Icy "Paw" Photo

As I post this icy "paw" photo the wind howls outside or is that growling I'm hearing? LOL The snow and ice refuse to leave Northern Michigan, even though spring has been tapping her foot with impatience. Everyone but the snowmobilers and skiers longs to see the white stuff soak into the ground, not to look at it again until next November. But here we are, stuck in winter, so I might as well make lemonade from lemons and find beauty to snap.

I love finding artsy photos like this as the snow and ice melt. It makes a nature walk inspiring and adventuresome. What will reveal itself next? This time of year becomes more bearable when you tote a camera along with you on a nature walk. I hope you enjoy the photo.

My thoughts and prayers are with those in Fargo and the surrounding areas that may be affected by the flooding. My heart goes out to them.

I have updated my other blog if you would like to take a visit and find out about my singing alto in the parochial school choir. That was when I was young. Oh, to go back in time!

Hugs, JJ

Love a Cloudy Sky!

Don't you love a rolling cloudy sky! On this day a cold rain soon followed, but I snapped photos until the darker clouds chased the beautiful ones away. I'm in awe of the different formations clouds can make in such a short time and of the way the sun gelds her way across the atmosphere.

I'm a cloud watcher. :D

Today thousands of ice floes are drifting across Lake Huron so Jeff and I will visit the beach tomorrow. The several feet of snow we had to tramp through in January has melted so we will have an easier time walking the beach. Jeff is hunting for feathers so he can do some fly tying, and I am going to try to snap some bird photos with my telephoto lens. :D

Hugs, JJ

Icy Footprint Art

Icy footprints capture my imagination and I love snapping photographs of them. A beech leaf floated down to the indentation on the ice and turned this footprint into art. The smaller beech trees retain their autumn leaves until a couple of weeks before spring. It's amazing how they can survive the blizzards that have people staying inside. These leaves add a golden touch of color to a skeleton forest and the eye clings to them because they are hope for the future when life returns again to the sleeping landscape. Sometimes the beech leaves rattle like dry bones in the wind but they hold tight during the roughest of times. A good lesson.

Guess what size my boot is. :D

*This photo should lie horizontal...anyone understand why it changed in the upload?

Hugs, JJ

Tahquamenon Falls Surreal Riverbank

Today was beautiful! A great day to escape from the long dragged out winter and drive in the sunshine to the Tahquamenon Falls of Michigan. The sun warmed us as we drove along the bare highway - ah, no ice - and robins flew across the median as we traveled to the great Upper Peninsula spot. That song ...When the red red robin comes bob bob bobbin... started playing in my head after I saw the orange breasted birds. It's a bright upbeat song, but I knew Jeff would only want to hear me sing it once this spring so I'll wait for the right moment. LOL

When we arrived at the falls the road that led into the park hadn't been plowed and the snow ridges and water rivulets made for a bouncy car entrance so Jeff drove slow. Wouldn't want to drop a muffler or anything.

We found the pathway to the falls not icy but soft with melting snow. Easy to walk on but I am glad I wore my boots. Jeff and I stopped at all the viewing areas and took in the sights.

At the roaring tannin falls I wanted to snap this riverbank photo because of the surreal atmosphere it gives the tourist. I had already posted an Upper Tahquamenon Falls photo this winter and realized I hadn't shown this kind of shot.

All in all, it was a great day. :D The best part was - we didn't eat any junk food on the way there and back. YAY!!! We're starting to grow up. :D

My life is a little busy right now in a good way. SQUEE! I promise to return visits to your blogs soon, dear friends.

Hugs, JJ

Huddled Ice

It's been so cold in Michigan that even the Lake Huron ice has huddled together. LOL Couldn't resist the joke. We had whipping winds up to 70 mph last night and now frantic snowflakes are flying through the air this morn. The countdown to spring is nine days. I hope nature decides to smile soon. So far the roaring beast is winning.

The saving grace to this harsh weather is that I am hoping to find some good wave action on Lake Huron. Jeff and I are bundling up and heading there soon. If I'm lucky I can snap photos from the car and not face the brunt of the storm.

That reminds me of when my sixth grade teacher Mr. Eilers used to tell me to eat my Wheaties or I would "blow away in the wind". I was a small tyke back then. Used to walk to school in this weather and have red legs because we could only wear dresses or skirts. No slacks allowed. Brrr. And my woolen coat ended at the knee. That sure wasn't protection from the deep snow banks I found along the way. :D

In other news, I have something EXCITING to tell you as soon as I can. And I have a new Bible passage post and photo on my new inspirational blog if you care to read it.

Hugs, JJ

Lake Superior Island

Lake Superior has both Jeff's and my heart and we love our adventures on that broody Great Lake, especially in the Tahquamenon Bay area. This photo was snapped by me on our trip late last August. We fondly nicknamed this site Mouse Island years ago and the name has fondly stuck with us. The few trees on it make great mouse ears. :D

The island is very small and fun to walk around but you have to watch where you step because of rusted metal and jagged bricks that blanket the shoreline and sandbar. Some sort of dock must have stretched into Lake Superior from this shoreline in the past and ghost pilings stick up eerily as if waiting for someone from long ago to return and reclaim them. We would love to know the history. We aren't sure why the tumbled bricks are there. They line the sandbar around the island.

Exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is at the top of our list when we decide its time for a trip. We always have a great time while soaking up the atmosphere of nature at its best. Wild.

Hugs, JJ