Author Archives: Karen of Arcola

Last year I read 89 books and listened to 23 audio books. Here are some of my favorites. The Last Mapmaker – Christina Soontornvat Klipfish Code – Mary Casanova The Light in Hidden Places – Sharon Cameron Boxcar Children – … Continue reading →

River Otters love to play in the snow and in the river.

Several years ago, I replace our front lawn with a native flower garden. Flowers bloom throughout the season. Butterflies, bees, and birds love it. Fireflies light up at dust.

In 2021 I read 83 books and listened to another 17. Here is a list of my favorites for the year. Mostly middle grade fiction along a few picture books and a chapter book. What were your favorites? Fighting Words … Continue reading →

I read and listened to 90 books in 2020. I did not listen to as many books since I was able to work from home for most of the year. A few of my favorites: Bridge Home – Padma Venkatraman … Continue reading →

Last month, I kayaked along the shores of the St. Croix River capturing images of the beautiful fall colors. Click on the image to see my SmugMug site.

I’ve published my first picture book. Not a children’s picture book, but a photo book of Stillwater. A few friends and I combined out talents and published gorgeous book titled “Stillwater in Seasons”. We spent over a year selecting images … Continue reading →

Earlier this summer, the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 steam engine traveled around the country to celebrate the 150 anniversary of the transcontinental railroad completion. I managed to capture images of Big Boy 4014 traveling from St. Paul on its … Continue reading →

Hudson has a hot air balloon affair in February. The balloons launch at sunrise. It was still dark when we left the house. The sky had started to lighten when we crossed the river. We were worried the balloons would … Continue reading →

Hello again. I received exciting news a few weeks ago. One of my images was selected for an Honorable Mention in the Discover Stillwater photo contest. It is an image of a gondola boat between the spans of the old … Continue reading →