The Night of Magic Light - Photograper's Dream

Lake Kabtogema - Voyager's National Park - Minnesota 

Tonight we are in for a special treat with ace photographer, cousin Don.  After messing around with paddle boards, swimming, ball games for the dogs, a little kayaking, a great picnic lunch...we still have not finished the activities on the list for today.

What to do?

Thinking all there is to do now is answer the "hungry call" and head over to the local watering hole for dinner.  I remember this little spot, not far from the cabin, from 28 years ago when Steve and I visited Minnesota relatives after our wedding.  Yes, "The Bait, 'n Bite" is still operating...one half the building a bait store featuring your ever popular minnows and LEECHES....and the other half a good little restaurant and ice cream shop.

Heading back to the cabin, I'm thinking, to pack it in for the day...cousin Don has other ideas!  Hey, it's the "golden hour"....and the light, the night...it's all calling us out on the water to see what we find.  Don once told Steve, "To get the good photo...the really good one...you have to go out hunting for it...you can't expect it to come to you."  The three of us (and two dogs) packed our camera gear and headed out in the boat...to go "hunting."

The Breneman boat...our ride!

Don and Steve....set for hunting...

The first "find"....sitting right on the shore not far from the cabin....all dressed up with fancy feather heads and matching beaks and toes.

Merganzers with flashy feet

And then they were suddenly in...flight...into the night.

Coming around a corner, headed to Daley Brook, we spot a loon...with...a wee one!

Mamma Loon and lil' "Fluff Ball"

A little further on down the narrowing waterway, and a little further into the evening light, we find this mamma...and TWO chicks hitching a ride on her back.

And baby makes...three! (photo: Steve)

If this mom has a chick it's well hidden in the lake grasses and reeds.  Maybe she's out for a little break?

Out for an evening "glide" about.

We see signs of the local beaver population in this incredible beaver lodge.  What architects!

Anybody home?

Everyone seems to be "out for the evening" and much later we find one beaver swimming a circle around us in water turned pink by the sunset glow.

There he goes...

And then....there is the sunset....oh my...we wait, and wait....and wait...for the masterpiece to be displayed ....although we did go out hunting for the shot...in the end we did have to wait for it to come to us.  Collectively...I'm thinking the three of us took, um, maybe...100 images?

Just one more click of the shutter for Don.

As it happens, when caught up in a pleasurable endeavor...you have no measurement of time passing...and before we know it, it's more dark than light.  Time to call it a night!  One of magic photography.

Time to head home, back to the cabin, store the boat in it's tidy boat house and turn in.

Nan rides bow watch...all the way home.

Tomorrow's another day.  Our last day up north with Steve's cousin Don...and my last chance to get a few more photography tips.  We spend our morning packing up the boats and boards and reloading the Jeep.  Sparky and Skipper have a last good run around, we have one more picnic lunch...and I try to wrap my head around all the ideas for "settings" on my camera!

Just a little more of this, less of this, up with that, over with this....

And of course...staying true to Minnesota style...we must say good-bye a few times...and have just one more...

There's always just one more cup of coffee...

All good things must come to an end...eventually...really?  I'm not so sure...but seems we are headed off in a southerly direction...for another part of the "Great Cousin Meet Up 2015"....

Headed off to Wisconsin....

All loaded up....

Nan rides away!

Steve keeps the family tradition going....for over...um, 65 years?

                        Good-bye Lake Kabtogema...for now...get ready, "Luck-y Cousins!"

Love that idea of a boat house!