Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Minnehaha Falls-=Another Winter Wonderland?!



By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

Legend has it that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem Hiawatha inspired by Minnehaha Falls, but that has been debunked.  Apparently his inspiration came from the shores of Lake Superior. During all four seasons the Falls in Minnehaha Park is a favorite spot for tourists and photographers.  Sometimes it is very stunning, but at other times less so, especially if the water is non-existent because of drought or frozen as it was when I snapped this photo yesterday.

16 comments:

  1. Magnifique cette cascade d'hiver

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  2. Oh, my goodness! Isn't that just beautiful?

    Looks horribly cold, though! I've seen ice that dense. It means business. I want nothing to do with it, not at close quarters!

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  3. Oh my! Now THIS is WINTER!

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  4. I have a picture of this place that I took in the summer. It looks much different now.

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  5. So cool! I visited the twin cities for the first time this summer and saw this flowing (also had a great meal at Sea Salt next door). Really beautiful in its other state.

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  6. I have seen these falls in warm weather, not frozen in time as you showed. My brother has moved from Hibbing to St. Cloud, so I can see what his weather is like by checking your blog.

    Great post yesterday on the Museum of Russian Art.

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  7. it´s an incredible image of nature, congratulations!

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  8. That's a beautiful scene. I wonder if Longfellow would have had different inspiration if he found these frozen falls.

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  9. I think you guys have it much worse in Minnesota than we have it here in Vermont. We're practically in the tropics compared to you.

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  10. Gosh, I hadn't thought of that poem in years. It was one of my favorites when I was a kid. I memorized it. Thanks for the reminder.
    The picture is amazing and the fact that you braved the cold to take it is amazing also.

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  11. I feel cold only watching the photo, but reading Longfellow's verses a bit of warm comes back. He clearly didn't see this in winter...
    Great picture of magic place!

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  12. I see that you and my son's Chicago blog have similar themes today. Since we don't have frozen waterfalls down here, the sight of one is always surprising, sort of perpetual motion stopped dead in its tracks.

    Your quote from Longfellow drags up the memory of the Mad magazine parody of this poem, circa 1962:

    In the bar called Gitche Gumee
    Way uptown on 82nd
    Where they serve the giggle water
    There sits shoe clerk Melvin Watha
    Drinking cola laced with bourbon.
    When the far more cheery drunkards
    Call out gaily, "Hiya, Watha!"
    Keeps on boozing, gets more sullen,
    Falls across the bar unconscious.

    Why does my brain work like this? I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but I remember this (and more of them - Tigers, tigers burning bright / in the ballparks of the night...). But that's quite enough.

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  13. The Song of Hiawatha, my Grandmother gave that book to me long long ago.

    Love the photo, just wish it were soft water.

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  14. amazing shot. we used to go there for school field trips, in warmer weather of course.

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  15. This is a very beautiful photo.

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  16. Always amazing to see robust falls stopped in their tracks. Very nice image today.

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