Winter's Blues

As we head into this winter season, nature's color palette shifts to beautiful blues.  Winter seems to slip into these colors as easily as we put on our most colorful denim jeans and leave us with the same comforting feelings as well.  Frosty turquoise and brilliant periwinkle shimmer in the glint of ice and snow; on land and in the sky. So in ode to these tranquil blues; here are a few photos to warm up any azure chills...

The shores of Lake Erie, northeast Ohio in January

I carefully made my way to the beach through a rutted snow covered path to take these few photos.  It was getting on in the afternoon, so the light wasn't very good but I couldn't resist taking a few pictures anyway.  The glinty ice covered boulders (used as a surf break) and the bracing north wind reminded me in seconds that it was a full on winter blast here on the northern shore. 

The wind was especially strong on this day and though it's hard to tell in the photos, the waves were big for our "little" great lake.  Bigger than I've seen them for sure, at least since Hurricane Sandy came through, and those waves were scarily amazing.  
Because of the way the lake and where we live are situated, we are able to receive lots of "lake effect snow" here.  It has to do with temperatures, warm for the lake and cold in the air, wind patterns coming across the lake and the lake NOT being frozen.  So, open water means lake effect snow can come at a moment's notice.  Because we live so close to the shore, we normally don't get dumped on as much as those a little south of us do...but it's still shoveling just the same!

So, snow season is upon us and I have to say, once the roads are clear, I don't really mind.  It's so much prettier to look at then the mossy dark green of the hibernating grass and brown muddy paths throughout the landscape.  Give me the brilliant blues of winter...perfect for resting and dreaming of springtimes to come...

What do you enjoy about winter?  

Be blessed! 

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Picnic at the Marina...

What do you do on a beautiful day, that doesn't cost much money and is interesting to everyone in the family?  A picnic of course!  We usually go to one of the beautiful wooded parks that we have around here. However, there is an allurement to the water that we found hard to resist that day...maybe because it was so hot, and maybe because half of us really wanted to fish.  Whatever the reasons were, we decided to head out to the marina and spend our day there and also in the adjoining state park.

Perfect view for lunch!

We made our sandwiches and wraps right on the spot. Turkey Cheddar
wraps with homemade hummus.

After a satisfying lunch, we all headed off to our respective spots.  Some to fish (caught and released, one Rock Bass!) and others to walk along the beach shore and then the walking path that borders the lake.

We also took a long hike in the woods later in the afternoon.  It began to drizzle, so the woods became an inviting place to hang out.

Found a few fun things along the way...

Lighthouse...it was trying to rain.

Yellow Tiger Swallowtail "puddling" in the sand.

My brother, who's a naturalist, says he thinks this is crown 
vetch.  It's so pretty and looked great along this fence
line...!

Being by the water is so refreshing.  It was such a nice day and a great mix of land and water.  The boats were fun to watch come in and we ended up being outdoors for many hours; getting recharged and ready for the week.  It was a pretty great week and I hope yours was great too...blessings to you all!

Photo Walk - Rhododendrons

    

Went on a walk along Lake Erie today; this is my most FAVORITE time of year!  This is  when the Rhododendrons are in bloom.  They are actually two weeks early, so I am super glad I caught them on this walk.  All of sudden our streets by the lake come alive with these softball sized blooms.  This climate and soil by the lake are perfect conditions for them to grow and grow they do.  I've seen them for so many years that I forget how uncommon they are in many other places in the area.  So, if you like them or any flowers in general, stay tuned and enjoy the walk...!

I see this pot of flowers by the road every year, so pretty!

Along the lake shore...

A quick glimpse of Lake Erie

A local artist's surprise creations...

What can be better than a rhododendron bush?  How about a tree?

Almost home...

Can you believe not ONE of these rhododendrons are mine?  Our yard is way too small for one and besides, all I have to do is to take a quick walk and get my fill of them.  Hope you enjoyed the flowers as much as we did!  Blessings!!