Blue Moon to Gray Day

Last year on New Year's Eve we had this, in stark and beautiful contrast to today's gloomy fog. Or I could look at the picture above and see mystery and a dreary kind of majesty in the fog-cloaked Lake. Happy New Year!

Early Icing

I can't believe we have visible ice already!
I went back to the last two years' December pics, and there's no visible ice. There was a film of ice in the morning that burned off later in the day on one post. But that was it. How can we have late leaves and early ice about a month apart? (This was taken at 1:30pm, btw. Plenty of time for the sun to burn it off, if it weren't so cold.)

Another Rosy View

I took this photo for the look of the water's surface, but the horizon stole the show. From yesterday, 12/14/10.

400!

I was going to title it "Beam Me Up!" but then I realized that this is the 400th post on Lakemichiblog. Wow. Thanks for being such a loyal audience!

Note the steam rising from the (relatively) warm Lake into the cold air.

Sheen

This strange combination of brown water and light creates a blue-gray sheen on the wave troughs. That plus the roaring waves made for entertaining Lake viewing all day yesterday, 12/13/10.

Showoff

Unabashed beauty from this morning, 12/9/10.

First Clinging Snow

After a long delay, Winter is here, with the cold and snow it requires. There is a bit clinging to the crook of this tree. Just looking at it makes me cold.

Bank On It

I love the shades of gray in this pic, especially the cloud bank on the horizon, and the delicate blue just above it. From Friday, 12/3/10.

Smattering

Referring to the clouds along the horizon. The leaves are gone! From Thursday, 12/2/10.

Cool Color

Caught this just as the sun was setting today. Plus: we got a little bit of snow! But not enough to photograph.

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday Morning. That is all. From 11/30/10.

Apocalyptic

The weird angle of the lens and the hole in the clouds combined to make it look like a purple hologram was hurtling towards earth in this super-scary post for today!

Pfrom the Pfister

Milwaukee is one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated cities. Look at how cool this is!
Our big Lake Michigan looks kind of small here!
Fabulous building in the foreground. Apologies for the reflection in the glass. The Pfister Hotel does have a lovely view, doesn't it?

Here 9 Days ago, gone tomorrow

Pretty sky behind the tree with just a few leaves left. From Thursday, 11/18/10. Eventually I will get back on a regular schedule.

Hanging On

I post this mainly to show how long the leaves have held on. You can see in the archives that in the last two years, trees were bare about a week earlier than this. It's been very warm this fall.

Scattered light

An end-of-the-day shot, just as the sun was going down and creating those little pinkish clouds down low. From Thursday, 11/11/10.

The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times

35 Years Today.

The Wreck of the Edmund
Fitzgerald
by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel
firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of
sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the words turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish
Bay
If they'd fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have
capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.
© 1976 Moose Music, Inc.

Gathering Storm

Also from Thursday, 11/04/10.

HUGE

The sky seems enormous when it is so full of clouds. From Thursday, 11/04/10.

Luckiest People in the World

Not only do we get to live next to this incredible natural wonder.
We get to vote...
...next to it. Thanks to TPM for posting this photo.

Livestreaming

Just look at those beams of light streaming through the clouds. From this morning, first day of November. Amazing.

Shore Isn't Scary

This reminds me of the opening scene in the Sound of Music, except with a giant Lake crashing against big rocks instead of "a brook that trips and falls over stones on its way." Really, it's only the birch tree that reminds me of anything. Well, and the water.
Busy waves today.
The harbor-marker lighthouse was braving the waves. Couldn't get a good shot of the breaking waves, you'll have to take my word that they were big out there.

Oh, and the title? It's late, it's Halloween, it was the best I could do.

Slice of Light

A stormy-gloomy-windy day yielded this lovely lake view. From Thursday, 10/28/10.

Sherbet

That's some smooth orange at sunset. Bonus from 10/27/10.

Blended

The churning waves work sand into the water and create this blue-brown muddle. From Wednesday, 10/27/10.

Cooling

Fall arrived for real on Tuesday, 10/26/10.

Breaking Through

From Sunday, 10/24/10.

...And Blue Moonrise

From Wednesday, 10/20/10.

Red Dawn

Beautiful early morning shot by guest photographer KR (thanks!) from Friday, October 15. (I hope that title doesn't bring out the Cold War enthusiasts.)

Crazy Beautiful

Every morning when I am walking to my building from the parking lot, I anticipate rounding the corner of another building for a clear view of the Lake. And it almost always takes my breath away. This morning was no exception.
Except I got two breath-taking views. All I had to do was pivot.

Mapping

Super cool new maps of Chicago, featuring our favorite body of water!

Red Sentinels

Took the long way to work this morning and was struck by these two vibrant reds.
And greens. I like that seagull who volunteered to be in the picture.

Oh Yes, They Call it the Streak...

...What? Am I dating myself with that title? There are streaks there! Look! From yesterday.

Trawling

This probably isn't a trawler, or trawling, but I like that word a lot.
And here's why he was out early on a Monday morning. Lovely Indian Summer weather we've been having.

Rosy

Evening color from October 6th.

Spectacular

That is all. From October 4th.

Rocky

One of the lovely things about a beach walk is the abundance of rounded stones, tossed and polished by the waves.
With the clear water, you can see them wet and dry.