"Cold and Sleepy"

I took this image on a very chilly, very early morning just above freezing at a lake in Northern Michigan. There were many cute seagulls both roaming around, and sitting on the sand. This little one was all puffed up trying to keep himself warm, while he nodded in and out of sleep. The cold lake waters behind him were smooth as glass with just a hint of early morning color.

"Let it shine"

There are just sometimes that even though you wouldn't normally make a fool of yourself and take a photo, something inside of you just says go for it. Well this was one of those times. I loved the design of this exotic Middle Eastern style light fixture, as well as the symmetry. I hope you enjoy it too.

"The Barn"

 This is a simple story of how I came upon this red barn. I had taken a walk in the woods sometimes along paths, other times not. After walking a couple of miles I spotted this barn through the some trees and bushes. I took this shot of it.

 I followed a path around to what must be the back of the barn, and took this shot. I felt pretty excited! It was lovely, well taken care of, and for sure of some age gone by.

 As I came around closer there was a well mowed path leading around the barn. I took this image, and followed it to get a closer look.

 This particular stone corner was the first part I came to. I loved the look of the stone, and could just picture the labor that must have gone in to building it. I had to get an image of it.

After passing around the side, and in what must be the front, I grabbed one last shot before heading off for about one more mile of walking till I got back to my car. This happened to be an extremely hot day, and after walking so much without having any water with me, I felt pretty faint. I know I won't do that next time. I always bring water with me where ever I go, except this time. I'll never know why, but anyway I love what I found and love that it belongs to someone who cares about it, and its history, and takes very good care of it.

"The times Are a Changing"

On one of my usual nature walks a few days ago I was looking up and noticed this tree. The way the branches sprawled out kind of sparsely, and the way the small bit of Fall color looked with the sky behind it made this feel like a lovely find to me. I always have the habit of looking in every direction, but I often find the most interesting things when I look up. Things are changing slowly but surely!

"Just Me and My Grasshopper"

This Little guy was so quiet and friendly. I sat next to him on a bench for a couple of minutes. He stayed in one position for a while, just kind of looking at me. Then he moved around slowly on this weathered bench. I got in several shots. I like this one the best. It seems to show off his personality more! :) Click to enlarge, and zoom in to see how cute he is!

"Comes an Early Fall"

Enjoying some of the early color changes around here. The summer drought , and other tree diseases have taken a toll, but I still think we'll get a nice showing this year. This image was taken on a very long walk through some woods. The shape and color of the tree plus the sky, and clouds made an impression on me. Let's all hope for a colorful fall this year!

"Storm Clouds Over the Farm"

On a very stormy windy day recently, I walked over to a local farm. They grow many types of crops here, but the only crop left that hadn't been harvested yet was the corn. The ground underneath my feet was a combination of hard turned over ground, and assorted plants that were growing back naturally. The kind of ground that you can easily twist an ankle on!
    The winds were whipping the cornstalks, and trees around like crazy, but the clouds were just amazing. We got a pretty good rain storm not long after this was taken, so I'm glad I was able to get this shot in first.

Pines to the Sky

Standing in the middle of this immense pine forest I took this shot looking up towards the sky. I felt very small among these tall pines. The earthy scent was everywhere, and the sun shone through in patches against the trees. I found this place after hiking around for about an hour or so. It was a lovely find, and will be a nice place to go back to. It wasn't horribly windy that day, but I would love to go there when it is. The sound of winds blowing through pines is fantastic.