lake erie
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A Beach of Her Own
A Beach of Her Own: One way to secure your place on the beach is to go there when nobody else wants to. This woman was sunning herself today at Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio. The wind was brisk, out of the north (across Lake Erie), with air temperature of about 65F degrees. Personally, when I used to sun myself, I preferred cool and quiet to basting in my own sweat with people cluttering up the place!
The Curve of the Lake Erie Beach at Vermilion, Ohio.
Stepping out the back door produced a wonderful view.
Lately the sky has often been a splendid combination of open and cloudy. Great, puffy cumulus clouds bloom all around and, with enough open sky between me and them, offer wonderful profile views as they evolve against a blue background. Today was especially interesting as thunderstorms passed to the north and south of my vantage point. I ducked outdoors to shoot portraits of the towers drenching towns to the south. At lunch I made for the Lake Erie shoreline mostly, I must confess, to see if I might glimpse waterspouts. No waterspouts but a heavy storm was away out over the lake and the water had a strong green coloration. Beautiful cloudy skies and a green lake made my day a happy one.
An intense thunderstorm passes to the north.
Trees clings to a cliff overlooking Lake Erie.
Around 1:00 this afternoon I found myself on cliffs overlooking Lake Erie. It was a wonderful time and place to enjoy the 70-degree (F) fresh air blowing in from across the waters. At land’s edge, trees cling to the soil and live full lives as the ground around their roots gradually abandons them. In the far distance, appearing to be on the horizon, was an ore carrier steaming from east to west; the blue expanse of the lake made the big boat look tiny, easily lost amongst the shallow waves.
Steaming westward on Lake Erie.
Clouds move in over Lake Erie’s deeply colored waters.
A quick visit to Cahoon Memorial Park in Bay Village, Ohio, Friday gave me a wonderful view of the changing weather. It was lovely and warm near the lake midday. Cold and rainy later. The skies and the waters reflected changes that have already taken place, and those about to occur. It was all good.
Teenagers walking on breakwall scare seagulls into flight.
I participated in the ADay.org project to photographically document daily life from around the world on one day: May 15, 2012. I guess I was over-thinking the whole thing when, the night before, my sleep was interrupted by thoughts about what I was going to do. I’d even thought about taking the day off and just shooting. Instead I went to work as usual though frustrated that I did not feel inspired. Late in the day, however, it dawned on me that I was trying too hard. I grabbed my camera and, while my machines were doing routine work, walked around the building. I got a few good shots and steadily grew more excited. Leaving work I headed toward the lakeshore, hoping to catch a large commercial vessel near the horizon. What I found was a beach and breakwall busy with (mostly) young people enjoying a very warm (79F degrees) afternoon by the water. That’s where, though I made more photos after I left, I got my favorite ADay shot of my day — the picture you see here.
We spent Sunday afternoon on a lovely nature walk in the Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve outside Huron, Ohio. Public access is along a paved drive flanked by woodland paths that heads straight out into Sandusky Bay. It’s a prime birdwatching spot in the spring and autumn: birds use it for rest and refueling for the hop across Lake Erie between the US and Canada. The wetlands also provide habitat for longer-term residents making the preserve an excellent place for nature-loving hikers all year ’round.
Great Egret comes in for a landing.
Along the way we discovered and usually photographed many scenes, both still-life and wildlife, including ducks, a Baltimore Oriole, squirrels, chipmunks, turtles, snakes, and a Great Egret (Ardea alba). The egret was hunting in the shallows of the preserve’s beach area, along a wooded shore. The big bird knew where to find fish and I watched as, in rapid succession, it caught and quickly swallowed two. At some point it decided to move closer to shore and that’s when I got a few images of the egret in flight.
A Redwinged Blackbird eyes the photographer warily.
Redwinged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) have marked my springs and, especially, summers for as long as I can remember. Their jet-black plumage accented with large red shoulder spots, their aggressive nature and raucous calls, make for an interesting bird to watch and listen to. There were many redwings in the preserve, darting in and out of the wetlands’ tall reeds — presumably nesting there. Occasionally there were territorial disputes, raucous and aggressive as would be expected. I spotted one bird picking at seed dropped by a visitor on the walkway. As I drew closer, the bird popped up into a neighboring tree. The redwing warily watched as I came a bit closer and shot a few photos of it perched on a branch. I stayed a bit too long so Mr. Redwing flitted into the woods.
A Garter Snake warms itself on a rock of its breakwall shelter.
I had been looking around mostly at birds and (wet)landscapes and hadn’t really noticed but we were, it seems, surrounded by snakes! An enthusiast, accompanied by his family, was spotting snakes sunning themselves among the rocks of a breakwall. He would hop on to the stones and deftly grab resting snakes! At first I worried he might do the reptiles some harm but he seemed mostly out to admire them, maybe prove his courage and skill, and then safely release. Once cued in, we began seeing the snakes. We spotted and photographed a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) apparently ready to molt and, later, a Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) along the breakwall.
We had a fine, relaxed time enjoying nature, a lovely day, and a walk at the marsh.
We woke up late and to a beautiful day. The first thing She suggested was a visit to the East Harbor State Park on the Marblehead Peninsula in Lake Erie. We'd only recently heard about the park and were interested in checking it out. Well, long story short, it seems to be a fine and popular beach but the mapped nature trails were not well signed and extremely difficult to find. We spent little time there and decided to move along to the little town of Marblehead. Marblehead (map) is really kind of a stepping off port for those who wish to fish, enjoy the party island of Put-In-Bay, or relax in the quieter environment of Kelly's Island. The town does offer its own assortment of gift shops, antique stores, and eating places. Lunch for us, however, was a disaster.
We found a pizzeria that offered a pleasant atmosphere and had a "Veggie Delight" pie on its menu. After what seemed a very long wait –we arrived with the rest of the lunch crowd– our pizza arrived. I took one bite and the first impression was good. Then a particular texture and flavor filled my mouth and triggered an old memory… pepperoni! Our "veggie" pizza was really a pepperoni pizza with some veg toppings scattered over the meat! We were hungry but, as vegetarians, to us the pie was inedible. We refused the offered discount explaining it was a meat pie served to herbivores, and were then told we owed nothing. Nice waitress, dumb kitchen.
Eventually we stopped in at the small local grocery. It's a convenience for locals and an important source of provisions for visitors. We discovered a tub of prepared hummus, some whole wheat flat bread, and a vast array of very cold drinks. We gathered our purchases up and had a picnic in a public park which, as it happens, was right behind the pizzeria. Delightful and delicious. Following lunch we headed to the Marblehead Lighthouse.
The Marblehead lighthouse used to be a lonely monument to bygone days of maritime technology — quietly standing on its rock foundations, posing for pictures made by occasional visitors. In 1998, however, the light and adjoining property became a state park. We were astonished today at the number of people enjoying the little park, the ca. 1821 lighthouse, and the Lake Erie surf splashing over the light's rocky foundations. The scenery, the beauty of the day, and the lake breeze made the day. We returned home happy.
Sometimes it takes a lighthouse to help you find your way.
I didn't know how to spend the couple of hours between the end of my work day and the beginning of an evening meeting. So I visited a favorite old place of mine — a cliffside overview of Lake Erie. The view was more beautiful than I had imagined it would be. What a fine way to fill a little time, and one's spirit.
PhotonStopper 