Category Archives: Background

Snowy is Sold Out!

Background, Year 8

Snowy’s Search for Color, one of my children’s bird books is now sold out and out of print. I do not anticipate another printing prior to Christmas. If you live in Duluth, the Duluth Art Dock and the Duluth Studio Market may still have a few copies. My thanks to both of these businesses for supporting local artists and authors.

Remember, I give away full PDF downloads of Snowy and my other children’s books. The inventory on “Do You Hoot” is also getting low.

Wilderness Wayfarer: Google Maps Offline

Background, Year 8,

For the last few days I have been hanging out in Grand Marais and the Gunflint Trail region. This reminded me I have been wanting to blog about Google Maps offline usage. Even if you live in a large metropolitan area, Google Maps Offline will help you:

  • Connectivity is never perfect. Google Maps Offline insures your directions work even if you lose your connection.
  • Given your phones’ GPS chip works w/o connectivity, pre-downloaded maps means never getting lost
  • Having downloaded map regions via wifi, you save on your data contracts
  • In northeastern Minnesota next to the Canadian border, having a data connection is a pipe dream

Here are some screenshots from my phone while exploring the wilds on the Northland this weekend.

.1. Looking at Google Maps on my phone. Tap upon my icon to pull down the menu.

.2. This menu appears, and I want to select “offline maps”

.3. I already have some maps downloaded, which Google updates when required. In addition, I may download and name an area specifically desired by me

.4. Given I pressed “select you own map”

These two screenshots were taken while I was in navigation mode. I may zoom in and out as desired. Even without a connection, Google talks out loud and tells me when to make a turn.

Now for some photography …

I was hoping to find some moose. This is the time of the year when moose are in love, but alas, there was no voyeurism for me! Instead, I mainly saw Ruffed Grouse and Common Redpolls.  I am also including a few road signs and sunrise / sunset lighthouse pics from Grand Marais.

A Ruffed Grouse

The ONLY road signs I saw other than United States Forest Service numerical road signs during almost three hours of exploring yesterday afternoon.

Sunset followed by Sunrise of the Grand Marais Lighthouse (last night and this morning)

The Fall Birding Doldrums

Background, Year 8, ,
  • Most of our summer birds have departed the Northland
  • Winter birds from up north have not yet arrived
  • Eternal thick fog seems to have coated the area

In short, the birding opportunities have been few and far between over the past week. Perhaps the only excitement was fixing the bear damage at the new public bird feeders at French River.

Winter birding is just around the corner. Two prime locations near Duluth are Sax-Zim Bog just north of town, and Superior (just across the bridge from Duluth). I recently created two short birding guides for a friend’s business. Folks may enjoy downloading the free PDF’s.

The sun did briefly make an appearance yesterday morning, and I caught this Pileated Woodpecker in flight.