Tangerine Dreams

I got my first point and shoot camera about 10 years ago. I always had an interest in photography, but my lover affair with photography began with that first P&S camera. I have a few of my photos from that camera that are still in my top favorites of photos that I have taken over the years. "Tangerine Dreams" is one of those photos. I took this photo on a visit to Naples, Florida, from the 5th floor of our hotel balcony. The sunset with the sailboat just cruising on the water made it a scene that will always be a souvenir in my mind, of that wonderful trip!

Winter Inspiration

Living in Michigan, I am surrounded by water. I live on the east side of the state where Lake Erie connects to the Detroit River, which connects to Lake St. Clair, which connects to the St. Clair River, which then connects to Lake Huron. That is a lot of water on the east shores of Michigan. This photo is a view of the St. Clair River on a cold winter day. The St. Clair River is a large passage-way for freighters that can travel along all of these lakes and the St. Clair River. The St. Clair River is also a ferry-passage for vehicles to, and from Canada, which is just across the river. The day I took this photo, it was extremely cold outside, I had no gloves with me, my fingers were frozen, but I knew I had to at least take a few photos of what looked like a true winter scene on the river. Hope you like it!

Puddle Jumping!

I was looking through my many photos, and I came across this one that I have always liked for some reason. I took this last year in Florida, on one of the many shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It was near night, which always brings in the tide. In this photo, the tide would wash out and take large amounts of sand with it, creating several pockets of holes in the sand. Then when the tide rolled back in a few seconds later, the large amounts of sand would wash back up on the shore with the tide. This is one of those photos where you can actually see the sand rolling back to the shore. Hope you enjoy!

Bridging the Gap

This is another fall photo taken at one of the parks I frequent all year-round. I loved the look of this scene because of the many colors that were on display for fall. The bridge goes over the man-made lake that has fountains sprouting through it in the summer. Even in the winter, when the fountains are off for the season, I always find something interesting here to photograph. Hope you enjoy!

Washed Away

It seems like when the Fall season starts, time changes in preparation for Winter. This particular Fall seems like it is going by much faster than I can ever remember. I went back to the cider mill for the last time this fall, and was really surprised as most of the trees are already close to bare. It was cold and windy, so the river was flowing pretty fast that day. While I stood there watching the river, I saw a fair amount of leaves being "Washed Away" down the path of the river's current. In this photo, there is a clump of leaves that got stuck on a rock, and had not yet been washed away. Enjoy!

Fall-The Last Sail!

I've been to about 5 different parks in the last two weeks, just to go see all of the beautiful fall colors! Each park has something different as far as the colors go. There is a great variety of colors at each park. Some of the parks have water, as they are my favorite kind of parks. This one, I took a few days ago just sitting in front of the Coast Guard Station at one of the marinas. It was extremely cloudy outside, but the sun was still shining. This lonely sailboat caught my eye, as it appears to be the last boat in the water. The colors of the trees around the area of the boat, created a pretty photo. Hope you like it!

Fall Along the River

Yesterday I had the chance to get outside and go visit one of many cider mills in the area. However, my favorite is Yates Cider Mill which turned 150 yrs old this year. I have visited this cider mill every year since I can remember. I love the large wooden water wheel, the smell of apples inside, and being able to sometimes watch the mashing machine as it presses the apples into cider. I also love the warm donuts, you cannot eat just one! On the outside of this particular cider mill runs the Clinton River for miles and miles. There is a trail that can be walked, which seems to go on forever. This is one of the photos that I took while walking down off of the trail and right along the river. The fall colors are beautiful, and the sound of the river makes it feel like a place you would want to sit for hours and hours. Hope you enjoy the beauty of fall in this photo!

"Summer Farewell"

Saying good-bye for the Summer, to my special place on Lake Huron. I will miss it terribly throughout the Winter, as it is the place I go to find my peace and serenity, alone with my thoughts, and my camera. This is the place where I get up when it is still dark outside, grab a cup of coffee, my camera, and drive a few miles down to the Lake. There, I sit in serene silence, waiting for the magic to happen. The magic happens within minutes. A dark sky starts to lift, going from black to orange, gold, yellow and blue. The best part is when I look out onto the water and see a big red ball come up from the water out of no where. As it rises, it turns all of the magical colors of the sun. Many mornings, I am able to share the spot with geese, ducks, and even deer. I will miss it a great deal during the Winter, and long for the time when I will be back again to experience the magic and beauty of all this magical place has to offer. One last look in my mirror before I go, "Summer Farewell."

Exactly As I Saw the Sunrise!

Nature and landscapes always amaze me. I went down to the Lake early one morning last month to try and catch the sunrise. I figured that maybe I was too late judging by the sky. Was I ever wrong! This is what I saw the moment I parked my car and got out to walk towards the lake. You just can't make this stuff up! A few moments later, I saw the beginning of a red ball rise from the lake. It was absolutely beautiful! Will post some photos of the big red ball rising in another post. Enjoy the day, it's going to be in the 90's here in Michigan today. Thanks for looking!

Fire in the Sky

One of the advantages of being surrounded by the Great Lakes of Michigan, we have the opportunity to see some truly beautiful and amazing sunrises and sunsets on the waters. At out summer place on Lake Huron, I only have to drive about 3 miles to go and watch the sunrise on the lake. To see a sunset on the same lake, I have to drive about 15 miles to see it. As you can see from this photo, the 15 mile drive is so worth it! When the sun finally starts to drop down into the water, the whole thing lasts only about 5 minutes, as it drops really fast. The beauty of the water with the backdrop of the changing sky is incredible to watch. This is something I could do everyday and never get tired of seeing. I hope you enjoy this "Fire in the Sky" as much as I did!

Sunrise Freedom

As I came down to the lake a few morning ago, I felt so peaceful watching the sunrise. I was all alone, with the ducks, the geese, and my thoughts. Of course, I was trying to think of how to create a beautiful sunrise photo as I watched the sky slowly change from darkness to the beautiful sky seen here. My other thoughts were of the meaning of this Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is always bittersweet for me because of my great memories of celebration every year as a child, and handing down the same traditions to my two kids. For the last few years, my memories of this weekend are of my nephew Steve. Steve was just 19 years old when he joined the Army. When he was 20, he was stationed in Iraq. He was there for 4 months when he was killed on Christmas Eve in 2008. To this day, it is so senseless to me that we have lost so many lives fighting for this country. Steve was one of the best. A great smile, infectious laugh, funny sense of humor and I always loved having him around. So, as I am able to "freely" stand here and see another beautiful sunrise, I am giving thanks to those that paid the ultimate price and gave all!

Is it Real?

It looks like Spring may have finally arrived here in Michigan. I took my Mom who has Alzheimer's Disease to one of her favorite parks for coffee and a bagel on Sat. morning. The ice on the water is gone and it looks like sunny days ahead.

This is where I want to be. My home away from home. The place where life is simple, no worries, and something of beauty to see everyday. It's a place on Lake Huron about two hours from our home. We have this little place that we can't seem to get enough of in the Summer. Was the best investment we ever made. There is not enough money in the world to give us the peace and tranquility we find when we are here. As I wait for the warmer weather, get rid of my shoes, and grab my camera, here is another of my abstracts that I made. I love the yellow daisies!

Michigan Weather in Days!

Well, I was really hoping Spring was just around the corner as I saw this beautiful tree while driving down the road early on a foggy morning a week ago. I took the picture as a passenger in the car going 60 mph and was unable to get a really clear shot of this tree. It looked so beautiful and serene just sitting there in a mist of fog. A few days later, it was raining and all of the snow was gone! Getting really happy now, as it really looks like Spring is in the air! There was even a rainbow after this rain, but I could only capture a photo from my front porch. Two days after what I thought was Spring rain, I woke up to two inches of snow. I tell ya, Michigan is so fickle with it's weather. So again, I will wait for the real Spring, to go out and smell the air, soak up the sun, and get out there with my camera!

Tiny Bubbles!

So here I am cleaning my crockpot, when I spot all of these bubbles on top of the water. Of course I grab my camera to see if I can get a decent photo of the bubbles. This photo holds more than the bubbles you see. The random blue spots in the photo are a reflection of my skylight over the kitchen counter. I didn't even realize what they were at first, but I really liked how the camera captured the reflection of the skylight above. Oh the things we do!