Scenic Cheboygan River Photo

Jeff guest blogs:

This scenic photo on the Cheboygan River shows a barge coming down the river, pushed by a tug. You can see the tug's pilot house near the stern of the barge. This is the type of rig were the tug is actually inserted into a cutout in the barge's stern, making it look like a monohull ship. Many of our aging Great Lakes freighters have been converted to this setup when their engines grew old. Beats the scrap heap.

The special moment of this photo was when the vessel passed me and the shoreline ice gave a great crack from the wake. Nearly scared me off my precarious perch on the lip of the breakwall. The metal wall resonated with a bong! The displaced water from a ship can really affect the shoreline as a ship passes by. I have actually seen it reverse the flow.

I've enjoyed being a guest on my wife's blog. She has asked me to pop in with my photos now and then. I've been visiting some of your blogs with her. She usually yells, "Come quick!" All I can say is WOW!

Jeff

Sandpiper added this reply and it's such a beautiful story that I wanted everyone to read it:

"Hi Jeff, Nice to meet you. Interesting picture and post about the barge. My in-laws lived on the Connecticut River and we watched the barges go up and down the river. The captain would toot the horn and we'd all run out to the cliff overlooking the river and wave. One day, he showed up at the door because he "just had to meet the friendly people who waved from cliff." Nice man. Nice memory."

Swubird wrote this lovely reply:

Jeff: Interesting post. I know a little something about tugs - very little. I was stationed aboard a Navy tug way back in 1960. We were located at the Port of Hueneme, California. I can remember those early pre-dawn mornings when we would head out past the break waters to pick up a merchant ship. It was interesting duty, but I wouldn't want to do it for a lifetime. I'm no Pop-eye.I like your pictures, but they give me goose bumps.Happy trails.

I'm here guys. Just letting Jeff have some fun on my blog too and preparing for something that may happen soon. I have a literary agent!!!

Hugs, JJ

Rippling Lake Huron Waters

It's been a long time since I have seen rippling Lake Huron waters from the shoreline! As you can see, the spring melt has a good hold now and will become more and more pronounced as the temps warm up. Soon I'll ask Jeff if we can take cups of tea or hot chocolate to the beach and watch a cherry sunset while sitting on a picnic table and enjoying the beauty of the night. The lapping waves will calm our souls.

The signs of spring are marching in.

Outside my door, some ground that is free from snow has started to unthaw so that my footprints sink into the earth and release a pungent earthy aroma. That reminds me that Jeff will soon till the garden, churning up the soil and tilling in the old apples the bobcat has delighted in. Jeff plans to plant a big garden this year with the economy the way it is. The kale we dried last year has served us all winter. We enjoy sprinkling it in soups and spaghetti sauce. Tomato chips sound good for this next winter.

The neighbors have already tapped their maple trees. The sap is filling the bags and that is another sign of spring. The trees are awakening. :D Soon the neighbors will have long stirring sessions at their stove while they boil down the sap so they can have syrup on their pancakes. I'm not fond of maple syrup right from the tree. It's too strong tasting for me. I prefer a lighter maple flavoring.

I saw two robins perched in a maple tree yesterday. They were males who have come to stake out their territory before the females arrive. Jeff and I are watching for more robins. He had said that when they arrive he will start running again. It's time! Jeff's not happy unless he's challenging his body. I cheer him on and hope he runs a marathon in the future.

And I wish I had his endurance for such adventures. :D I'm just as happy enjoying a rocky shoreline.

Hugs, JJ

Spring's Delicate Ice Art

The creek has melted to a tannin ribbon which winds its way through snowy banks and brings gurgling sounds to my ears as the water rises. While observing it, I found this delicate ice art suspended over the creek and supported by reeds. How beautiful it in the sunlight!

I think the delicate ice art looks like a dog in profile. I can see the laid back ears and the snout. It even looks like the dog is carrying a stick. :D Nature has its delightful surprises. I just have to take the time to look.

We have snow and gusting winds this morning as a storm moves through, but temps are expected to rise to forty-nine degrees this weekend. Snowstorms at this point are hard to bear, even though they melt quickly. I have to admit, I didn't want this ice art to melt away. Am I sick or what! LOL

What do you see in the photograph?

Hugs, JJ

Nature's Spring Art

Happy Easter!!!

Even though we're having the coldest Easter celebration since 1950, according to the weatherman, signs of spring are peppering the landscape. I marveled at God's artistry when I snapped this photo of the melting Lake Huron shoreline the other day.

In this photo, Lake Huron has begun reclaiming the snow from the frozen landscape. The flowing water left imprints on the beach which showed the water's course in beautiful strokes. I could have stayed there gazing at this scene for an hour if the cold wind wasn't nipping my cheeks and chilling my bones - not to mention shutting down my camera.

But now that the melting process has begun, my heart has lightened. We'll have some freezing days yet, but the rhythm of spring has begun like a light drum roll. Soon its beat will grow louder and louder and winter will melt away and become a memory. In my mind, I can't remember past winters well, except for blizzards. It's great how the mind forgets. :D

The inspiration I see for life in this photo is that we are all part of a larger whole, which is God. No matter how far we roam, we are brought back to our Source. And He embraces us graciously.

I'm starting to look at better cameras. Anyone have any suggestions for taking good nature shots? It's time to move forward and I prefer a digital camera that's not too bulky.

Journey safely this weekend.

Swahilya has commented on this post and I wanted to share it with you here:

"Happy Easter. As I was reading your post, the same thought crossed my mind about the comparison of how the same water becomes ice and the same ice gets absorbed and becomes water into itself...and how God becomes man and in the end man is consumed by and becomes God...the Cosmos contains everything in itself...well almost we're in sync!"

One of the reasons I love reading blogs is because I can learn about other bloggers' philosophies and have enjoyed these moments. :D I believe we are part of God's Temple and we do go back to Him one day.


Hugs, JJ

Joyous Spring and a Melting Shoreline

Thank you, God, for melting my frozen world! Spring has begun. I found the Lake Huron shoreline emerging from its winter sleep yesterday. If you could hear me singing, it would be now. :D What a long winter we have had in Northern Michigan. Everyday now will bring new delights of the awakening earth. I will celebrate all of them.

And pull out my bottom dresser drawer to find out if my shorts still fit. It was a chocolate winter. :D What will I look like in my bathing suit? Scream! It wouldn't hurt to grab the tan-in-the-bottle too. No sense scaring people off with my lily white legs. There is that awkward time when people start wearing shorts and I don't want to go through it. The bright summer colors only make the legs look more ghostly if they aren't tanned.

Jeff had to push me up a frozen snowbank alongside of the highway yesterday so I could snap this shot, but I would have crawled to find this pic. :D

WOOT!!! My world's ALIVE again and I can dream of picnics, boating, sightseeing, stashing the boots, and watching the baby birds fly.

I am renewed. How great it is to see rocks under lake water once more.

Big Hugs, JJ

Downtown Cheboygan and a Snow Plow

I couldn't let the winter pass without showing what Cheboygan looks like after a good snowstorm. See the angry skies hovering over the city, rolling off Lake Huron. You can imagine the windchill by the tilt of the traffic light.

In our town, the snowplows push the snow to the middle of the main streets before they remove it. The problem with this method is that half-melted snow starts building along the sides of the snowbanks by passing cars and soon the road's a slushy mesh that grabs the tires and pulls the vehicle to one side or another as the driver fights the wheel. We've not driven through any other towns that do snow removal this way. Unless they are quicker about cleaning it up and we miss it.

The weatherman has predicted the return of winter, so the plows will soon push snow again. Our mailbox has a hard time staying upright when the daredevil driver - that's what it looks like- forces thundering snow against it.

We don't like following a snowplow, but you can see sparks flying up from the belly blade scraping the road and it's quite a show. It looks like welding sparks or the Fourth of July sparklers. We're glad the snowplows head our way because traveling to Wal-Mart is a big part of our entertainment while our world sleeps.

Does your city plow the snow to the middle of the road during the removal process?

Hugs, JJ

The Snow Swing LOL

The snowy swing rocked in the wind, beckoning me to take a seat. What can I say! I plopped down on the thick snow cushion and lifted my snowshoes off the ground. And I had a good swing. It had been months since I ventured to my favorite spot for watching the seasons change.

It was great, the soothing motion relaxed me as I reclaimed my sunny spot where God's Handiwork unfolds around me. And I noticed green grass under the swing. A true sign of life waking up. The air was moist and smelled of melting snow.

Six days and counting until the Vernal Equinox.

Now the wind gusts outside and I know it's blowing out the last freezing breaths and soon the buds will start forming on the trees in the warming golden sunlight.

I'm a bud watcher. Notice every spurt of growth. Watch the buds bursting and the delicate foliage growing and taking over the forest in steps. I especially love the wild cherry trees new growth. Soon the cherry trees will look like lacy, petaled brides waiting for their grooms.

I hope you're enjoying great weather!

Hugs, JJ

The Bobcat and the Wild Turkeys

The other day the wild turkeys came, a dozen of them, standing in the driveway, still and alert, listening for sounds. When they were satisfied, the turkeys followed their leader, single-file, their heads stretched forward as they made their way to the sunflower seeds in my backyard. I watched the turkeys dig and scratch at the snow like over-sized chickens, until they unearthed the sunflower seed hidden by the last snow flakes. How cute! It's amazing to see a dozen of these gigantic birds in the yard.

Then I saw upheaved piles of snow in the garden. Slid on my snowshoes to check it out. Found huge claw marks. Some animal had been digging up the apples during the night that we couldn't use from our orchard last fall. Jeff intends to till them into the soil come spring. Heavens, was it bobcat claw marks? Marks can be confusing. And not wanting to believe what you have seen comes into play.

I rushed inside and looked up bobcat on the internet. My cats don't eat apples and these claw marks were huge. Jeff arrived home. "I think the bobcat is back and he has been digging up apples in our garden!" I said. "Look at this photo."

Jeff peered at the claw marks. "Bobcats don't eat apples," he said, trying to reassure me.

I ran outside and found a track and snapped a photo of it, comparing it to the bobcat track image on the internet. "Look at this track. I think it's the same," I said. I read more about them and found out they do eat apples! And the bobcat left more than claw marks - if you know what I mean.

"Humph," Jeff said. "If it was a bobcat, perhaps he's following the wild turkeys around. AH! That's a clue for watching out for bobcats. The wild turkeys aren't always here. Sometimes they are crossing the highway a few miles down from us and we stop and wait for their slow walk across the road, one by one. LOL

In the past I have been snarled at by bobcats. I opened the back door one fine spring day and a bobcat made me jump when he disagreed with my outside intrusion. I shut the back door and said, "Okay!"

The next two times happened on my walks, when I followed the trails that are dear to me, because I can watch the budding poplars and maples, the delicate leaf growth, the mature leaf, and then the autumn display. I love communing with nature!

Bumping into wildlife is all part of woods living. We also have black bears, coyotes, and wolves have been spotted in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Never a dull moment. Always have to have our ears listening and our eyes watching.

Hugs, JJ

The Blocked, Snowy Trail

This snowy, blocked trail caught my eye last week as Jeff and I were snowshoeing. It gleamed in the sun and I couldn't help noticing how burdened the trail looked with dead branches heaped with snow. It made me think of how sometimes our burdens clutter our lives so we can't move forward until we do some major emotional clearing. But this is a beautiful forest scene and we shouldn't forget how special we are - how beautifully made like this forest. Even when we're down and out.

I have been told God doesn't give us more than we can handle. Thank heavens when life delivers punches, the day comes when the punches stop. The snow will melt away from this snowy trail and Jeff will clear it in a few weeks so we can enjoy the pathway again. :D

I'm also going to work on straightening up the clutter in my life that keeps me from moving forward. The clutter I am going to target on erasing out of my life first is worry. I've been a worrywart since grade school. Why does a child start worrying and keep on worrying into adulthood? It's time I figure this out and grow spiritually.

What clutter would you like to remove from your life?

Hugs, JJ

A Forest of Birds in the Yard

This is what you would see if you were standing at my window and looking outside. All winter long a forest of birds have visited us to scour sunflower seeds off the mantle of snow or perch at the feeder which hangs from a barren maple tree.

It's weird to see the backyard one mass of movement with the pecking of seeds and the fluttering of wings, but I'm happy the birds have full tummies to make it through the frigid winter. Jeff has hauled bags of sunflower seed home from the store. Our reward is seeing the birds' colorful flutters and listening to their cheery songs. I swear I hear them whistle, "Thank you!"

Squirrels rock the feeder after they pull out the aluminum ivy leaves for leverage so they can tip the feeder and shake it like a piggy bank. They have been amusing to watch. When too many birdfeeder leaves are pushed out, the bigger birds can't land on the feeder, and that is why we are sprinkling seeds on the ground. Jeff bends the leaves on the feeder back into place but they don't stay that way.

In the above photo you see purple finches and red polls milling about with the black-capped chickadees. I wish I had a camera with a more powerful zoom. One day soon. :D

Hugs, JJ

The Magic of a Snowy Woods

Even with seventeen days of winter to go, the season still displays exceptional beauty in the woods. In this photo, I love the way Nature has arranged the snowy pattern on her trees. It was a magical scene to gaze upon. She's an artist.

When Jeff looked up at the snow-sculptured birch tree, I knew it was time to snap a photo. :D I wondered what Norman Rockwell would think of this scene. Love his work!

The snow was saturated to the point that our jeans had wet spots where ever it touched them. That is a good indication that this view will disappear soon. This may have been our last snowshoeing adventure of the season.

I have more photos of this day to show you, and I know the coming shots will make you smile. :D Northern Michigan does ROCK when it comes to enjoying the country in the winter!

Soon the hibernating bears will yawn and begin to scrounge around for bird feeders. Hope ours isn't destroyed this year. We still have bear claw marks on a maple tree in our backyard from a previous bear expedition.

Hugs, JJ

Beautiful Ice Crystals Forming on the Creek

They take my breath away! Snow crystals. Notice their texture in this iced-over creek photo. Each crystal has formed with delicate grace, showing the beauty of nature as we wait out the last of winter.

It's March. The vernal equinox draws near. In this photo, the water gurgled under the ice. I could see bubbles. The melting water's strength will soon burst through and reclaim the creek's surface once again. But until then, I smile at the magic of a single ice crystal. These crystals looked as if they were caught in motion. They reminded me of ballerinas dancing across a dark galaxy. They're dainty and lovely and delicate.

Soon the creek will sound like a miniature waterfall and it will flood the banks while beavers gnaw down our smaller trees to add them to their damns. It's amazing how beavers can drag a tree they have felled through a maze of trees and bushes. They are hearty workers who sweep the ground into trails that we can later follow.

Hugs, JJ