Love These Beautiful Mornings

Although it was only three degrees above zero, I was warmed by the beauty and warmth of the rising sun over Lake Superior.

Four Variations of the February Snow Moon

This gallery contains 4 photos.

The full “Snow Moon” rising over Lake Superior, February 5th, Duluth, Minnesota.

Follow The Leader

While in Texas, we visited Padre Island National Seashore to spend some time on the beach. Every now and then, a flock of pelicans would fly by in formation. It would start as a traditional “V” shape, then they would string out and play follow the leader in a curving pattern as they flew down the beach.

Interconnected

Trying to Touch the Sky

Smoke On The Water

Cold air above somewhat warmer water generates “sea smoke,” making it seem as though the water is steaming. Throw in some ice and a beautiful sunrise and you have a fantastic morning to be by the lake.

Break Time Is Over!

For the last month I have taken a break from blogging and tended to other business. I also squeezed in a week long trip to south Texas near Corpus Christi. However, during the last month, my cameras were not gathering dust.

We’ve had a very cold winter here in northern Minnesota which has allowed Lake Superior to freeze. The western end of the lake by Duluth has ice thick enough to walk on, which is being used by skaters, ice anglers and anyone wanting to take advantage of this rare opportunity to walk on the “Big Lake.”

Because the lake is never totally still, the ice sheet is always in motion to some degree. This creates cracks and fissures in the ice. During the full moon in February I ventured to the lake to view the moon rise and capture it along with a bit of abstract art created by the cracked ice.

After A Cold Day

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After a cold day on the road, it’s nice to find a warm place to rest. Spotting the motel sign advertising hot water heat sounded perfect! Sadly, the motel no longer exists and I had to move on.

It Was So Cold…

This past Thursday, Feb. 3, I had to take a trip to west central Minnesota. When I left Duluth, the temp was -17F. As I traveled west, the thermometer in my car started reading even colder temps, with the lowest reading at -32F. The cold, dense air created a thermal inversion which blocked warmer air from rising. This effect was best illustrated by the smoke from wood fired boilers rising about 30-40 feet above ground and stopping as though it had hit an invisible ceiling. If you were to travel further north, you could have experienced even lower temps, some lower than -40F.

Duluth

Inversion

Passing McGregor

Frozen Bubble

My third shot on my recent outing was of a frozen bubble. This was the most difficult image and I still need to perfect the process. Wind played a role in shortening the life of my bubbles and trying to get an image before they popped was not easy. Of the attempts, this was the best and I’m not overly excited by it, but I will continue to try.