mnartists.org: Ed Labernik

"Limestone for Duluth"

Ed Labernik — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:33:05 GMT

As twilight passes, the September evening sky changes from sapphire to a deep, indigo blue allowing the three bright, diagonal stars in the belt of the constellation of Orion the Hunter to show themselves. Slowly, the darkening skies allow a myriad of other, far off worlds to display themselves as well. The rising, crescent moon over the horizon and the distant, sprawling Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, WI. enhances the celestial masterpiece. Adding to this spectacle are the operational lights of the self-unloading 767 foot S/S Arthur M. Anderson as the vessel discharges Michigan limestone into the hopper at Dock # 6 of the Canadian National Railway Ore Docks in Duluth, MN. From the hopper the limestone goes by conveyor belt to a stacker and then is piled. Eventually the limestone gets railed up north to mines on Minnesota’s Iron Range to be used in the iron ore pellet making process. When the Anderson completes the unloading it will then begin loading iron ore pellets at the same dock, destined for Gary, IN.

"Off Thunder Point"

Ed Labernik — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:56:27 GMT

An adult common loon has just risen to the surface of Knife Lake with a crayfish for its two juvenile loons, the near adult-sized youngsters will soon be able to feed for themselves. The gin-clear waters of Knife Lake boast a water clarity of nearly 25 feet and take on a distinct turquoise color on a sunny day as they descend to great depths. With the deepest part of the lake at 179 feet, the waters off Thunder Point drop to 100 feet in a very short distance while the exposed bedrock of the Point itself rises to over 80 feet. Knife Lake is very remote and divides at Thunder Point into the South Arm and the North Arm, the North Arm is then divided by the International Boundary of Canada to the north and the U.S. to the south.

"Dramatic Entry"

Ed Labernik — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:19:53 GMT

“Dramatic Entry” It was an artist’s dream, witnessing the spectacular colors in the early morning sky changing by the second. With the rising sun, colors changed vividly and continually. Adding to the striking kaleidoscope of colors was the entry into the Duluth Ship Canal of the longest ship sailing the Great Lakes, the 1013 foot M/V Paul R. Tregurtha. If this all wasn’t dramatic enough, adding to it were 3 resonating blasts, the Master’s Salute of one long and two shorts, from the Tregurtha’s whistle. As the vessel passed the South Pier Lighthouse and headed toward the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Bridge returned the Salute. Only small amounts of snow had fallen so far, it was December 17, 2002 as the enormous vessel was coming in to load about 60,000 tons of low sulfur western coal, much less than its 68,000 ton capacity, at the Midwest Energy Terminal in Superior, WI. In about 12 hours the ship would then be downbound for the electric generating plant at Detroit Edison on the Detroit River, three days away.

"At Periscope Depth"

Ed Labernik — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:58:15 GMT

Reminiscent of a WW II submarine, this painted turtle has risen to “periscope depth,” exposing only the tip of his head as he surveys the surroundings of Lake Hayward on the Namekagon River of northwestern Wisconsin. It is March 2012 and generally the lake has 2 feet of ice on it at this time but an early spring has the turtles out and about as if it were mid summer.

"Aiding the Mack"

Ed Labernik — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:41:53 GMT

[size= medium]“Aiding the Mack”, (24.5x18.5 in.), $4500.00 Although the homeport of the USCG Icebreaker Mackinaw (WLBB-30) is Cheboygan, MI and the ship finds itself all over the Great Lakes on icebreaking missions, early December 2012 finds it in Superior, WI. Bow thruster problems bring it to Fraser Shipyards for repairs and to aid the Mack in negotiating some very tight turns to get in and out of the Shipyards are the tugs Nels J. and Edward H. of Heritage Marine. The first patchy snow of the season dots the Duluth hillside and the first ice is being broken by the tugs on St. Louis Bay.[/size]

"Fallen Arch Stopover"

Ed Labernik — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:16:35 GMT

"Fallen Arch Stopover", (20x14 in.), $1800.00 As I quietly approached the south end of Fallen Arch Lake on a grouse hunting hike in a remote area of northern Minnesota, I could hear geese "honking." It was that magical time between first light and sunrise. Sure enough, as I got close to the lake on from an old logging road, a small flock Canada geese were enjoying the early October morning as was I. It was the time of their annual migration and I was sure this was just an overnight stopover, very soon they'd be long gone for points south.

"Irruption"

Ed Labernik — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:01:07 GMT

Wildlife biologists use the term irruption to describe an animal that leaves its home territory in search of food. In this case, a snowy owl has left its home in the distant Arctic and traveled as far south as Duluth, MN in desperate search for food.Snowy owls find that the rodent population of the waterfront area fills that void just fine. This irruption, however, is different than most other irruptions when the snowies leave the Arctic because there is a shortage of lemmings, a large part of their diet. This year the owls have left because there were an abundance of lemmings, so many that the owls had a tremendous hatch, forcing the first year males to flee their territories. It is late December 2011 as the 826 foot long M/V Lee A. Tregurtha makes a late season run with nearly 30,000 tons of iron ore pellets loaded at the CN Dock in west Duluth, now destined for Indiana Harbor, IL. A mere hum emits from the passing Tregurtha's diesel engines in St. Louis Bay of St. Louis River as the undisturbed snowy continues hunting from its perch on the Duluth Interstate Fishing Pier, site of the old Interstate Highway Bridge.

"Acrobat"

Ed Labernik — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:47:13 GMT

[size= 13pt]“Acrobat”, (20x14 in.), $1200.00[/size]

[size= 13pt]Suspended horizontally in our backyard from our small peanut butter/suet feeder was a comical pileated woodpecker. This was a male, as evidenced by his red “moustache,” and proved to be quite a determined acrobat as he fed from a feeder frequented by chickadees and nuthatches. We also had a large beef suet feeder nearby for woodpeckers, which he vertically fed from as well but kept returning to the one with the peanut butter. He kept this up for a couple of hours, turning the suet block into something that resembled swiss cheese it but was more than worth the price of admission.[/size][size= 11.5pt][/size]

"Spring Sunset"

Ed Labernik — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:41:17 GMT

[size= small]“April Sunset”, (24.5 x 18.5 in.), $3500.00[/size] [size= small] [/size]Against the background of a spectacular spring sunset, the 1000-foot M/V Indana Harbor is loading about 69,000 tons of iron ore pellets at the CN/Missabe Railway Docks in Two Harbors, MN. The American Steamship Co.vessel has its 250 foot unloading boom swung to the portside, allowing the dock’s shuttles to load the aft cargo hatches. Upon completion of loading after nearly 8 hrs., the Indy will depart for Nanticoke, ON, 4 days away.

"Welcome Back Juncos!"

Ed Labernik — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:46:07 GMT

[size= 13pt]“Welcome Back, Juncos!”, (20x14 in.), $950.00[/size]

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[size= 13pt]Living in [/size][size= 13pt]Duluth[/size][size= 13pt], [/size][size= 13pt]MN[/size][size= 13pt] gives us little chance to see dark-eyed juncos, about our only chances at that are in the spring or fall during migration flights. The juncos are a most welcome sign to see after the snow has left as it is a sure sign of spring. The darker male here and the brownish female are resting in a nearby spruce tree after ground feeding with competing pine siskins, white-throated sparrows, chipping sparrows and white-crowned sparrows. The juncos and the other ground feeding birds can number between 20-30 at a time and spend about three weeks in our yard. Then it’s departure for the [/size][size= 13pt]Arctic[/size][size= 13pt] in the spring or the [/size][size= 13pt]Gulf of Mexico[/size][size= 13pt] in the fall.[/size][size= 11.5pt][/size]

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"Security,Security,Security..."

Ed Labernik — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:47:09 GMT

"Security,Security,Security", (24.5x18.5 in.), $3000.00 The 767 foot S/S Cason J. Callaway of the Great Lakes Fleet is inbound to the Duluth Ship Canal. An hour ago, the Callaway shattered the silence on Marine Emergency Channel 16 when she called the Aerial Lift Bridge: “Security, security, security. This is the Steamer Cason J. Callaway. The Callaway will be inbound Duluth Piers in about an hour, then going to the Missabe Ore Docks to unload limestone. Repeat, to all concerned vessel traffic, the Cason J. Callaway will be inbound Duluth Piers in about an hour then going over to the Missabe Ore Docks.” After ten seconds of silence Callaway followed up with: “Aerial Bridge, this is the Cason J. Callaway.” Aerial Bridge: “Callaway, go to channel 10.” Callaway: “Going to channel 10.” Bridge: “Callaway, this is the Bridge on 10.” Callaway: “Callaway on 10. Bridge, did you get my security call?” Bridge: “Yes we did Captain and when you get about a mile out we’ll get up and out of your way.” Callaway: “Thanks, Bridge. Any other vessel traffic in the harbor that you know of?” Bridge: “You're welcome Captain. The only other vessel to be concerned about is the Barker at Midwest Energy but she’s not scheduled to leave for at least two hours. Have a great day. Bridge clear." Callaway: "Callaway clear."

"The Boss"

Ed Labernik — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:27:08 GMT

[size= 11.5pt]“The Boss”, (20x14 in.), $1200.00 [/size]

[b][size= 11.5pt] [/size][/b][size= 11.5pt]I was grouse hunting onan old logging road, now no more than an overgrown trail, for the ninth season. It was mid October in northeast [/size][size= 11.5pt]Minnesota[/size][size= 11.5pt]. My hunt headed northwest to[/size][size= 11.5pt]Hudson[/size][size= 11.5pt][/size][size= 11.5pt]Lake[/size][size= 11.5pt]after crossing Ahmoo Creek twice. Nearing the second Ahmoo bridge crossing, I could plainly see his immense tracks again as I had each previous year, hoof prints nearly the size of a Clydesdale draft horse. He had torn up the old road -- small trees were uprooted and others snapped off. This was his territory and he was in rut. As I approached the bridge, the dense, coniferous forest canopy gave way to tall grass along the banks of Ahmoo Creek. There he stood, a gigantic bull moose that looked me in the eye for seconds before spinning away and crashing along the creek into the towering jackpine and spruce. I had finally seen The Boss, all 1200-1500 pounds of him, after eight years of anticipation.[/size][size= 13pt]Well aware of the poor eyesight of moose, I was grateful that he chose to run off instead of mistaking me for an amorous cow or a competing bull.[/size][size= 11.5pt][/size]

[size= 13pt]I never saw The Boss or his tracks after that season -- maybe wolves got him or he died quietly of old age.[/size][size= 11.5pt][/size]

"A Minnesota October"

Ed Labernik — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:18:49 GMT

“A Minnesota October”, (24.5x18.5 in.), $6000.00

Northeastern Minnesota’s spectacular golden birches and aspen glint under the bluebird skies of October. Gone are the sultry days of summer – the crisp days of fall and saturating colors treat with a new intensity. Lake Superior’s renewed, deep turquoise floats the 729 foot M/V Frontenac of the Canada Steamship Lines astern of the immense 858 foot M/V Roger Blough of the Great lakes Fleet. Laden with around 43 thousand tons of iron ore pellets, the Blough readies for departure from the Canadian National Railway Ore Docks in Two Harbors for U.S. Steel’s Gary Works in Gary, IN under a brilliant northern sun. The Frontenac will load around 27 thousand tons over the next 8 hours for Essar –Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. As the Frontenac approaches the dock, three red-coveralled crewmembers at the forward end are readying to descend to the dock via a bosun’s chair from a forward boom to secure the vessel to the dock.[size= 13.5pt; font-family: Verdana][/size]

"Bachelor Party"

Ed Labernik — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:49:41 GMT

[size= 11.5pt]“Bachelor Party”, (20x14 in.) $1800 [/size]

[size= 11.5pt]Not long ago a minor, unnamed creek drained the bogs south of [/size][size= 11.5pt]Arrow[/size][size= 11.5pt] [/size][size= 11.5pt]Lakes[/size][size= 11.5pt] and [/size][size= 11.5pt]Calamity[/size][size= 11.5pt] [/size][size= 11.5pt]Lake[/size][size= 11.5pt] in an extremely isolated area of northeastern Minnesota. Now a family of industrious beavers has built dams tocreate twolarge ponds. Four drake pintails are enjoying the peace and solitude of one of these ponds on a late September afternoon. It’s odd that there are no hens with this group as flocks generally have a mix ofmales and females.But weather at times can separate flock members during migration when theyride the cold fronts down from the far North.[/size] [size= 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA]

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"The Bull of Burntside"

Ed Labernik — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:44:50 GMT

[color=#000000]“The Bull of Burntside”, (13x9 in), $65.00[/color]

Against a background of memorable fall colors, the crew of the tug, Bull of the Woods[/i][/b], completes [/i][/b]another season of logging. [/i][/b]The Bull[/i][/b] is maneuvering its final boom into Hoist Bay of Burntside Lake near Ely, Minnesota. As the fireman stokes the boiler’s firebox for more steam, the helmsman steers the vessel into position with the tiller. A cable off the stern is secured to a ring on shore and the line handler is paying out more from below decks. The crew yaws the tug to get another “bite” or pull on the boom by running the paddlewheels in opposition – the portside paddlewheel has been reversed while the starboard paddlewheel remains in a forward position. Once sheltered in Hoist Bay, the boom will be disassembled and the logs will be hoisted onto railroad cars. The Bull[/i][/b] is operated by Oliver Iron Mining Co. - the logs will be used as railroad ties in Oliver’s open pit mining operations across the Iron Range as well as shoring and support timbers in its underground Pioneer Mine in Ely.