Come take a walk with us. We won't say a word.

 

Spring a Dozen Ways

 

To make it a baker's dozen (13), see my April "Books Read" list here. 

Who Is That Ghost Dog?

 

In HDR mode, three exposures are taken in rapid succession and then stacked to make one densely saturated image. In the shot above, Sunny Juliet was trotting along so quickly that her image looks to me like (except for the missing tail) the ghost of old Nikki. Below is SJ looking more like herself. 

Morning dew looks so otherworldly, ethereal. Leaves that have lost their chlorophyll, on the other hand, will not be as rare in a few weeks as they still are this morning.

Good Morning, Leelanau!

For many who live or visit Leelanau County, 

Lake Michigan is its most important feature.

The clean beaches (smaller this year),

the vast waters.

My Leelanau focus is smaller

and more inland-looking.

It is animal tracks on a dusty back road

and drops of dew on the seedbeds of grasses.

New Year's Day -- OUTDOORS!

A beautiful day for trekking and tracking

Neighbors were out early

Sarah loves this kind of adventure

Ice is beginning to form on the creek

Thin ice, that is

Who but a squirrel would attempt this?

But the whole area is well travelled

Mystery clump surrounded by deer tracks

Probably not an elephant turd

Broken apart, clearly it's moss....

We were far from the road

where the scenes were lovely

and many dramas had taken place--

An invigorating start to a new year!

I Never Tire of These Scenes

Once again, the dreaded pest, spotted knapweed, adds its lavender to the green and gold of August fields. Aesthetically, from a distance, if you don't think about what it does to native plants and, therefore, birds and other species, it's possible to see it as beautiful.

I love the shape of that lone tree out there, too.

These tranquil scenes are a peaceful beginning to my busy August days in my bookstore in town.