...still here: Days 3,4, and 5

The snow is still here. The cold temperatures are still here. Winter is still here. Yes, I am still complaining about the lack of spring here in the northwoods of Wisconsin.

My photo project forced me in the kayak and up the creek all weekend. It was not pretty. I had to crawl, chip, scoot, and rock my way through icebergs and marsh to get up the creek. But it was worth it. The chickadees were chirping, a lone common grackle called for companions, the goldfinches fluttered about, and there were signs of mink and otters up and down the creek (although they never showed their face.).

In the end, when all else fails, take photos of chickadees. They will never fail you.

We are scheduled for 40 degree weather and sunshine beginning Thursday. Bring on the Sunshine!

Day 3: Chickadee profile in leafless tag alders. March 22, 2013.

Day 4: Oak leaf stuck in snow. March 23, 2013

Day 5: Chickadee prepping for slight. March 24, 2014.

Simply, Blue

While I waited for the sun to rise for what would be the official beginning of my spring photography project, I snapped photos.

This was the very blue and very cold scene that preceded the rising of the sun. This photo definitely as a "feeling." (and I like it almost as much (if not more) than the sun rise photo I took for Day 1 of my project).

Spring Cleaning: Day 1

In 2009 I began a photography project where for 100 days beginning May 1 I took a nature photo each day. I made it to Day 83 before I failed. Time simply slipped away from me and I couldn't keep up with the project.

As I work on putting my studio and gallery together, I have been looking through the 83 photos I took while doing that project and forgot how many wonderful photos I had the opportunity to take. So I decided on trying it again. From March 20, 2013 to June 21, 2013 (or 93 days of our spring season) I will take a nature photo a day. I have no idea if I will be able to see this project to the end, put I am going to try.

So, Day 1: March 20, 2013. COLD. SNOW. March has been a beast of a month this year. Temperatures have not climbed any higher than 35 degrees and snow storms continue to batter the land. This is the time of year where cabin fever sets in at a fierce pace. Year after year you count on March to bring the temperatures into the 40s, rain instead of snow, and the emergance of buds and greenery. There has been none of that. NOTHING. I am beginning to think Mother Nature has forgotten about us and that it's offically spring.

I knew that I wanted the first photograph of this project to be a sunrise photo and as luck would have it this morning's sky was clear and bitterly chilly (-11 degrees). I knew where I could catch a good sunrise photo and that it would require me to drive 20 miles East and tredge through thigh-high snow drifts but with the temperature well beyond chilly, I mentally backed out about a half dozen times. But you don't get anywhere in life by backing down from a challenge, so I went. It was COLD (towards the end I could not get my fingers to move to click the shutter button), but there was no wind and as the sun rose above the horizon the eagles swuacked and the crows chattered. It was a good first day.

Morning sunrise on Seven Mile Lake. Oneida County, WI. March 20, 2013. 7:07 a.m.

Itchy

The itch has begun.

This time of year, when everything from the ice on the creek to the temperatures on the thermometer began thawing, I get itchy to paddle up the creek in the kayak. And that's what I did yesterday.

The paddle was not a photography expedition (which my paddles often are) but just about getting out in the fresh air and believing spring is on her way. I did, of course, bring the camera (Well, what would you expect? What if a wood duck had nestled up the creek or the otters were fishing on the lake and I didn't have my camera?) and although there was no animal wildlife moving around the area, the ice on the creek entertained.

This is not  my typical nature photography photograph. My concentration is often wildlife or landscape, but these marco shots of the ice formations on the creek provided some wonderful snapshots. I especially love the color tones.

Jack Frost's days are numbered and I am not sad about that.

 

The Last May Day in May

As May turned into June, the monarch butterfly and wild calla lily were out to show their support for the upcoming summer solstice. Everything and everyone in the Northwoods is ready for summer fun.

Good Night Woods

Night falling in the backwoods of northern Wisconsin. Good night.

Just Average

Just your average night in northern Wisconsin.

...for reasons like this

I have learned to always carry my camera--act as if it's another appendage. And it's for reasons like this...it doesn't get more simple and pretty than flowers and butterflies (actually, I believe this is a lady admiral moth). Happy Friday!

Go hikin' and keep smilin'!

What Kind of Trout?

The spring wildflowers here in northern Wisconsin are not in full bloom yet, but I would guess by the end of the week they will be.

This is a yellow trout lily. I have never seen it before last Sunday. It reminds me of the glacier lily in the mountain regions of Montana. So, pretty. (and really rather tiny...if you are not looking you will blink and miss them).

"Not Real Green"

It's March. The month of transition from Jack Frost to Sunshine Spring. And March can suck. You can get 24 inches of snow one weekend and 70 degrees + sunshine the next. Lucky for the residents of northern Wisconsin this past weekend was springtastic!


Mother Nature is all about celebrating the tiny victories. Such as seeing the snowbanks melt into the creek and having GREEN show. But as my husband says, "It's not real green. It's last year's leftovers." I don't care. It's green and not white. I gobble-up leftovers.


I call these little lichens Ogar Ears (they look like Sherk's ears in the movie Shrek), but they are actually called Pixie Cup lichen.  They are composed of algae and fungus, found on rotten logs and moss-covered forest floors. They look like the name implies--a tiny cup a 1/2 inch high. Legend says they were used by wood fairies to sip the morning dew from.

Welcome, Spring. (No matter if you are new or used!)

Truly Transcendental

I knew my mom and dad traveled to Yellowstone National Park way before I was born (if my memory serves, they were on their honeymoon). As a kid I flipped-over these very same photographs hundreds of times to get to the snapshots of me in the photo album. Landscapes really don't hold the interest of a child well. Now, as an adult anticipating her own trip to Yellowstone National Park, I was dying to see her pics. Lucky for me my mom was able to find and scan a few for me. The one below is my favorite she sent me. 

It's remarkable how something like photography and Yellowstone National Park can truly transcend time.

Is it September yet?



ConeHead

I am sure I am not alone when I say I have a major case of the winter blahs. It's just that time of year. The magic of snowflakes quickly dims once Christmas is crossed off the calender, and the temps dip into the below zero range for weeks at a time. Spring...all we want it spring. But, the song birds are not singing yet, and won't be for at least 45 days, so we have to tolerate Jack Frost's presence (or move).

The winter blahs also put my in a photography rut. There just is not a whole lot of ambition this time of year. Blame it on the weather, the date on the calendar, or the lack of daylight, it's just difficult to find the gumption to go for a hike with the camera. But all hope is not lost. Sometimes inspiration comes in small packages (and when you are not expecting it). For instance, heading back to the office after lunch, this teeny black spruce cone caught my attention as I was pulling out of the driveway. With a fresh dusting of snow and some cloudy sun rays filtering through the spruce boughs, I snapped a photo.

It's the small things in life. 

Snow Cone

Went for a quick walk on my lunch break and snapped a pic of this pinecone (obviously!) Happy Turkey Day everyone!

What the Butt-Crack of Dawn Looks Like

So, my hubby wanted to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to hike and kayak. Now, for anyone who knows me knows I LOVE sleep. I mean it...I love sleeping and on my days off I love to sleep in. But when he asked me to join him on Star Lake, I couldn't say no. This baby blue eyes of his were too irresistible. So, the alarm when off at 3:50 A.M. and we were out the door by 4:15.

I love my sleep, but it was a great morning to be on the water. And that photo of the duck in the fog was so worth the lack of sleep I got that Saturday morning!

Just Ask Tom Petty

The wild iris. On the shores of Rice Creek. Nothing beats wildflowers. Nothing. (Just ask Tom Petty).

The Call of the Wild

The day before this snapshot was taken, my husband and I were driving around the national forest trying to rid ourselves of cabin fever. We made a pit stop to check out some otters playing on the ice. Only a few moments into our otter observation a small flock of trumpeter swans flew over head.
"I have to come back tomorrow with the kayak to get pics of those swans." I said.

So that's what I did. I paddled up and down the creek looking for the swans but they were nowhere to be seen. So, leaving somewhat defeated, Paul and I made an impromptu stop at a lake I have never been. And I couldn't believe it. The swans! And they were accompanied by about two dozen geese. And gee, was it load! The swans played their trumpets and the geese honked to their hearts content. The good news was the birds were so preoccupied with their "orchestra" that I was nearly oblivious which allowed me to get up close and personal with my new winged friends.

Good day, indeed.

This is my "landscape" photo from that mid-April photo session.