NOT a Lake

I was about 3 miles west of Lake Michigan when this sky, with its unrelenting color and pattern, forced me to pull over and take a photo. The silhouette of the barn, tree, phone wires, and smoke from the nearby powerplant just added to the show. So there's no lake, nay, not even any water. Sorry.

Smoky

I don't think those clouds are gray because of the smoke plume, but the sky still looks a little strange. And interesting. And beautiful. As always. From this afternoon.

The Tree Stands Alone

This tree appears in lots of photos on this site, but I don't think I've ever put it in the center of the frame before. The Lake looks hazy, because, in an almost unfathomable function of meteorology, we are experiencing a smoke plume from a forest fire in Minnesota. Yes, hundreds of miles from Lake Michigan. It smells terrible. I hope things go well for those fighting the fire. From Tuesday, 9/13/11.