Sucker River

A full seven days was needed to rid my house of the wood ticks. I finally had a wood tick free day so I went back out on the Superior Hiking Trail. First I sprayed my hat, shoes, pants and shirt in permethrin and let it dry. I drove to the Sucker River trail head. The spur to the hiking trail at this spot is .9 mile long. That was such a long spur I thought I was lost but I eventually found it. 

I hiked across the Sucker River on a very nice bridge. This spot also had a shelter and a toilet which was an unexpected treat. For a few feet the Superior Hiking Trail shares the bridge with the North Country Trail and the shelter and toilet are for the North Country Trail. The water looked inviting. I thought about wading in and decided not to. I wondered why this was the sucker river. Is the river named after the sucker fish or the blood sucking leeches?  My hike took me along a ridge and when I got to the top I found I could see for miles. Dragonflies were plentiful. Some rested right on the path in front of me and I tried not to step on any. During the entire hike I saw no one and except for 2 planes I heard no sounds of civilization. 

I saw a few flowers blooming. The birds were quieter on this trip. I could hear the rushing of water of the Sucker River and Sucker Creek as I hiked up and down. The trail curves a lot. Sometimes I question if the designed of the Superior Hiking Trail chose the most difficult route. I started the hike at 1:15 and by 4:15 I had made it to the Sucker Creek campground. I turned around and headed back to my car. I brought my head net along in case I needed it and I was glad I did. Along the Sucker Creek the mosquitoes were fierce even with all the insect repellent I was wearing. Now I have completed 40.0 miles of the Superior Hiking trail and have 293.1 left to go.

Colorful Snakes

Walking home yesterday I left the sidewalks and took the Chester Creek trail. Right away a snake scares me by traveling across my path and into the weeds. I took this photo. I'm not sure but it could be a hognosed snake. The colorful pattern of the snake was alarming. I am accustomed to garter snakes.

Apartment

Teddy Wayne wrote a book called Apartment. The story is about a grad student at Columbia studying for a MFA in creative writing. He illegally sublets his aunt's apartment for six years now. His first four years in the apartment was his undergraduate study. Living off campus makes him feel apart from the other college students. For two years he works as a copy editor after graduation before entering grad school. In school the students critique each other's work. The narrator's work is given harsh criticism while the other students get gentler treatment. Billy, another student, is the only one who praises the narrator's work. The narrator and Billy become friends and eventually share the apartment. The awkward unbalance of their living situation affects their relationship especially since the writing program at Columbia is very competitive. The narrator's insecurity is brought forth by Billy's writing talent. If you want to read about a young male example of insecurity, this is the book for you.

Sweet Smell of Spring

Walking around Duluth at this time of year is an olfactory treat. The lilacs are in bloom. The bleeding hearts are in bloom. The lupines are in bloom. The crab apple and plum trees are in bloom. The Allium are in bloom. The bridal veil bushes are in bloom. Forsythia is in bloom. Lilies of the valley are in bloom. Azalea bushes are in full bloom. The air is perfumed with the sweet scent of flowers. Here is a photo of my purple shamrocks in bloom.

The Muralist

B. A. Shapiro wrote The Art Forger (which I read not too long ago) and The Muralist. I guess I have been reading a lot of art books. Both of these books are historical fiction. I enjoy getting into the head of an artist. This time the art is abstract which is more difficult for me to appreciate. The artist, Alizee Benoit, is fictional but her lover is Mark Rothko who was a real artist. Her friends include Jason Pollock, also a real artist. Alizee is Jewish and she has family in France that she is trying to get visas for because the Nazis are in France. Alizee works for the WPA  (Works Projects Administration - one of the new deal institutions set up by Franklin Delano Roosevelt). When Eleanor Roosevelt comes to visit the artists working on murals Alizee seeks her assistance to include abstract art as well as representational art. Eleanor helps Alizee get her abstracts included in a contract. Later Alizee asks Eleanor Roosevelt for assistance in rescuing her family. I enjoy historical fiction and I certainly enjoyed The Muralist.

Small Great Things

I was listening to the book Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. At the same time I am hearing the news from Minneapolis where car loads of white supremacists are rumored to be stashing bottles of gasoline in Minneapolis neighborhoods, the author of this book introduces a character named Turk Bauer. Turk is a white supremacist living in Connecticut. He is married to another white supremacist and her father is the leader of the white supremacists in the area. Reality and fiction are getting a little too close for comfort. Turk Bauer is a disturbing character. He is full of hate and anger. He has swastikas tattooed on his scalp. Turk is a violent man. What is more disturbing is that the author writes about him in such a way that I had to admire him too. He wasn't all bad. He is a kind and loyal husband who wants to assist her through her pregnancy in any way he can. At the hospital he objects when Ruth Jefferson assists his child. He requests that no persons of color assist him new son. Of course things go wrong and like all Jodi Picoult novels there is a long legal trial. I understand this book will be made into a movie. Julia Roberts will play the attorney and Viola Davis will play Ruth Jefferson. I give credit to Picoult for daring to write a book about racism. In the interview after the book she admits her own prejudices and is very honest. I admire that. I enjoyed the book but I thought she developed the character of Turk Bauer better than Ruth Jefferson. The ending was a tad melodramatic but overall it was a good book to read.

A Black Women's History Of The United States

Diana Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross were approached by Beacon Press to write this non-fiction book. Both of these women work at Universities as educators. The history covers the last 400 years. The book is in chronological order. Each chapter is about a segment in history and starts out with a story about a black woman from that era.  The authors challenge stereotypes about black women. Included in the book are artists and free women, slaves and educators, law abiding black woman and other black women who do not obey the law.  I enjoyed this book because sometimes history is so dry and full of facts I get bored. I was definitely not bored by A Black Women's History Of The United States.