Isn’t Life Strange?

If Alexandria Minnesota has a landmark or a symbol, it would be Big Ole, most likely the largest fiberglass statue of a Viking ever built.  Big Ole has been here for many years, at least as long as I have been coming here since I was a child.  He has been moved several times and unfortunately his location seems to be getting less prominent with every move.  He also used to have wings on his helmet, just like Thor.  Those seem to have disappeared.  Nonetheless, Big Ole is a favorite to natives and visitors to the area. 

It’s been a beautiful day here today - sunny, mild and breezy.  We have taken advantage of the weather to finish a few projects around the cottage. 

I was lucky enough to have another experience with another bird, this time a female Downy Woodpecker.  She let me get close and didn’t seem to mind me snapping several exposures.  With all the bird seed around here we see many birds and squirrels. 

Click on each photo for enlargement options, or feel free to visit my flickr photostream to see more of my photos.