Small Town America: Bucolic Scenes, Bison, and Cable Television

Sunday, November 15, 2009. I drove up Fairy Lake Road last week, for no reason other than that I hadn't been out that way in some time. It was a fine day, and I took a few photos.


Small town America: a bucolic refuge from the hustle and bustle of the big city? Well, maybe: but we've got cable television and rural telephone service, too. November 5, 2009.

Farmers were taking advantage of the good weather, getting crops in while they could.


Harvest time. November 5, 2009.


I'll admit it: I like living here. November 5, 2009.

Like the title of this section of Brendan's Island says, "I Love it Here!" Sauk Centre's a fine community, and I enjoy living in a place where we have to be reminded to not feed the ducks, just north of downtown.

But this area isn't just about woodland scenes, the untouched beauties of nature, and all that. People live here, and we have work to do. Sometimes that involves getting at the sand that so much of central and Northern Minnesota is made of.


A lovely woodland scene: with skid loader and sand. November 5, 2009.


Don't knock it: sand pits can get downright picturesque, if you leave them alone for a season or two. November 5, 2009.

'Extinction' of the BisonI was - and am - something of a science fiction fan. Stay with me: This really does connect with central Minnesota. Back in the late sixties, I ran into a few stories that assumed that the American bison had been driven to extinction in the 19th or 20th centuries. And, if my memory serves, a few "factual" articles said the same thing.

Which was sort of crazy, considering that I'd seen the bison herd at Itasca State Park.


You're not seeing things: those lumps are American bison: someone's herd, north of Sauk Centre. November 5, 2009.

I'm not sure if the word has filtered to the coasts yet: but the American bison is alive and well, and being raised for their meat. They make sense for this climate: They're built to withstand our winters, which the usual sort of cattle aren't, quite.


That was a big bird: I'm pretty sure it's an eagle.. November 5, 2009.

That's about enough for the photos for today. I plan to be back Wednesday, with whatever I've noticed in and around Sauk Centre. Happy Monday!