Empire Bluffs Unique

I hadn't been to the National Lakeshore in a while, so I headed down M-22 thinking I might find some interesting birds in the early evening at Otter Creek, but I found the road across the bridge too waterlogged and rutted to travel.  I ended up instead at Empire Bluffs. 

These bluffs are unique in their mix of vegetation and sand.  I'd not hiked these bluffs and wondered whether there were trails leading to the steep point.

One particular aspect of Empire Bluffs that I enjoy is the abundance of various kinds of dune grass.  On this day, the winds were whipping the grasses in all directions.

The Lake was churned up and big waves confirmed the need for the rip tide warning that was in effect.  Still, there were a few people in the water.

I loved the froth that inched forward on the shoreline and I quickly learned that my crocs weren't adequate protection from the surge.

On a quick drive through Pierce-Stocking on the return trip home, I realized that I was seeing Empire Bluffs, and North Bar Lake, from a different vantage point.  A striking set of dunes!

Summer Flowers Dress Up the Village

Chasing Rainbows: How the Perseids Turned into a Sunset

All week I’d planned to photograph the Perseid meteor shower, but both nights I went out to shoot, clouds occluded any chance of a starry sky.  I'd photographed a Plan B yesterday afternoon, but wasn't really happy with the ho-hum topic.

I was sitting on my porch, stewing about what I would use for my blog, when serendipity struck.  It had started to rain, but I could still see the sun shining strongly through the woods.  Weird, but then I thought:  RAINBOWS!  I grabbed my gear and from my driveway, I could see part of one had formed right above me.

I headed to my neighborhood beach, and was lucky to see more of the rainbow seeming to rise right out of the Bay.

As I traveled along Woolsey Lake Road, remnants of the rainbow remained above the treeline.  I could also see a brilliant sun peeking through the woods to the west.  A sunset too?  By the time I reached the Bight, the rainbow was too faint to photograph so I continued on to Peterson Park. 

When I reached the park, the clouds and fog were rolling in, but there was a sunset. And that’s how the Perseids turned into a sunset. 

Field of Gold

As I came over a rise in the road, I saw a field of gold ahead of me.  I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but as I drew closer, I realized I was seeing row after row of sunflowers.  I wasn’t the only one who was taken by the striking scene.  Car after car pulled off to get a closer look and passengers all along the road were taking pictures with their phones or cameras.