Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Lake Michigan
Simple Start
This was a very simple start to a very simple morning with the sun rising behind the lighthouse at Kewaunee, Wisconsin – on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo and a new tab will open in your browser.
The Frozen Wondra
When extremely cold temperatures combine with the open water of Lake Michigan, it creates a foggy atmosphere. Take a calm morning – with no hint of a breeze – and mix the misty moisture in the air with those extremely cold temperatures and it will freeze to practically everything as a thick, but fluffy, frost. Wonderful stuff.
In the background, of course, is the well-known Kewaunee, Wisconsin pier and lighthouse.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Heading for Open Water
A commercial fishing boat (the Oliver H. Smith) breaks its way through the ice of the Kewaunee, Wisconsin harbor on their way to the open waters of Lake Michigan.
The ice in the harbor was thick enough to make getting out a challenge and it took quite a while for the boat to break through. It would push and crunch its way into the ice, traveling 20 or 30 feet at a time before it would be halted. Then it would back up and take another run at it…for the next 20 or 30 feet…back up and repeat until it finally got to open water. This shot shows it clear of the solid ice, heading out of the harbor. I’ve included a short video of the struggle below.
The Oliver H. Smith, is a commercial fishing boat built in 1944 at Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. during World War II. It was purchased in 1999 and is operated by Lafond’s Fish Market in Kewaunee.
To view a larger version with more detail, click on the image.
Sullenly
The clouds and mist rising from Lake Michigan created a sullen scene at the Kewaunee, Wisconsin pier and lighthouse.
This was one of the last images I snapped on a very cold (below zero) morning of shooting. I’d been out there a lot longer than I would have thought – about an hour and forty-five minutes – but I found plenty to point my camera at. I was the only one braving the elements that morning. All of the footprints you see in the snow were made by me.
I had decided to call it a morning, was dismantling my equipment, folding my tripod and packing up to head home. I looked back over my shoulder and noticed the shadows from the tree and it drew me back for a few more minutes.
To view a larger version of this image click on the photo.
Daydream Catalyst
A guy can daydream, can’t he? I look at this photo and daydream about being on a beach in the Caribbean, relaxing in the warm glow of a tropical sunset.
Of course, this is Kewaunee, Wisconsin at sunrise. Even in summer, it’s never “tropical” warm on the beach in the morning. But, in the grip of arctic winter weather, with temperatures below zero and wind chills much lower, a little escape is nice – even if it’s only in my mind. Feel free to pull up a beach chair and join me.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Frosted Branch
This is another shot from a very cold morning in Kewaunee, WI. The open waters of Lake Michigan created enough moisture that everything along the shore was coated with a light, fluffy frost. This branch is a prime example.
If you look closely, you can see some little white specks (particularly on the right side). Those are little flakes of the frost falling like snow off the branch at the slightest movement of air.
Also, you will notice the Kewaunee lighthouse in the background. If you compare this photo with my previous post, You’ll be able to see this same branch from a very different perspective. Both photos were taken the same morning using different lenses. This one was 45 minutes or so after the other.
To see more of the details in this image, click on the photo and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
Blue Harbor Ice
This image accurately portrays the very cold conditions yesterday morning at the Kewaunee, WI harbor. The ice was slowly flowing past the channel marker, out into Lake Michigan. To get this shot, I had to walk out on the long, ice-coated pier to the lighthouse.
Rising early and enduring the cold (temperature around zero) produced some worthwhile “winter” scenes like this…with more to come. Stay tuned.
If you have a decent-sized monitor, you can view a larger version of this image by simply clicking on the photo.
The Churning
This is not my typical lighthouse photo from Algoma, WI. A spell of very cold temperatures created considerable ice along the shore and powerful Lake Michigan winds churned up a torrent of wave action with spectacular splashes.
To view a more detailed, larger version of this photo, click on it.
Icy Morning Mist
When air temperatures are below freezing, the slightly warmer Lake Michigan waters can create a mist around areas that haven’t frozen over. The early sun highlights the mist around the harbor and lighthouse of Algoma, WI.
Last February I posted another, very similar, view of this morning scene entitled, Frigid Sunrise Fog. This version offers more of the rocks and ice in the foreground.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on it.
Cold Climb
As cold as it is, it only seems natural to post a photo that reflects current conditions in Wisconsin.
The pier at Algoma was coated with Lake Michigan ice. The red ladder is a safety measure, giving anyone who were to fall off the pier, into the water, a way to climb out. The water of the harbor wasn’t visible, due to the ice buildup.
To see more of the cold detail, click on the image and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.