Riding the Empire Builder

I kept getting that feeling like I was catching a cold except it wasn't a common viral infection I was getting it was the need to get out of my everyday life tracks and go on an adventure.

I hoped a train on 1900-mile train journey across the great plains to the west coast for the first part of the adventure

Camera in hand I observed the world unfold outside the train car window, like roads seemingly going no ware.

The beauty in isolation.

The commerce of small towns that impact all of us without our realization.

More of my adventure coming stay tuned to this blog for updates.

Signs of life

"Life is one big road with lots of signs" - Bob Marley

The fish and I take these signs seriously

The bass have laid their eggs and some have started to hatch, the fry wait for their signs

Their parents are tired in need of a nap, have you ever seen a fish yawn?

From the painted turtle to the musky, we all enjoy our day swimming

The minnows school me in how to swim

And we all obey the signs.

Tadpole Thursday

The waters of a local lake lazily but deliberately flow over rocks meant to moderate its progression as I clamber down an embankment trying not to disturb some spring flowers.

The water is channeled into a culvert where it picks up speed and force.

After a week of colder temperatures the lake water has gone from 64 degrees to 57 degrees.

Resolute in my want to see what is happening under the surface I engage in one of my favorite intersections of nature and art, snorkeling the lakes of northern Wisconsin, just under the surface magic happens.

I have entered the world of the tadpole.

A world that still has memories of lumber trains that stopped traveling through this area in the early nineteen hundreds.

A grouping of tadpoles is called a knot

I know how lucky I am to be graced with the opportunity to engage with tadpoles in their environment.

Reflective affect effect

"The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty all around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the self is reflected in it" - Vanda Scaravelli

Like the mind the waters of the Lakes are not always still but there is always beauty to discover in them.

On my cycling, snorkeling and photo'ing excursion's there are forever moments of reflect, affect and effect.

As I warmed up after a recent snorkel I observed smoke on the horizon.

I did not learn till the next day on another adventure that the local Department of Natural Resources had conducted a controlled burn.

I could not determine how the fish were affected or effected by this.

Winter has gone

A seemingly long Winter has passed and a fast moving spring has taken over and nature waits for no one.

Dry and sunny days with temperatures in the 80's has awoken slumbering plants and animals. The ice just came off the lakes of northern Wisconsin barely 3 weeks ago but the lake water was 63 degrees and I could not wait to start this season's aquatic adventures.

The bass are spawning and protecting their nest of eggs from predators.

Some weave their eggs in with aquatic plants for security

As I snorkel I am watched by painted turtles sunning themselves on a fallen tree.

And another turtle swims under me.

Panfish, crappies and bass enjoy the cover of the fallen tree.

Aquatic plants are coming out with the warmer water.

After 45 minutes I feel the cold of the water ache in my bones and I take a cue from the turtles and pull myself out of the water and warm up in the sun.

I sit in the warmth of the sun trying to raise my core temperature watching a cloud of midges.

Two geese pass overhead as I warm.

And flowers bloom around me as I enjoy all the magic of spring.

Thank you

Thank you to all who visit my blog I hope you enjoy the experiences of a rambling lensman.

I am a wanderer who sometimes envy's those who can go from point A to point B without being distracted by reflections on the surface of a lake.

When I start out, I sometimes have a plan, but the plan can change like the wind, the wind that causes ripples on the water that the sun’s rays dance on.

My plans, thoughts and focus can hinge on a hinge.

Or the wrath of time can have on an old building.

Hope you lose some of your focus in my blog wandering through the photo's

Ice, Ice ... storm

A March ice storm moved through Northern Wisconsin breaking tree limbs, knocking out power, closing school and leaving a mess to clean up.

After the freezing rain stops and the next morning the sun comes out highlighting not only the damage but also the beauty of what has occurred.

The ice that formed on my garden fence also formed on its shadow.

The ice incased all but the birds could be heard singing in the distance calling for spring.

Prom season for artist's

Being an artist and getting your work out there to galleries and shows seems like your continually asking the pretty girl to go to prom with you - more often then not she doesn't say yes.

Maybe its like the opening photo a tadpole swimming up stream.

The pictures in this blog are photos I have put out there to galleries and shows, some have gotten in ... some have not.

I am fascinated by this photo, it says so much.

A curl of birch bark and the reflection of the clouds on the water behind it is just a moment of time.

"Toe the line."

The fingers of a local musician reflected on the guitar as she plays.

Moon glade - moonbeams dancing on the water

Capturing light and shadow at play - they always seem to be at play.

March madness

The fingers of winter struggle to hold their grip on northern Wisconsin in the month of March, everyday the sun arcs higher in the sky signaling the start of spring.

March is but a cruel month giving false hope that winter is ending then whipping up a tempest of rainfall, ice, heavy snow, strong winds, physical and mental fatigue.

Unheralded the signs of spring tacitly return, and you begin to see the results and ice begins to retreat.

The snow withdraws and what was frozen becomes fluid.

Moving and mixing with reflections.

For the love of the game

For the love of the game hockey was played on a frozen lake in northern Wisconsin a few weeks back old school Pond hockey

Weeks of preparation and the basic rinks were ready and players gathered in the cold air to do what for centuries northern dwelling mortals have done in the name of fun.

I chase the action trying to capture the moment when steel blade, wooden stick and rubber puck meet.

Keep your eye on the puck it could be anywhere (hint upper left corner)

Even shadows join in the fun

Between breaks in the games, you could try out more frozen fun curling.

Shadow or shine, its groundhog time

Mr. "P" thought he would go out and see if he could predict the weather like his friend the groundhog

Mr. "P" is convinced that if you don't see your shadow spring is on its way.

What if your shadow sees you?

Why squabble over the future it's a great day for a walk on a local lake

And enjoy the verity of shadows we see

Come what may, no matter the day, suns out let’s play

Mr. "p" and I hope you have a great day

Ice castle in the sky

Subarctic temperatures have held northern Wisconsin vehemently in its loving embrace for days and a certain infamous tuber wanted to go out and show off his new scarf.

A local towns volunteers go out onto a neighboring frozen lake to cut blocks of ice to build an amazing castle

Mr. P assumed his rightful place on the throne of all that is ice and if you look in the left corner of the photo you will see ...

A captured aquatic plant suspended in time

And that is not the only one

At night the castle is blazingly illuminated with radiant eagerness

Mr. P reminds you no matter what the weather to dress warmly and get out there and enjoy the day.

A study in water, ice and light

The cold of winter has settled in turning water into a solid

The Wisconsin River moves fast enough that the arctic cold can't catch it

Nonetheless over time the piercing cold finds places to seize drops of water and turn them into formations of wondrously magical elusions' that play with the light from the sun.

The ice gardens of January bloom.

Whimsicality

Whimsicality is a noun that means a tendency to act unpredictably.

The world we live in behaves in a unpredictable chaotic rhythm that we try to inject our normalcy into.

To combat this problem, I say we start the new year with some whimsicality.

Take a break from the standard operating procedure you find yourself in, do something out of your ordinary.

I took my new friend Mr. "P" out on an adventure, to do something different photographically, to welcome the muse and combine inspiration with foolery to start my new year.

We do not live in a Nerf world, life can be hazardous to your health

Sometime there may be boundaries

Try not to get tangled up in your expectations

Even though it may seem like things are upside down

In the words of Robert Burns we can take comfort

“For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne”

Tis the season to sparkle

The trees are decorated with care

All is calm, all is bright

Remember to get out and play and enjoy everyday

And take time to reflect

Let's talk Turkey

Thanksgiving is upon us, and I am thankful to all those who visit my blog and I wave a big hello to you

I would also enjoy sharing a random selection of photos I have taken over the year such as captures of the moon and its many phases

Or a photograph of a doll show at my local library

Photos from a local bike race I participated in. No, I am not any of these cyclists this is just to remind you that if you keep peddling you might reach the top.

Every so often life resembles swirling confusion

But with patience like this carnivorous bug eating pitcher plant there may be free lunch?

So, take time to enjoy a peaceful moment and reflect.

Be like water

"A lake is a landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature."

Henry David Thoreau

The poet Rumi said, “You are not just a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop”.

"Uninterrupted the macrocosmos reflects off and through the water making it plain the significance of the insignificant."

J. H. Arnold

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless."

Bruce Lee

Autumnal Admiration Activity

Transitioning from summer to fall in the upper midwest can take you by suprise.

One day you notice a single tree burst into fall color and before you know it every road you drive down, every trail you bike is a cascade of nature’s flannel of colors.

The radiance of blazing colors cast back off the water’s surface.

As you look at the photos can you hear the wind blowing through the trees rustling their levees, the sound is known as psithurism.

The swans know it’s time to head south

The never-ending tempo of time builds to a crescendo before reaching diminuendo and we hopefully pause to take in another cycle of life.

Lake Superior calling

Late September warm weather summoned an old quote to my thoughts.

From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free. Jacques Yves Cousteau

Lake Superior was calling me, and it was calling collect, time to be free.

I tossed the camping gear, snorkeling gear and whatever non-perishable food I could find in the house into the car and was off, back to the Keweenaw and a favorite camping spot.

Temperature was in the mid 80's the breaking waves on the shore called as I unloaded my gear and set up my tent.

The eight-year-old in me would not wait and I grabbed my mask, snorkel and fins and plunged into the inspiriting 64-degree water.

I warmed up in the setting sun before finishing setting up, starting a fire and watching the moon rise.

A sunrise replaced the moonrise, and I headed out to snorkel the red and white sandstone flats of Betsy Bay.

I enjoyed another night of watching the moon crossing the sky Infront of a fire until my eyes would no longer stay open.

In the morning, I packed up and had time for one more swim before I headed out for a hearty breakfast.

Esrey park

Sometimes it seems like summer will never end.

Nearing the final days of August the heat and humidity can still be extreme in the upper Midwest, but the wildflowers are done blooming, birds are getting ready to head south and the sun sets sooner every night.

A signal goes off inside me reminding me that Lake Superior will be at its warmest and it’s time to get up there and do some snorkeling / photo’ing. A few days in the Keweenaw Peninsula will be good for the soul.

I find myself at Esrey park, a tiny roadside park, at 8:30am. the air temperature is already in the high 70's as I prepare myself and my gear to snorkel this ancient bed of lava.

I plunge into the 62-degree water (warm for Lake Superior) ready to be entertained by this morning’s encounters.

Large formations of rocks great me.

Some with long veins of quartz

I am in 2 different worlds

Waves colliding with the rocks producing air bubble mosaics with the sunlight

Sunlight also creates the reflections on the underside of the lakes surface

The only living creature I encounter is an inch and a half long Sculpin

I see sun refracting through the wave’s casts dancing patterns on the rocks.

After an hour and a half in the cold of Lake Superior has penetrated deep into the core of my body and I crawl back out onto dry land.

The air temperature is now in the high 80's soon to be into the low 90's I load up my gear, get in the car, the radio tuned into Rock 94 Thunder Bay and coming out the speakers is U2 singing "It’s a beautiful day" I agree, roll down all the windows and join in singing with them as I roll of down the road.