Gray skies heavy with the weight of winter soon to come, brings a darkness to the day even now at noon.  A small fire smolders in the backyard; burning the remnants of fall clean up of branches, twigs and bark.  

Boats are stored, the lodge and cabins ready for winter.  The quiet is startling.  No sounds of children, not the hum of a motor boat in the distance, no cries of the loon; it is a different time of year and sometimes difficult to adjust to.  Memories of moments, memories of day and years past come so easily amidst the quiet.  The dogs:  Moose and Marine are dressed in vests of hunters orange; they, too, are adjusting to the season.

We watch ... we wait.

Not quite rain ... not quite snow.  Not drizzle, not snowflakes ... yet.

News reports indicate points south of Ely and certainly Minneapolis already have received several inches of winter snow.  Soon we will join them in the journey ... but in between we savor this time and watch the moisture as it swells to snow.

We watch ... we wait.