Minnesota Prairie Roots

IN THE SEASON of autumn, farm memories draw me back to the land.

To follow country gravel roads

and county highways

past sweeping fields of corn

harvested,

A vintage Gleaner combine harvests a cornfield along LeSueur County Road 13 near Lake Jefferson.

under harvest

Partially harvested…

and unharvested.

Roads lead me by farm sites,

aged stately barns

Near historic Marysburg in LeSueur County.

and mammoth bins awaiting the yield.

Following a tractor pulling a 1970s era gravity box along LeSueur County Road 13.

I observe, too, farmers creeping tractors trailing wagons,

zipping along rural roadways

Visiting at the intersection of LeSueur County roads 13 and 16.

and stalled in conversation at a rural intersection.

Cattle graze along 241st Avenue, just off LeSueur County Road 13.

I scan the landscape with the eyes of someone who misses the farm,

A harvested field glistens with puddled rainwater and mud. Too much rain has slowed the harvest for farmers in southern Minnesota. They will be working long days and nights to catch up and get the crop in before the snow flies.

who remembers the hurry of her farmer father,

Enjoying a beautiful autumn Sunday afternoon along Waseca County Road 22.

who follows country roads in the season of autumn.

FYI: I shot these images in Rice, LeSueur and Waseca counties during a Sunday afternoon, October 22, drive with my husband.

Check back for more photos from that drive.

© Copyright 2017 Audrey Kletscher Helbling