Rain's on its way; forecast says by this afternoon sometime. There were low clouds over the lake this morning and the air is heavier than it was yesterday. Every now and then the wind comes up a bit, rustling the leaves in the trees to the southwest.
Kona and I are here alone. Cindy left Tuesday for a trip to see our son, Chris, and do some wedding planning. Yesterday, my friend Russ Lake and his daughter Sylvie came to see us. We had a fine time looking over the plants and trees, mostly those along the margin between the meadow and the woodlands. Russ is knowledgable in foraging, that is, finding edible and nutritious food that grows without cultivation. There was plenty to see: Lamb's Quarters, Smartweed, Thistle, and even High Bush Cranberries, the native, sweet variety, not the bitter European import. We had a great time, shared some nuts and plums, and talked about butternut, acorn, and apple recipes for a while. Russ and Sylvie left, then, after asking about a public beach on the lake, just to cool off before their trip back home.
We'll have other visitors here this afternoon. Wendy, Steve, and their kids Gareth and Ella are in the Twin Cities for a week or so. Steve had a research meeting in town and they all came along. They've been anxious to see Vista Meadows since I started posting about it and today they'll have a chance to get a feel for the place. It will probably be wet for a while but we have some board games and beer to keep us all occupied through the wettest of the weather. I hadn't seen them for quite a long time until I hiked some of AT in the White Mountains of NH a couple of years ago. We split the difference between where we were and met in Burlington, VT for pizza. Now we'll be together again, relatively soon, to swap stories, eat some grilled brats, and visit some more.
