The joys of life...

My husband and I had a wonderful adventure this last week.  We went bear hunting in Northome, Minnesota about an hour north of Bemidji.  

The "hunting shack" was beautiful.  It was a little log cabin built by the brother of my husband's friend.  He is one hell-of-a carpenter, because it was perfect.  The bed was soft and warm.  The cabin was cozy.  I didn't even mind the outhouse.  You just had to watch where the giant wolf spider was before you got down to business.  We did not get a bear, but it was still a wonderful adventure. Our host was more than accommodating and the week was filled with stories and laughter.

We came home to turkeys galore in our yard.  The last 4 days they have just been strutting and gobbling their fool heads off.  We have seen at least 3 different mountain lions on our game cameras, but they sure aren't putting a dent in the turkey population. 

This is supposed to be the peak of the colors in Spearfish Canyon, so we went leaf peeping today.  We were super excited to see many mountain goats.  They were more than obliging for photos opportunities.  The problem is there were too many tourists in the way.

I don't know how they do it.  It was 92 degrees today and they were in full fur.  They looked like fuzz balls.  Poor things were also covered in burrs.  Despite that, they seemed pretty content.

Back to the bear hunt.  My husband did see this little teddy bear during the day.  The big bears came out after dark.  Not only did he see this fella, but he also heard wolves.  I'm a little jealous.  I saw lots of skunks, was swarmed by racoons, and saw wolf tracks.  You may ask was I scared walking back in the dark.  I was, but not of bears or wolves.  I was scared I would wander into a skunk.  

I was impressed with the number of eagles, geese, and sandhill cranes.  It was supposed to be grouse country, but the only grouse we saw was when we got home. 

This beauty posed perfectly for a photo.  He was scoping out our crabapple tree when we got home.

This is the skunk filled cornfield I sat in. There is nothing like sitting quietly for 4 hours to fill your soul with peace.  

 The Northern Minnesota landscape was really breathtaking.  There was more farming than I had anticipated.  Corn, alfalfa, and soybeans.  We even hunted by a potato patch.  I managed to find a few leftover potatoes but forgot them when we left.

We had a great start to our adventure, as we stayed in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on the drive out.  We just picked a hotel, and it happened to be on a lake.  They were wonderful.  There was a walking path around the lake that highlighted the natural watershed planted.  The hotel also had a s'mores bar from 8:00-9:00.  What a treat. 

There were many monarch butterflies around.  I had never seen that many.  Also quite a few small brown chirpy birds that I could never identify.

Traveling sure makes a person wonder.  A cabin on a lake in Northern Minnesota would be very fulfilling.  Yet, our little cabin in the woods isn't too shabby either.  The thing is joy is where you find it.  I'm inclined to believe anywhere is as peaceful and relaxing as you make it.  

What are your thoughts?  Is there somewhere you dream of retreating too?  Are you content with your own little piece of the world?  Where do you find your joy?