I see at last that all the knowledge

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

Lake 4

The photographs were taken in Vaakkoi on May 15th.

Today is the last day of school. In the afternoon I'll drive the car for 400 km.

(Posting title is from the poem 90 North by Randall Jarrell.)

And my fingers close on it, caressing

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

The photographs were taken on March 29th at Vaakkoi.

(Posting title is from the poem The Blue Scarf by Amy Lowell.)

Know very clearly—or at least lie still

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

Lake 4

Lake 5

Lake 6

These photographs were taken in Vaakkoi on December 31st and January 1st. I explored the north parts of the area, finding new routes. There was a little bit of snow, and it was quite cold.

In fact, the average temperature in Finland between January 1st and 21st was -18.3 °C, which is the coldest since 1987. And I remember 1987 quite well, as I was then in the army and we spent lots of time time camping in the forest. Temperature dropped to -40 °C.

(Posting title is from the poem Don Juan: Canto 11 by Lord Byron.)

Was too much for my primitive

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

Lake 4

The photographs were taken on December 12th at Vaakkoi.

This morning I visited Oittaa once again. It is a nice place for taking a walk, except for the noise that comes from the big roads to the south and to the east. Of course, when one walks for some distance towards Nuuksio the noise goes down. I took yet another route, and found new things to explore later.

Last night we had -10 °C, in the morning -4 °C, and now 0 °C. I was getting used to the cold, and now I must adapt to warmer weather. In three days I have got seven hours of exercise.

(Posting title is from the poem graduate school first semester: so here I am writing about Indians again by Cheryl Savageau.)

Then I started seeing this marksmanship

Fog 1

Fog 2

Fog 3

Fog 4

Fog 5

Fog 6

These photographs were taken at Vaakkoi on October 18th. There was fog at lakes and swamps. It was quiet.

I think that quiet is much underrated.

Last week I got over 12 hours of exercise, of which 5 1/2 hours during the weekend, walking across forests and swamps, without meeting anyone, except a dog.

(Posting title is from the poem Sheriff Matt Whitlock Confesses to a Lesson in Zen after Hours by R. T. Smith.)

Everyone in a minute will be somewhere else entirely

Lake

I have looked at this photograph several times, returning to it again and again. The composition is not that that good, so the interest may be in the details. Hmmm?

(Posting title is from the poem Interesting Times by Mark Jarman.)

What it does not know it looks for

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

Lake 4

Lake 5

Lake 6

Lake 7

Lake 8

Today I walked for 2 1/2 hours in Luukki. It was clouded, and I got lost, thinking that I was walking towards north when I was in fact going south. That felt good. When I returned to the parking place, I noticed a man carrying two 10 liter buckets full of blueberries. The first berries start to be ready for picking, but most are still unripe.

The photographs were taken in Vaakkoi on July 2nd.

(Posting title is from the poem Dominion Over the Larger Animal by Sophie Cabot Black.)

What is the visual equivalent

Lake 1

Lake 2

Lake 3

Lake 4

These photographs were taken at Vaakkoi on April 6th, at lake Vähä Majalampi and lake Väärä-Musta.

Today I rested, or at least didn't do anything physically strenuous. I did some shopping with my daughter, and being in a shopping mall can be taxing, but even that went ok. I did go out when it was sunset time, and took some photographs. It wasn't quiet, as there were a lot of bids singing: blackbirds, great tits, thrushes, and so on, everyone telling their own tale.

(Posting title is from the poem Stravinsky in L.A. by Elizabeth Alexander.)

Glittered around him, like a golden lake

Pollen

The rainy weather has at least one benefit: the amount of pollen floating in air is kept in control. The photograph was taken in Vaakkoi on May 18th.

Summer vacation has started in schools, and the children are pleased about it, but my vacation is still a few weeks ahead. I have been looking at maps, for places to visit.

One interesting possibility is Kytäjä-Usmi wilderness in Hyvinkää. There are rocky hills, different types of swamps, and small lakes. And Gavia stellata was mentioned in the guide to the area.

I need to visit Hyvinkää in two weeks, and walking a few hours in Kytäjä-Usmi wilderness would be a nice side benefit. I don't know how crowded the place is, but there seems to be a lot of area for even big crowds to disappear into.

(Posting title is from the poem In the Wilderness by George Henry Boker.)

To say loses itself in the bend of winter

Väärä-Musta

Vähä-Majalampi

Saaren-Musta 1

Saaren-Musta 2

These photographs were taken in Vaakkoi on February 18th, showing some of the lakes I visited while walking around the area. There was still plenty of snow left.

Today the depth-of-snow figure at Vantaa airport is 0 cm. And the length of day is 10 h 5 min, which is fine indeed. However, as there is no snow left, the night gets very dark after sunset, quite a different feeling than a week ago.

(Posting title is from the poem Black Mare by Lynda Hull.)

And it slithered through my fingers

Väärä-Musta

Fishing

Shore

Reflect

I got completely soaked twice this week while commuting by bicycle, and today was the second time. In the morning the street was wet but it wasn't raining any more, except a little when I was already near the Ministry. But when I returned home it was raining, part of the way quite heavily.

One does get used to this, but still it wasn't a great feeling to get wet all over. Well, except for the feet, as I have waterproof cycling shoe covers which keep the feet (and the shoes) dry enough.

Here are photographs taken last Saturday at Vaakkoi, by the lake Väärä-Musta. Maybe I'll have some time to go walking during the weekend, to see how the summer looks after the rain.

(Posting title is from the poem I knew something was wrong by Dorothea Grossman.)

That I might know the knowing

Pine

Saaren-Musta

Reflect

Birch

Flowers

Ant

Ditch

I'm still posting photographs from last weekend. Sunday evening I went with the two older daughters for a walk in the forests at Vaakkoi, visiting three lakes there: Vaakkoi, Saaren-Musta and Väärä-Musta. The ground is no longer as wet as it was, so it was possible to use sneakers for walking instead of rubber boots.

(Posting title is from the poem Of What is Real by Richard Tagett.)