Just Can't Stay Inside!

Tough... resilient... hardy... ignorant?
It snowed for two days and an ice pyramid now sits outside my front door. 
It was a sultry minus 12 degrees during my morning drives to work this week. 
The wind and damp air penetrates layered clothes every time I dare to venture out of doors.
We are Minnesotans... we are tough, resilient, hardy and... ignorant. 

We have to be ignorant to live here. To survive the long winter that begins each fall, one must ignore the fact that there are warmer places to live. Our collective existence requires that we ignore the cold and unpredictable weather. Furthermore, to combat the inevitable slide into depression, we must all ignore personal safety and venture outside every now and again.

Find something to photograph... much like a dog searching for a tasty morsel, this is the stimulus that keeps me going forward during the long winter months. This Saturday was like every other cold Saturday morning. The internal and external alarm buzzed the brain at 5:30, and the debate began. Should I get out of this warm bed? Really!? At some point, I lose the debate and give into my desire to taste adventure.

On this particular Saturday, I managed to convince Tamy to join me. She was reluctant, as our work week was nothing short of dreadful, but she too relented to our calling. We must try to enjoy the winter, we must try to enjoy this experience, we must distance ourselves from the oppression. 

The light sucked. It was overcast and the air was both dry and damp at the same time. The cool breeze sucked the moisture from our faces and hands, but the birds kept flying in. We could not stop our desire to document the moment. Swans who were too ignorant to realize that that warmer weather was just a flight away soared into the Mississippi river in search of shelter and food. As the sun rose behind the overcast sky, Tamy and I panned flocks of birds as they flew by. The wind hammered at our fingers and toes, but we were too ignorant to care... we were living the winter, enjoying the adventure, and running from depression.

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