I follow two pairs of Sandhill Cranes who live not far from my home. Every winter, they migrate to Florida, flying up to 500 miles a day. I always feel relieved when they’re back on their home territory and nesting grounds. Saturday, I saw that all four had safely returned.
It began a week ago with freezing rain giving way to stunning ice scenes Thursday morning. Friday brought enough snow to make for pretty, but mostly unwelcome, snowscapes. But from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning, nature unleashed an onslaught of heavy snow, freezing rain, and windy conditions that shut down the area. Emergency alerts to shelter in place, schools closed for four days, and an abundance of cabin fever have made us ready for March to end its moodiness.
Wayfinding, the third installment in my Northwoods Mystery Series featuring Forensic Detective Quinn Macarthy, has been published in ebook and paperback formats. The Audible version will follow shortly. Here’s what Wayfinding is about:
Early in their careers, most successful cops learn to suck up their emotions about the violence they face on the job. But that suppression doesn’t always work. Overcome by nightmares and flashbacks from being attacked by Russian mobsters, Quinn takes a medical leave to heal from the trauma. She rents a cottage on Sleeping Bear Bay, hoping that rest and time by the water will restore her equilibrium. But Quinn soon discovers that misdeeds continue to find her. While hiking the dunes following a fierce thunderstorm, Quinn finds a skeletal human hand unearthed by shifting sands. Wanting to run away from the site, her curiosity and detective skills ultimately win out as she uses groundbreaking forensic techniques to solve the mystery. Wayfinding is the third installment in the Northwoods Mystery series. Read it now to find out what Quinn discovers about the hand and also about herself as she heals. Spoiler: Someone new spices up Quinn’s life along the way.
Wayfinding is available at all online booksellers and brick-and-mortar bookstores. If your favorite store hasn’t stocked it yet, just ask, and it can be ordered.
Monday was glorious with partly sunny skies and record-setting temperatures into the sixties. Gracie and I headed out with the car windows down and were greeted by the songs of migrating red-winged blackbirds, grackles, and robins. Noisy gulls filled vernal ponds. The best part was seeing one of my sandhill cranes return to its local habitat. And then yesterday… Sigh.
Fresh photography subjects are slim pickings this time of year. Still, the hunt sends me out, even in the misty gloom. On Friday morning, I saw sepia-colored wetlands on the thaw, watched a deer watch me, and spotted a pileated woodpecker and a bald eagle high in trees.
These last few days with sunshine and temperatures into the low fifties have boosted our winter-weary spirits. Snow is melting in the fields and around woodland trees, vernal ponds are forming from the melt, and mud is everywhere on the backroads. Only time will tell whether this spell was a teaser.
One of the simple pleasures of my morning is watching the sunrise from my bedroom window. No dramatic dunes or water, just my backyard of fields and trees. No fancy camera either, just my phone. Always grateful to start my day with such beauty.
On a cold and blustery morning earlier this week, I spotted a female snowy owl sheltering between two gables on a rooftop. She looked right at me with her piercing yellow eyes while her feathers ruffled in the fierce wind. Finally, after she’d had enough buffering, the snowy rose up and took off. I was excited to catch her in flight. She circled around and quickly landed on another part of the roof, allowing me another look at those eyes.
The sun teased us again on Thursday afternoon, so I headed to Logans Landing for some waterfowl and reflection pictures. A variety of ducks and geese preened and fished along the edge of the ice, but this Mute Swan captured my interest the most. The swollen nob at the base of its bill indicated that breeding season is coming. Spring, too.
I took these pictures last weekend, when the ice on the bays and other places was really solid. I’m not sure I’d trust it now after the warmup we’ve been having.
