Tahquamenon Falls in the Winter

I know that by the time this gets published, most of the snow in these pictures will have melted.

I took them during the first week of March.

Remember early last fall, when I went and met with Cathy, from YOOPER YARNS near Newberry, Michigan?

Remember how we hiked into beautiful Tahquamenon Falls and got some autumn pictures?

Well, it was always my intention to try to get back to the falls and capture some winter photos of the falls, because I knew it would be spectacular.

I had hoped for a little more ice at the falls, but this winter, for some reason, we had abnormally mild temperatures and less snow and ice than usual.

But, nonetheless, the falls were still awesome in the winter scene.

We were lucky.

Although the trails still had plenty of snow on them, it was a gorgeous, sunny day in the high 40'sF and the snowmobiles had packed down the trail enough that we did not need snowshoes to hike in.

We actually got kind of hot hiking in all our winter gear.

And we didn't see another soul during the entire walk in and out.

All that beauty and no one there!

Here are the stairs down to one of the falls lookouts:

See? Not even any snow on the stairs!  (Good thing, I probably would've slipped down all of them if they had been icy!)

Looking across the falls to the far side, there was mist and plenty of wonderful rock wall icicles!:

You know me, I'm a pushover for icicles. They make me weak in the knees:

I loved the mix of the rushing falls right next to this gigantic icicle and snow:

Sooo pretty:

I love the forces of nature, no matter what the season:

The day was perfect, and we had it all to ourselves:

Fabulous force!:

The gorge with ice next to the river and close to the falls:

Some information on the falls and river and a nice lookout spot:

The falls, pouring right into the river of snow!:

A view from farther down the river:

A gorgeous day and gorgeous falls:

We strolled back to the car in the winter sunshine, happy to have shared this wonderful scenery that Mother Nature had provided to us.

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REMEMBER:

ONLY ONE day left to enter my free photo contest. Please get your entries in by midnight, March 31st, following THESE RULES.

March's theme is: Something Green or Something Irish

Icy Lighthouse

As you know from my other blogposts, we went to meet another Blogger (Shelley from Birding in Michigan and Building a Log Cabin) in Mackinaw City, Michigan.

Mackinac City lies just south of the U.P. by the Mackinac Bridge.

While there, I had to stop by the shore and take pictures of the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse.  It was built in 1892.

I always like looking up at the top of lighthouses:

And at the lighthouse peaks and roof:

(Somebody needs to wash the windows up there!)

But I loved the brick and the side windows on this one and how it is tucked into the corner of the Lightkeeper's  house:

It is now the cornerstone for a lovely park:

I also loved the red roof:

The lighthouse and park overlooked the lonely and icy lake:

I loved it:

...and I wondered how many lighthouse keepers lived there in the past...

Keeping watch for big ore boats on the lake:

And shining the light to lead the sailors to safety:

The park was abandoned, except for me, bracing the wind to take my photographs.

I wonder how lonely the Lighthouse Keeper was all winter long there.

If you get a chance, go to the link above about the lighthouse, it has some fascinating history and shows you a map of where it is located.

DON'T forget to enter my FREE photography contest for March...you only have THREE days left! March's theme is "Something Green or Something Irish"....make sure you get your entries in my midnight on March 31st, following THESE RULES.

More Lake Michigan Ice!

Although we are melting in the north now (at the time you read this), a few weeks ago, when we went to meet Shelley( from Birding in Michigan and Building a Log Cabin), down in Mackinaw City, Michigan,

Lake Michigan had plenty of dramatic ice.

I wanted to share how dramatic things are on the Great Lakes, even in the late winter!

Just look at THIS!:

These are all ICE CHUNKS that the wind pushed up against the Lake Michigan shoreline!:

I loved the hint of turquoise in the ice chunks!

I had to take pictures of the boats in the winter....on the shore...just waiting for spring!:

Like US, these boats are up on dock, high and dry (in cold storage)...waiting for the ice to melt so they can get back to being in the summer waters!:

The boats are all up on the dock, asking: "Will Spring EVER get here?":

The Mighty Mackinac Bridge "on ice":

See how hard the wind was blowing? (Look at the flag). I was freezing out there taking that photo!

Mountains of gorgeous turquoise ice on the Lake Michigan shore!:

I wanted to climb them SO bad!...But I probably would have had a tragic death:

Ice under the bridge!:

The cold and forelorn shore even has a beauty all it's own:

By the time you see this post, most of our snow is already melting.

But I took so many winter photos during the first few weeks of March, that I will be posting even more of them in the next few days.

*If you haven't entered my March photo contest yet, PLEASE remember to enter your photo by midnight, March 31st. The theme this month is:

"Something GREEN or Something Irish"

Follow the rules listed HERE.

Where have all the photos gone????......

O.K. PEOPLE!!!

What is going on??

Where have all the photos gone, long time passing?

Did you FORGET that there is a deadline?

This is a "get off your butts and go out and GET that photo" reminder to enter

my

MARCH PHOTO CONTEST!!

As of TODAY, I only have two photos entered into the March photo contest!

What's up with THAT?

I know you can find some awesome pictures...I have seen them on your blogs!

And, you don't even need to be a blogger to enter...anyone can enter!!!

***

So, get off the computer, go out in the fresh air, (or find something inside your house!)

that is

"Something GREEN or Something IRISH"

and

enter your photo into my free contest

before midnight

on

March 31st

Just follow the EASY RULES by clicking on the link.

I'm waiting..................

(she says, tapping her foot impatiently).......

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I have other blogposts below this one, so drop on down and read them.

(This one is just me, begging for more photo entries to be sent to me!)

The Glorious Mackinac Bridge (on ice!)

When we went to visit fellow Blogger Shelley and her husband Greg, we had to drive west across the Upper Peninsula and over the great

Mackinac Bridge.

For those of you that have never seen the

Mackinac Bridge, I am doing my post today with some pictures of the "Mighty Mac"

along with the neat ice flows that were present.

So, here we were in the U.P., approaching the bridge:

Approaching the crest of the bridge:

Looking over the rails at the ice flows while going over the bridge:

(Don't worry, Paul was driving, not ME!)

The crest of the Bridge:

(I have always LOVED that sillouette)

Looking back at the bridge from the "mitten side" of Michigan (downstate Michigan):

Ice, sun and the glorious Mackinac Bridge:

Icy Lake Michigan and the Bridge:

I am always thrilled to see the Bridge.

It is exceptionally wonderful to see the ice flows on shore and in the big lake:

Wanna go sunbathing on the beach?:

I hope you get to see it in person someday.

In upcoming posts, I will share some more shots of the Lake Michigan shoreline full of ice.

*Update: This was pre-published....since taking these photos, we have had some glorious days in the 50's and 60's.... a lot of this snow and ice is melting fast and this area does not look this "wintery" anymore!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving...

Yes, time AGAIN for Weird News stories and MY COMMENTS on them....

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BERLIN (AP) — German police said an elderly man was so annoyed at hearing the same serenade over and over that he called authorities to report his neighbors — only to discover the culprit was a musical greeting card on his own windowsill.

Police said Tuesday the 82-year-old from Goslar in central Germany told officers he was sick of the music, which would come at irregular intervals and at all hours.

Upon further investigation, police found the musical greeting card on his windowsill, where occasional breezes opened the card just enough to play an irritating tune.

Police said the retiree was happy to find out his neighbors weren't trying to annoy him.

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1. That is going to be ME, I just know it.

2. Ha Ha Ha BWAhahahaaaaaaaaaaaa.............

3. Remember this story the next time you murmur: "Those damn neighbors!~" because the very thing that you think they are doing to annoy you, might just NOT be them.

4. Brings a whole new meaning to: "Love thy neighbor as thy love yourself", doesn't it?

5. So, is he going to sue the greeting card company now?

6. I wonder who sent the card to him and I wonder if they found out that they gave the gift that "kept on giving"????

7. This guy needs a woman in his life. Not so that she could've prevented this...but just so she could make fun of him when this happened. (And for the rest of his life).

8. This is going to be my husband in about 20 years, I just know it.
Only he wouldn't report the neighbors.
He would suffer it but feel bad about the neighbors making his life so miserable.
But he would continue to be nice to the neighbors.
He'd probably still shovel them out of their driveway.
He's annoyingly nice like that.
(I know, I know, that is why I love him so much).
But dang...just ONCE, couldn't he REPORT neighbors that did him wrong?
The man is a Saint, I tell you.
And STOP saying: "He MUST BE, he married YOU, didn't he? (I heard you)!!

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*PLEASE remember to enter the free MARCH photo contest...just look HERE for the rules and enter your photo no later than midnight on March 31st.  The theme this month is "Something green or Something Irish". C'Mon, I KNOW you have pictures in your archives to enter, or go out this spring day and take some for the contest!!

Canyon Falls in the Winter: Part 4: Last in the Series (I promise!)

(*This post was pre-published and written about 1 1/2 weeks ago.
It has been between 55 and 65 degrees in the U.P. for the last week, and the snow is melting SO FAST here now...I am sure Canyon Falls does not look like this today...)
As you probably know, as a regular reader, this is the FOURTH (and final) of a four part series showing photos of our hike into Canyon Falls.

If you missed the first three blogposts about this trip, just keep dropping down below this blogpost and you will find them interspersed with others.

As you also know, from Part Three...we hiked all the way into Canyon Falls

only to find out that they were frozen over.

But the trip in was wonderful.

And, as every photographer knows....sometimes the journey to a destination brings you wonderful shots.

Sometimes even better than the destination.

We loved that day.

It was warm, and sunny and cheerful. The woods were quiet and so pretty.

Here were my hubby's tools of the day:

Old fashioned snowshoes!

I only fell once, and that is when I turned too quick to take a photo and forgot I had snowshoes on and tripped over my own snowshoe. (Hey, I never SAID I was coordinated!)Here was a nice surprise.

And, it was so nice to see a shot of red in all the white:

We wondered what made these in the tree?:

A woodpecker maybe???

We FINALLY reached the falls!
I was waiting to see the winter wonderland spectacle of rushing water and ice combined!!!!
But....WHERE WERE the waterfalls?????? (We only saw a wall of ice!):


But the ice was beautiful...so we didn't mind:

I wasn't disappointed there were no REAL falls, because the ice falls were just as intriguing.

It was time to hike back on our snowshoes, which we did, enjoying the wonderful, quiet woods along the way back to the car.
On the way home, we went exploring down a few side roads to see if we could see any wildlife.

On a ride down a side road, we saw this train....obviously "retired" for the winter:





And gorgeous, prickly thistles:

We REALLY wondered who made THIS hole...look how square it is!

Leprechauns, maybe?:

We headed home, full of memories of this wonderful outing.

Before I let you go, here are a few more pictures for you:

More of the "ice falls":

Winter peace and stillness in black and white:

I hope the peace and tranquility of winter

left you refreshed

and

ready

for

spring......