Ice in the Manitou Passage

Ice only offshore northwest Michigan and up around Drummond Island at the eastern end of the U.P. The rest of Lake Michigan is ice-free, Erie and Ontario are open, and Lake Superior still frozen. This is according to my friend reporting what she'd seen on the Canadian Ice Service site.

Snow Retreats, Ice Lingers On

A long look inland discovers irregular patterns of snow cover and last year's leaf litter beneath the trees in the woods. The patches of snow have been growing smaller every day. It takes but a glance over Lake Michigan to see a different story, however, and there is snow in the forecast for this coming Monday.

Does Anyone Besides Me Need a Preview?

Will they come again, these woodland wildflowers?

Surely, yes, in their own good time.

Once I started looking through last spring's images and scenes,

I could hardly stop --

and couldn't leave out the orchard, either, buzzing with bees.

But it's the woods I've been missing

during this year's long, housebound winter.

Snow, be gone! 

We have calendar spring, 

but we're hungry for the real thing!

Silent Steps

Lake Leelanau Scene Two Ways

The Photoshop filter used 

to achieve the altered image below

is called Chalk & Charcoal.

Looks like a book cover to me.

Wednesday was a very sparkly morning

 

Any Color Is Bright Against Snow, in Sunshine