Milfoil harvester

Milfoil
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Water Lillies - Manet or Monet?

Water lillies. Lake Minnetonka abounds with them. They cover the quiet waters and press up surrounding the boats in their moorings. The correct answer to the above question is Claude Monet, whose eroding vision captured water lillies at Argentuiel. Manet - he painted portraits of his family, friends (and despondant young women in cafe/bars ie; the Plum).

waterlillies

waterlillies
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Drownings

2 Drownings
Thursday and Sunday 2 men drown in the lake in separate incidents. The water is thick with milfoil, weeds and growth. In one case a young man swam into the Lake out to retrieve a soccer ball, and apparently became tangled in the weeds. Rescue attempts by friends failed and thankfully they did not also become entangled. This drowning took place at the same location of one of my previous photos (Excelsior- Sat_fisherman), and the area is marked with swimming hazard warnings.

In another incident a 31 year old fisherman was thrown into the water from a moving boat. Not surprisingly, drinking was involved, but a life jacket might have helped him survive his fall into the lake. He was fishing with 2 others near Orono on the LowerLake's northwest side. His body was recovered late Sunday evening.
I am always struck by the dangers of the lake one often simply forgets. It is not a swimming pool and there are no sides to hold on to. Deaths on the Lake are common in the summer and winter.

sundaysunset

sunsunset
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Redfeather calls it a day- a hot one.

I met Redfeather as he was pulling his boat out of the water onto his bunk trailer at noon Thursday. He said the heat was getting to him, and frankly who would be surprised? He was at least 60 years old and boating alone. The sun was intense and it was humid. He said the Sunfish were very agressive, and his only catch that day.

Redfeathersjoy

Redfeathersjoy
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Redfeather took himself off the lake when the temperature hit 90. It later climbed to 96 degrees.

greysbay

greysbay
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

6:15am on the edge of Grey's bay.

A New Feature - boat names on Lake Minnetonka

I plan on adding this sometimes humorous weekly feature for the summer. For the winter - perhaps people name their snowmobiles.
I have heard it said that L. Minnetonka has the most boats per square mile of any lake in the world. I don't know if it is true, but there are a lot of boat names to examine.

boatnames - Off The Hook

boatnames
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

boat names- happy ours

boatnames
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

busy

busy
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

boat names

boat names
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

boat names

boat names
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Boat Names #1

I sat atop the St. Alban's Bay Bridge in Excelsior and I watched the boats file gingerly underneath the narrow channel. They were moving from the lake proper to the quieter St. Alban's Bay and had to take turns passing under the bridge. It was quite a spectacle, and I found myself laughing out loud at times. Some boaters waved to each other, and in one very close call, the middle finger was exchanged. - A bicycle trail also crosses over the bridge, and most people passing by thought I was a little odd, if not crazy, when they heard me laughing to myself.
(A side bar: Excelsior has it's share of odd people, the famous "Jimmy" wanders the streets - You know him from the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Jimmy coined the phrase when he met the Stones at a local drugstore. Jimmy wanted a a Cherry soda- and they were out.)
Back to the main story: the preceding photos are just a few typical shots of boat names. Many were boring, most were self indulgent. Some went by my lens too quick to shoot; "My 2nd Wife" escaped my camera. "Old Timer" and "Get Away" were pretty standard. I get nervous when I see the boat called "Heart Attack".

Enjoy my first boat name post.


Note: I am sorry to juxtapose this humorous post with a very sad Saturday post. - The eb and flo.

sadness

A friend - Diana- has passed away.
She stuggled with mental health and addiction to the end.

We Got Lake!

It don't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. This promises to be a weekend of sun and heat. I am hoping to capture photos and life onthe Lake when it really hits it's fever pitch. Big Island becomes a haven for all sorts of party activities, as the east side cove becomes a flotilla of boats, jetskis and skin.
Out on the Lake's major highways this is not boating at a leasurely pace. Adults and teens alike command yachts, powerboats and personal watercraft till the water is churning as if filled with pirana. Lakeside restaurants finally fill to capacity with patrons of every sort.
This heated weekend activity, as you may surmise, is quite a counterpoint to the 'Lake' as represented in other posts.

oldboat

oldboat
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Carson's Back Bay Wetlands

In 2002 a new bridge over Carson's Bay was built for Minnetonka Boulevard. Heavy wear and tear had left the aging bridge a hazard. The new bridge spans the shallow back bay wetland to the south of the main Carson's Bay. The new bridge is higher - at times when the (controlled) lake level is at a normal height. Lake Level is controlled at a dam at source of Minnetonka Creek in Gray's Bay to the east. This new bridge allows the homes along the wetlands larger boat access to Minnetonka. Previously boats were mostly small fishing boats and other low profile crafts that could just sneak under the old bridge.

Some quiet back bay scenes follow this post.

walkway

walkway
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Mallards in wetland

ducks
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

This quiet wetland is an annex to Carson's Bay on southeast Lake Minnetonka.

Sunset before the storm

M_sunset
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

This beautiful sunset accompanied with strong, warm winds, fortold a night time storm with winds of up to 65mph and heavy rains and flooding. We lost an evergreen, our neighbors lost a large Elm. (Power was out to hundreds of thousands in the west suburbs(.

Cemetery Name & Boat Names

Middle English cimiterie, from Old French cimitiere, from Medieval Latin cimitrium, from Late Latin coemtrium, from Greek koimtrion, from koimn, to put to sleep. See kei-1 in Indo-European Roots.]

The name of the old cemetary is "Oak Hill Cemetery". According to the brief reading I have done the oldest markers are scattered around the base of the hill, and a Civil War Memorialwhich once set atop the hill has been moved to the bottom.

On a considerably different note: I have decided to add a little running feature to my entries. "The names of boats" on Lake Minnetonka. These boats often have some of the most hillarious, telling, and self indulgent monikers.
I was running a few days ago and saw an aging cabin cruiser named "Double Vision". Another boat name I noticed while watching a very tan middle aged man step from a yacht with two young bikini and high heel clad women on each arm. His boats name was "Well Adjusted" and boasted a Chiropractic symbol.

Yes all this - and more- to come, with photographs.

beeman tombstone

beeman
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

sat_fisherman

sat_fisherman
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

The steady, cool rain left only the most dedicated fisherman on the lake. This photo is in Excelsior Bay.

Excelsior's Peaceful hilltop

I decided to visit the old Excelsior pre-civil war cemetary. The winding road to the top still looks as if it were designed for horse drawn vehicles. Narrow and rutty with tight turns and short rock walls.
The cemetary markers and stones are unadorned and weathered. This may be one of Minnesota's oldest cemetaries, it is cetainly one of the most hidden. It is tucked between the bustling Highway 7 and Old Excelsior Boulevard (now a mer frontage road at this local).

The only name (I can find) is "Cemetery". I have heard it called the "Old Excelsior Cemetary'. Covered with many pre-statehood (Minnesota 1858) graves. There is little to say about its history until I dig deeper into local lore.

A flat stone marker sets at the very top of the hill. - Donald Gray 1899-1920. Marine Aviator -.

Fri.morningflower

Fri.morningflowr
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Friday morning

P1010003
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

This is probably the last quiet moment befor a very hectic weekend.

morning geese

morning geese
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Back to Work!