Stairway to Heaven
~1882~
Cyclone
The Fire and Ice Tower at its brightest.
The annual Medina, Ohio Ice Festival got off to its traditional start with the lighting of their Fire and Ice Tower on Public Square. On Friday, a hollow tower is built from blocks of ice and filled with firewood. Friday night sees the city’s fire department set the wood ablaze. An estimated 2,000 people were in attendance to enjoy the ceremonial lighting and to stroll the Square looking at ice carvings made earlier.
Lingering around the Fire
As it turned out, Friday night was likely the best time to view the displays as Saturday and Sunday brought temperatures in the 60s, playing havoc with sculptures made of ice!
Blue Morning
The promise of sunrise beckoned me out of the house and into an unseasonably mild January morning. There was light fog around, lending a melancholy or mysterious mood to the scenery. Walking a bit, I gazed out across a small lake and watched geese warily watch me. I strolled through a nearby cemetery as the sun slipped nearer the horizon. A small pond reflected colors left over from autumn, tree branches, and grass green from recent warmth. The sun began to shine through bare trees and the fog burned off. The fog-touched morning magic was gone.
Faded Glory
Newest Nifty Certificate
My photo was selected as a Finalist in the Annual Spring Photography Contest staged by Photographer’s Forum Magazine. Out of about 10,000 entries (if I remember correctly) my photograph was chosen as one of 1,500 finalists. My entry didn’t get beyond that level in the judging process but was published in the magazine’s Best of Photography 2016 book. I received a nifty certificate proclaiming my achievement – I also got to this level in the 2015 contest. Here’s my entry (below) and here’s a link to the story behind the photo. In the actual entry and in future copies of this photo I have cropped out the rocks and trees seen on the left-hand side.
Time To Come In
Evening Falls and Vermilion Light Waits to Shine
A little more than a year ago, we visited Vermilion, Ohio and its little Lake Erie lighthouse. That December, we learned the lighthouse was without light – it did not even contain its beautiful fresnel lens! Underway at that time was a community effort to raise funds and restore the historic landmark to operation. The goal was $40,000.
On New Year’s Day 2017, we ventured out on a beautiful afternoon and revisited the lakefront city. To my surprise and delight I spied something new in the little lighthouse: a brand-new fifth-order fresnel lens! The fundraisers had succeeded and commissioned construction of a hand-made lens that could project light far out over the Great Lake’s waters.
It turns out the glasswork had been raised, with help from the fire department, to the top of the tower and installed September 11, 2016. An official lighting ceremony took place the evening of September 15.
And so after going dark a decade ago, losing its lens to a museum move, the Vermilion light once again marks land’s end.
All Decked Out for Christmas
With snow on the ground, holiday lights lit, in a new town to explore, I set out tonight to see what images I might collect. Medina, Ohio’s Public Square and its surrounding storefronts took on a special feeling all decked out for Christmas. Special attention is paid to the city’s ornate gazebo which now is wrapped in glorious lights. Buildings downtown are outlined in white lights, and even the street lights added to the scene. I walked around the square stopping, now and again, to set up and shoot another view; I did that until my hands hurt — too cold (28F) through thin gloves — and I headed home. Here are two of my favorite shots from the night.
Public Square, Medina, Ohio
Yard Limit
On a cloudy Sunday afternoon, I took a walk around town for the sake of fresh air and exploration. In my meanderings I happened to cross a railroad spur where some rolling stock was parked and made a few images.
November Gale Arrives Early
November ushers in the change of seasons. Autumn is ending. Winter is beginning. We transitioned from warm and sunny conditions one day, to cold and snowing the next. Overnight we received about three inches of wet snow in Medina, Ohio. Wanting to get out, we ventured north to the shores of Lake Erie. Call me crazy but I find exhilarating the wild weather often experienced at the edge of our Great Lake. Today, with steady northwest winds of about 20 miles-per-hour, the lake offered plenty of action — and it was mighty cold! The air temperature of about 34 degrees (F) equated to something in the 20s, and as I explored camera in hand, those hands and my ears quickly began to ache. Now that I live farther inland, my visits to Lake Erie’s coast are less convenient and less frequent; they are no less exciting.
Breakwall is Pummeled by Wind-Driven Waves
PhotonStopper 