As unto the bow the cord is,
So unto the man is woman;
Though she bends him, she obeys him,
Though she draws him, yet she follows;
Useless each without the other!”
Thus the youthful Hiawatha
Said within himself and pondered,
Much perplexed by various feelings,
Listless, longing, hoping, fearing,
Dreaming still of Minnehaha,
Of the lovely Laughing Water,
In the land of the Dacotahs.

I doubt anyone remembers Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha. Completed in 1855, the poem is a long one, and it seems that noone studies poetry anymore.

I went today (of course after my requisite 5.36 hours of work) to Minnehaha falls in Minneapolis, named for Hiawatha’s wife in the poem. The park is lovely with many old trees.

I met Gayle, Joe (her husband), and Zach and Alex (his sons) for a picnic. But first we walked to see the falls. Here’s the view from the top:

Then we walked down, down, down. Here’s what they look like from below + me:

Here’s Joe just hanging out…

Then if you follow Minnehaha Creek down farther it feeds into the mighty Mississippi. The Mississippi looks a lot purer up here than in St. Louis. Here’s a shot up the Mississippi, including a lock and dam, taken from the confluence:

Some amazing old trees too (with Zach and Alex):