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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
All pictures (and blogposts) are copyrighted and may not be reproduced/used in any manner without my PRIOR approval. Thank you for respecting my hard work.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Spring break up in the U.P.!!

I am getting closer to finishing my winter photos for you
and looking at Spring!

Winter "breakup" in the Upper Peninsula is an exciting time.

Rivers and lakes melt, causing rushing waters down our many waterfalls...

Wild birds begin migrating up from the south...
and the sun shines and gives us that FABULOUS fresh air.

One of the first signs of Spring that I look forward to every year
is spying the first goose back from the south....










I love the big ice chunks that float down the rivers when they break up:





Geese pair at the river:





























Our lake with fog and ice!:






And again in black and white!:

**************************************************************
I hope Spring (and now officially summer after the Memorial weekend?!)
is treating you well...

I am happy that my photos are "catching up" to Spring!

**************************************
You only have a few more days to enter your May 2012
FREE PHOTO CONTEST photo!!!

The theme is:

MAILBOXES!

Get yours in before midnight, May 31st, 2012
following these RULES.
You don't have to be a Blogger to enter!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Beautiful Spring Here, but the Pictures are from March and are for the birds (in a GOOD WAY!)!

We are having a beautiful spring here...but today
I am still posting some March photos
that I took of some ice here in the U.P.







Love, love woodpeckers!:






I think this is a brown thrasher...does anyone out there know?:








Just LOOK at that head crest!:







 





 








 




 

I love birds, no matter what the season...but in winter, it is so nice to see so much life out there....

Now? My yard is full of spring singing birds, nests and a ton of butterflies...
more on THAT later....

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

We have a WINNER for April 2012's FREE PHOTO CONTEST: Theme: SHOES!! and revised to correct the May contest theme as MAILBOXES> LOL

Hi everyone!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you all
in announcing who won
our April 2012's
FREE PHOTO CONTEST~!

Theme? was:

SHOES!!

(For those of you new to my blog, just click HERE to see all the entries into that month's contest).


Without further delay,

HERE


IS


YOUR

WINNER!!!!!:


Congratulations!
to
Sara D.
Her blog is called: "Greyt Days". Make sure you stop by her blog, it is delightful!
The Judges made the following remarks on Sara's photo:
--"Great take on the theme!"
--"love the composition with the horse's tail leading the eye in this"
Thanks to EACH and EVERY one of you who entered...your talents are amazing and I love that you keep entering with your creative shots.  We all enjoy your entries so much!
Special mention also goes to:
--Charlie S.
--Marie B.
--Kirk G.
*****************************************************************
And what is the theme for MAY 2012's
FREE PHOTO CONTEST???
(I know this is late notice, as your pictures are due no later than midnight, on May 31st!!)
is:
MAILBOXES


You don't have to be a blogger to enter...just follow THESE RULES!

Good luck!!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Winter Trucks, Farms, Rivers, Ice and Ducks!

A variety of winter shots today for you...
working my way through March photos
to catch up to May!


I loved loved this old rusty truck we saw beside the road, full of snow!:





Here is it is, closer yet:











Lovely farm against a winter sky:






Loved the red barn and gate against the winter white!:





A winter date!:






Winter river with open water..rare here, as they usually all freeze over with ice!






We often go down one road that has rock cliffs so we can
see the awesome ice on them:






The glaciers left behind this boulder in the middle of the woods!:

Here's hoping you can find some Spring beauty where you are today!
I know I am!
Have been busy going out and capturing wildflowers and birds with my lens...
so stay tuned, they will be posted in my blog in the future!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Birds and Winter Scenes Continue!

I have been out taking a zillion Spring photos here in the U.P.
over the past few weeks,
and still have some winter ones to show you!





I think this is a Brown Thrasher.
We had never had this bird in our feeders before:






The Sturgeon River winding its way to Canyon Falls in January:





The track was so packed on the way to Canyon Falls, that we didn't even need snowshoes to hike in!:





I think I take a photo of this tree every season that I take the walk down to the falls...I just love how it "hangs on" with its roots:





Five mighty pines laden with snow against the blue, blue Janaury sky:






This hardy pair of mallards stayed on open river waters near Michigamme all winter!:


















I LOVED this snow ladened tractor by the barn when we went for a winter ride...
I made my hubby stop the car so I could capture it with my lens!:


I hope something makes you stop your car today
to capture your imagination and let you linger on the wonders of nature!

********************************
Don't forget to enter your May 2012
FREE PHOTO CONTEST
picture!!

The theme is

SHOES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Muskrat Love and Snow and Ice....

We were drving down the highway one winter day
and I spotted something low to the ground
running it's little legs as fast as it could.

I had no idea at that time what aminal it was!

Of course, I had my hubby pull over to the side of the road
IMMEDIATELY!

(Luckily there was no other cars behind us!)

And?
He is used to me yelling at a moment's notice: "HONEY!! STOP the car!
so I can get out and take a photo of something that strikes my fancy.

He had seen it too...we were guessing as we were trying to get the car off the road without killing ourselves what the heck it might be.

As soon as we got closer, we both exclaimed at the same time:

"MUSKRAT!!!!"

He was waddling down the side of the highway as fast as he could as I was running behind him tryng to get a good picture.














I was careful not to scare him and stopped when he stopped.  We have seen them before, but not that close.
I was amazed at the length of his tail!:


Several cars went by.  (Probably saying to themselves: "look at that crazy lady chasing a muskrat! I'm going to post this on Facebook for sure!)
I was afraid he was going to run ON the highway, but luckily
he finally climbed the snowbank
and ran to the woods.
Whew!

But I was so glad we saw him and that I got some shots of him before he disappeared.



So, then I calmed down...
and took some "normal" winter shots.

I was also surprised to see an oak leaf on TOP of the snow.
That little guy must have hung on to its Mother Tree as  hard as he could
until Nature decided he better let go.




I just love going in the woods in the winter and listening to the quiet.
I was surprised to see a river with open water...usually they all freeze over.
But our winter was weird this past year, much warmer than usual.

















Snow and ice on the rock cliff beside a frozen waterfall:












We wondered what left THESE tracks in the snow...

Part of the fun of going out to take photos (during any season)
is never knowing WHAT you are going to see....
alive or not....

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

More Lake Superior and River Photos from this Winter!

Lake Superior is pretty
no matter what the season.

It is just harder to get outside when it is cold to face
the icy wind coming off the lake to take photos of it.

But, last winter, braved it, I did.

I am glad now that I took the time as it is beautiful even when it is frigid.

These pictures were taken before the lake got more ice...
it got ice in the bay this winter after I took these shots.

I also went on our annual snowshoe hike into Canyon Falls
and got some pictures of the river....but the falls were almost frozen over,
so I didn't get shots of those!









In case you are wondering what that long structure is on the right in this photo,
it is a set  of ore docks where trains run along the top and pour iron ore into
ore boats by lowering the chutes onto the boats:









I loved the winter sky and moon the day I was there:













We never see black squirrels here ---
but for a few weeks one showed up and then we never saw it again....








A shot of the Sturgeon River on its way to Canyon Falls:





No pictures of the falls, but the cliffs beside the falls had amazing ice and snow patterns clinging to them:














There was an instructional sign on the tree leading to the falls.
My husband makes birch bark frames out of white birch bark and yellow birch bark
but we never harm live trees like this one...we take the bark from dead, downed trees.

Yes, I am a lucky gal to have a husband so helpful!:

I am slowly getting to and through my winter photos for you
so I can get caught up to Spring!

REMINDER: All photographs on this blog are COPYRIGHTED.

REMINDER: All photographs on this blog are COPYRIGHTED.
Please do not copy any of my photographs (or narratives) without my permission! All pictures will be tracked for copyright violations.

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About Me

My photo
I retired in June 2008 and started my blog in November 2008. I worked at several jobs as a Registered Nurse prior to retirement. I LOVE being retired! Blogging has offered me a whole new venue to start writing again and to share new hobbies such as gardening, birdwatching and sharing my nature photography. If you like my blog, PLEASE click on "follow this blog". Having a lot of followers reading my blog gives me incentive to continue to do photography and to continue to write. I also LOVE comments, so I encourage you to leave me a comment after you read my posts. Thanks everyone, for taking the time to read me!!

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