FROZEN!

Cold temperatures and snowy driving conditions have kept me from outdoor photography these past few days...or is it weeks?  But the forecaster's promise of some sunshine during the afternoon hours teased me out of my warm cocoon.  I'd heard Lake Michigan was 60% frozen over, but I wanted to see that for myself.

My first stop was at the Bight, which was clearly frozen over as far as I could see.  While it wasn't snowing or blowing, whiteout conditions prevailed, with the gray-white sky blending perfectly with the white frozen bay and mounds of snow on the beach.  The promise of sunshine seemed rather hollow at this point.

But as I approached Omena Bay, I could see the sky lightening and small patches of blue were beginning to appear.  The challenge for the photographer, however, was finding a break in the tall piles of snow so I could capture an image of this bay, also frozen over.  I was lucky to find an opening, however, where this swing beckoned children for play in the spring, an idea that currently seems far into the future.

From the other side of Omena Bay, I could see the cloud cover breaking apart even more.  Might we have a sunset tonight?

From Foxview Drive, near Peterson Park, I could see that Lake Michigan was frozen as far as I could see.  And yes, there was a sunset, but clouds occluded most of it.  The pink skies above the horizon made the drive to the other side of the peninsula worthwhile.

With the darkening skies of nightfall approaching, I had to grab one more vista, this one from the top of the Onominee Road hill.  But the skies, darkening with purple, signaled the end of my photography opportunity for another day.