesting way to look back and reminisce. For some months, it was difficult to choose from many photographs taken during trips, bicycle rides, and various adventures. In other months, there wasn’t as much competition. Here’s the collection that made the cut!

January

Cross-country skiing in my neighborhood park was a quick way to get out and experience the season. Packing up my skis and driving to an established trail was a more rare endeavor. My availability had to align with ideal ski conditions — and perhaps a friend’s schedule. Although we used to count on more consistent snow during Minnesota winters, that’s no longer the case.

This year, 2024, much of January was snowless. There are places that manufacture snow, but they tend to be more crowded — and knowing the snow is fake takes away from my emotional experience of the season. Grabbing my skis and going down the block to enjoy a fresh snowfall was an opportunity I didn’t expect to be missing this winter. It’s mid-February so there’s still time for Mother Nature to bring a thundersnowstorm. Yes, that’s a thing.

February

This may have been the only time I got out ice skating in 2023. My niece and I glided around the rink at a neighborhood park. She took lessons for years and performed in skating shows. It’s fun to observe her twirls and skills. Meanwhile, I’ve never had a lesson, yet manage not to fall on my derrière.

I appreciate the many free, outdoor skating rinks throughout my city’s park system even though I didn’t take time to go more than once. I intended to get out skating more in 2024, but where’s the ice? We are experiencing the warmest winter on record with temperatures in the upper 30’s, throughout the 40’s, and even breaching 50°F. In February. In Minnesota. This is wild, weird, and scary. Let’s get back to looking at 2023.

March

Here’s a lovely winter scene in my neighborhood. Although snow brings challenges, it also brings beauty and a sense of stillness. The pine trees seem more majestic, standing tall and green on a snowy white landscape. The surrounding sounds of city traffic and sirens seem to be dampened a bit by the ground cover.

March in Minnesota means longer days as the hours of sunlight grow, and I start to feel the hope of spring. Even if the land is frozen and buried beneath snow, March sounds much more spring-like than February, doesn’t it? Embracing the coldest season can be difficult, yet I appreciate the variety of transitioning through distinct spring, summer, fall, and winter conditions.

April

Incredible! I’ve been thinking about the word epic being diluted with overuse, so I didn’t lead with it. What other words are there to describe my first experience of the aurora borealis? Chat GPT came up with monumental, grand, majestic, extraordinary, spectacular, and momentous. Take your pick.

On my Birthday Eve, we drove beyond the light pollution of the city and were rewarded with dancing Northern Lights. As my partner shot this photo I was basking in the glow. It felt as though the universe was putting on a show for me — to kick off my next year of life. Inspiration!

May

We were invited to join neighbor friends at their family cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior. A humbling, awe-inspiring landscape I can not get my fill of. I could share hundreds of photos from years of being drawn to these shores. Although it’s not the most stunning, this one was taken in May and shows one of the lake’s many moods.

My partner and I rode our bicycles along trails tracing the shoreline and spent time with our friends. For almost three years I lived in a port city of Lake Superior and I often long to return as a resident. In the meantime, I’ll be visiting and soaking in the grandeur of the Earth’s largest fresh water lake.

June

Minneapolis is known for it’s ‘chain of lakes’ including Lake Harriet. The bicycle trail system goes to, and around, the lake. Pedaling is our favorite way to get there. Amusements on site include a sailing club, kayak and paddle board rentals, and music concerts in the bandshell. I’ve enjoyed them all during my residency here.

Lake Harriet hosts fun events each year, including festivals on shore, sailboat races on the water, and art shanties on the ice — when winter gets cold enough to freeze it thoroughly. The lakeside restaurant is open seasonally and this photo was taken when we rode over for a bite to eat. The lake’s surface was a calm mirror, helping me hold onto my sanity while waiting hungrily in a long line for food.

July

On July 4th we recruited a few friends and rode to Lake Harriet for lunch. A thunderstorm came on suddenly and the lake was nowhere close to mirror-like. The water was choppy as strong gusts of wind thoroughly soaked us. After the wind and rain dissipated a bit, we started pedaling toward home. Dripping and soggy-bottomed, yet smiling.

Why am I writing about a lake under a waterfall photo? The bicycle trail system connecting the city lakes goes through Minnehaha Falls Regional Park, the perfect place for a break. We had a couple new-to-towners riding with us and enjoyed showing them another favorite bicycle destination. You may have noticed this waterfall in the story’s featured image. It’s another place I visit regularly to enjoy the wonders of water in every season.

August

If you’re a white wine lover thinking this looks like a dreamy glass of goodness, you’d be disappointed. It photographed well. That’s really all this wine had to offer, and scenery was all the vineyard had to offer. Imagine pedaling a bicycle up a very steep gravel road to end a twenty-ish mile ride. Hot, hungry, and hoping for a decent glass of wine.

We didn’t have crazy high expectations considering we were in Minnesota, far from wine country. However, we had biked here before and remembered having good pizza with fine wine — fine as in mediocre, not fine dining. In the few years since our last visit, both the food and beverages had gone downhill. And that’s where we went on our bicycles, rolling down the hill, disappointed and still wanting a satisfying meal.

September

Autumn hikes through the woods, with stops along a river to glimpse fall color. Few things are better. This photo was taken during my solo walk at a Minnesota state park. Fall color was not at its peak yet and the mixture of greens with yellow, orange, and red hues offered a glorious variety of leaf colors. Moody clouds added textures to the scene and a light rainfall fully immersed me in the environment.

Fall is so fleeting and I can’t get enough of it. I dream of spending the season as a ‘leaf peeper’ — chasing the colors as leaves change — and feeling intoxicated by the absolutely delicious, crisp air. No one needs me to do anything else during autumn, right? I’ll be back when the leaves have fallen, ready to hibernate with a good book.

October

Imagine watching rock climbers scale that cliff face. It’s inspiring. If I trusted the gear and setup, I’d repel down. That would be thrilling! With much more strength and plenty of practice, I wonder if I could make the climb up. It’s been close to a decade since I climbed indoor routes and longer since I climbed outdoors.

A popular outlook over beloved Lake Superior, this spot is accessible to those who aren’t able to hike up. Only seasonally, though. The steep, narrow road twists and turns its way to a small parking lot and gets blocked my snow most winters. We appreciate the seasonal accessibility for elder family members whose hiking days are behind them. On this trip we drove up to show a parent the view and I scampered around snapping selfies. I heard there’s a selfie challenge around here somewhere…

November

This was one of my two favorite hikes in Arizona. Tonto Natural Bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge on the planet. The state park it’s located in will perhaps become the subject of its own photo story soon. It’s one of those places with too much diversity to capture in one view.

There are trickling waterfalls in unexpected places and technically tricky bits of trail. It was an unexpected excursion and I hadn’t lugged my hiking boots along. Carry-on luggage only, as you do. My feet were bruised for days — and I’d do it again!

December

Our quest to find snow on Christmas took us to an elevation of around 8,000 feet. As we ascended from the dry desert landscape, I smiled at families who had the same idea — drive until we see white. Vehicles were parked askance beside the dirt road and children were running around throwing snowballs or gliding in sleds. We parked when the road was no longer passable. I couldn’t resist tossing the first snowball, and the friendly fight began. It brought out the child inside each of us.

We hiked the rest of the road up Baker Butte to a fire tower. It felt bizarre to be on a snowy mountain while our friends and family back home in the Midwest had no snow in sight. A white Christmas in Arizona and a brown holiday in Minnesota. I didn’t expect that. Previous winter trips to the Southwest hadn’t taken me to elevations with snow. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the year with my favorite person.

This has been a fun collection to curate as I join In Living Color and get to know some of the writers through your own 2023 recap stories. Shout out to Barb Dalton for paving the path by sharing a photo to represent each month, inspiring all who participated in the January challenge.

Check out theirs below, and although it won’t officially be part of the challenge, it’s not too late to share your own!