Ground Porn

One of the first things I got to do after my last post was get out to my rock.  And luckily, Aaron was still home, so just Duce and I went while B napped.

Without a squiggly little boy on my back, I can be more nimble.  I am also able to hold a camera steadily and not get kicked while I snap the photo.  This particular day, wet and warm, I was interested in ground cover.  Here are some of the shots I took on the way out.

A tiny ecosystem grows on an old stump

If I didn't have a one-year-old,

I might have this as my carpet at home

For some reason, I have always been intrigued by these tiny ground covers.  They turn something old into new life.  Their structure seems simple, yet effective.  Like how those light green stems in the top picture have a dent in the top, so water can pool there, and they can stay moist.  Genius.

Out at the rock, my soul was on fire.  I scampered all around like a child, exploring all areas of this magnificent geological beast.  One of my favorite parts was the lichen.  Guess I was still on that kick, hey?

Lichen on my rock

White, gray, green and orange all in the same spot.  Pretty spectacular.  And once my own heart settled a bit, and I could hear beyond myself, I heard this woh woh woh woh sound.  In not too long, I knew it was a freighter.  For some reason, I got really excited.  Probably because I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there.  I could almost feel it.  So I sat on that rock, and I waited.

Enjoying my view again

The woh woh woh woh kept getting louder, so I figured it would poke out from behind the lighthouse point at any moment.  I tried not to stare at that spot and just enjoy myself, but it seemed to be taking quite a while.  And my excitement just built.

Then there it was.  Haha.  It was pretty anticlimactic.  Yes, there it was: a freighter in the mist on the horizon.  Seen it a hundred times.  Got lots of pictures of it.  So I thought for a moment how the anticipation was more intense than the actual delivery.  Kind of like a kid opening a present on Christmas, you know?  Life is like that.

Now I will forget a lot of incidents in between, but here are a couple more of note.

Winter Wonderfest was a blowout despite the fact there was no snow.  The grass was lush and green.  People hung out by the fire because the air wasn't even too chilly until it started to drizzle.

Okay, but let me back up.  B and I worked a shift at the bake sale that day.  During that time, we saw lots of people come and go.  I always wonder where they come from.  Then around 3:30, before the ornament decorating was about to begin, the kids came in droves.  Holy crap I was almost claustrophobic!  Where did they all come from???  Were they here to make ornaments?  See Santa?  Well, I still don't know the answer to that, but they came.

And after the park lit up at 6pm, they all ran into it to play around the lights.  That part was pretty cool -- mostly because we weren't all in the same room.  Thank goodness for the great outdoors.

Well, HERE IS A VIDEO OF THAT GRAND LIGHTING.   Just click that underlined part.  Oh, you know what to do!

It was pretty sweet, I tell you.  Nice job to Donny and all the helpers.  Maybe you'll be there next year!

The other cool story happened yesterday.  I was out on a walk with my friend Annele (thank goodness I have another adventure buddy for the winter!!!), and while we stood on Jamsen's dock, this freighter scooted by.  It was so close, but we didn't hear it -- just barely saw it in the mist.  Now this photo is heavily edited, so you can actually see the freighter.  But it looks cool that way anyway.

Freighter in the mist through the gap

I mean, how perfect is that?  It's half the length of the gap!  If the wind was from the north, we probably could have smelled the fuel.

Oh, see? Now I'm remembering some other things.

One day I walked along Lake Fanny Hooe, and she was soooooo still.  I mean look how still she was!!!  A perfect reflection!

A perfect Fanny Hooe reflection

Can you tell where I was standing?  That's the resort on the right side.  Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

And lastly, I recall a day when I wish I had my camera.  I had just gotten back from a hellacious drive from town.  It was a day that I wish someone had told me how horrible it was going to be, so I just wouldn't have gone!  But I did, and we didn't die.

So I got back, and often times, instead of turning right at the blinking light, I'll go straight  through and take Brockway Ave. along the lakeshore.  Man, we pulled up to the Jamsen's dock, and I couldn't believe the gap!  It was a constant whitecap!  The water level seemed to be higher than the rocks out there!

When I stepped out of my car -- getting pelted by freezing rain and sloshing through a huge puddle -- I noticed the waves in the harbor itself were breaking over people's docks!  I don't know if I've ever seen that before.  A lot of elements had to be aligned for that to happen.  And it did.  And I got to see it.  But I didn't have a camera.

Let me leave you with the fact that we are in the middle of a lake effect snow storm.  I'd say approximately 3 inches of fluff has built up on my porch so far.  It's beginning to look a lot like the Keweenaw!