Water in every form has permeated my thoughts during January and I’ll substantiate that statement later in this post.
Meanwhile, on that topic, I figured I’d share my shoreline shots, the third installment of last Fall’s visit to Sterling State Park in Monroe, Michigan. Previously I wrote about the picturesque view along the Sterling Marsh Trail in two different posts – one featured Mute and Trumpeter Swans, the other Great Egrets and each post had a smattering of non-critter photos as well. I plan to return in the Summertime to see how green and serene this venue is.
In the last post, I ended up at the trailhead near where I had parked my car hours before. I merely had to cross the street to head to the beach. Sterling State Park is extremely busy from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so yes I already knew it would be a bit deserted post-camping season. My hunch was right.
Beachy-keen, but a bit desolate.
As I headed toward the water, I could see the sandy beach and horizon of Lake Erie, the fourth largest, shallowest and warmest of the five Great Lakes. It was October, so I knew I wouldn’t be seeing any bathing beauties, nor barefoot walkers toe-dipping in the water. Even the Ring-billed Seagulls realized the Summertime vibes were long gone, as were any crumbs of food and snacks.
So there I was, the only soul at the beach.
These are a few shots at the shoreline, including one lowly shell, looking as lonely as that quiet beach …
When researching some facts about this park, I was surprised to learn there is a Sterling State Park surfing group – the members love the whopper waves here. Who knew surfing was a “thing” in Michigan?
On this day, the waves were crashing and rushing onto the sandy shore, so I backed up and got a few shots …
… as well as these gnarly-looking tree roots.
The entire shoreline of Lake Erie is 871 miles (1,400 km), but the shoreline and beach at this park is only one mile (1.6 km), with one-half mile consisting of all big boulders.
Unfortunately the picturesque shoreline is marred by man.
If you look straight ahead you’ll see the endless horizon, occasionally a Great Lakes freighter, or two, if you are there long enough.
But, if you swivel your head to the left, (looking south), you can’t help but notice the Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant spewing steam and spoiling the view. Fermi 2 runs carbon free and generates power 24/7. In the Winter, the local Audubon Society conducts tours near Fermi 2 because, thanks to non-stop steam funneling out, Bald Eagles gather in the open waters to fish.
Here are several views of Fermi 2.
f you swivel your head to the right (looking west) you see two more “stacks” but those smokestacks, unlike the pair at Fermi 2, are belching smoke, from the coal-burning DTE Energy Power Plant, originally slated for closure in 2040, but now to be decommissioned in 2028 in an effort to cut pollution. There is pollution aplenty in these two pictures.
Either way, the beautiful, natural beauty of this state park is marred by the view of these behemoth huffing-and-puffing plants.
Mother Nature had her way at this park last year.
There were fallen trees along the beach and I wondered why? Was it part of the seven-tornado rampage last August 24th? Yes, Googling around I confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Frenchtown Township in Monroe County that scary evening.
I decided to return to the narrow trail along the ledge where I had the deer encounter the prior year. On one side is a chain-link fence and the other side are huge boulders and no barrier (gulp).
It was pretty where the sun’s rays made the water sparkle and the waves splashed with great gusto onto the huge boulders. Because there is no barrier, I scurried to the edge before the drop-off, took a few shots, then returned quickly to the narrow trail. It was a bit windy, so if a gust of wind blew me off, it would have been a bumpy ride down those boulders.
I was content to step away from that narrow path – ahh, this was much better – a stable walkway and barriers along this rocky shoreline of Lake Erie.
I began by walking down …
… then along …
… then retraced my route …
… then went back up again.
Finally, I headed to the car, a bit weary from my hours-long meander.
Water, though lovely, was the bane of my existence in January.
Well admittedly, it wasn’t exactly sink or swim …
… but this month in Southeast Michigan was the third rainiest January on record (records date back to 1874) – we have had five inches of rain so far this month and it is “snizzling” as I write this post. Boo hiss to more slick pavement. I am not amused.
Potential frozen water worries kept me fizzed and frazzled.
It was a red-hot January for the U of M Wolverines and the Detroit Lions – our weather not so much. My walking and driving miles were suspended for 14 days, from the 12th to the 26th, due to the horrible weather. The afternoon of Friday, January 12th, we had snow, rain and a flash freeze, leaving treacherous ice everywhere. A Polar Vortex settled in and temps plummeted to wind chills of -20F (-28C) for many days. I spent eight days doing four small loads of laundry daily and monitoring dripping faucets to ensure there were no frozen pipes. Then we had freezing rain that coated an additional icy glaze, followed by two minor snowfalls, three days of non-stop rain, persistent fog and finally 40F (4C) temps melted the entire mess, but then flooding ensued. Mercifully, I had no water woes, but three City drains malfunctioned in an area near Council Point Park and raw sewage came up through basement drains.
Walking took a hit and with non-existent trips to the Park, I should have had some down time, but I seemed to fritter away any leisure time. I was ecstatic to escape the house yesterday to finally get to my favorite nature nook after fretting daily over “my” munchkins. I didn’t take my camera as it was foggy and damp. While I didn’t count noses and beaks, I am sure I was greeted by every squirrel and bird at Council Point Park. I did a little walnut bowling and doled out peanuts and sunflower seeds to them while functioning as the “hall monitor” to keep the Mallards from eating those goodies. Next time I’ll bring corn for those ducks.
Why does it seem there’s always something to do (that isn’t necessarily fun)?
During the era of gardening-is-my-biggest-hobby, I confess I was overjoyed once I put the yard to bed and raked the last leaf after eight months of toiling in the garden/yard. With any luck, no snow would fall for a while. Woo-hoo … time for myself, with leisure time previously winnowed down to hours or minutes because of watering, weeding and other garden chores. This was long before my walking regimen, blogging and a renewed interest in photography began. I was once a voracious reader, both on the bus, my lunchtime at work, at night … now I’m already behind in my 2024 Goodreads Challenge.
January is recognized as hobby month. It’s a good time to cocoon due to wintry temps, snow, gloomy and gray skies, all which help promote some R and R and scheduling something to do for yourself.
“Time” was my word for the year 2024 … it was supposed to reflect my new “retirement” status scheduled to begin January 1, 2024. That original retirement date got extended when my boss asked me to stay until we moved to a new office (our lease was up and not renewed) the end of February. I agreed. Along the way, this past week I told him I decided to “un-retire” before I officially retired. So, here I am, still scrambling a bit and after the move I’ll only be working four days a week, which pleases me since my principal reason for retiring was to have more leisure time to pursue other hobbies.
I sure hope I find something to do that’s fun in February!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I think those two stacks are giving off more hot air/moisture than pollution Linda? You can see the steam dissipating shortly after exiting. Smoke would persist.
Now I’m sure there is some sort of polluting going on, just not as much as you think.
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They make the claim it is “clean energy” Wayne, but yes, I have to agree with you. This is the place I mentioned where they draw lots for people to go on these excursions – once a year. The Audubon eagle excursions at DTE are guided by DTE personnel. I’m going to put my name in the hopper next year – hopefully the weather will cooperate more than this year. Anyone can submit their name, but I never saw the contest advertised this year. The eagles don’t come fishing at Dingell Park now that the steel plant closed down and no steam is emitted causing ice floes and open waters in the Detroit River. That’s a shame.
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Coal fired plants are inherently dirty. They have improved the particle output but they still pollute.
The nuclear reactor cooling towers are totally different. They are just steam I believe.
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Yes I think just steam for Fermi 2 and other nuclear plants. I also don’t think those eagles would be fishing there if it was smoky and polluted, but you would be a better judge of that than me. I was surprised they were closing it so much earlier, but environmentalists were complaining. They have decommissioned the two red-and-white stacks that you see when I’m at Humbug Marsh or Lake Erie Metropark. That happened in December and the City of Trenton has a committee to explore how they will use this site when the plant is gone. It will be a while for rebuilding they say.
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decommissioned eh…………that means they are going to be flattened……by dynamite!
BOOM!………..SPLATTTTT!
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Big mess – implosion likely. Near several parks which likely will scare the critters!
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critters are scared every day. As long as the disturbance isn’t a daily occurrence, they shake it off.
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That’s true I guess … the difference is that we humans are anticipating the noise, like fireworks or an implosion. I always feel sorry for the critters at Council Point Park when people are shooting off firecrackers for the 4th of July holiday – big firecrackers and at Lake Erie Metropark they have a scheduled, big fireworks display (by the park) for the 4th of July, also a big extravaganza. I walk into the backyard and my presence causes about 50-60 Sparrows to take flight from the bushes … this happens every single time I go back there … you’d think they would not be so skittish as I never harm them.
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birds react instinctively, they do not react like humans
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Well I feel badly for them not having more trust in me. When I feed the birds at the Park, they see the sunflower seeds and suet ball or peanut pieces and they wait and wait and wait. I walk away sometimes just so they will go before the squirrels get the bird treats. I had hoped to be able to hand feed them one day like Jocelyn Anderson does, but she reminds people all the time that the Kensington Park Nature Center has been a gathering place for people to hand feed birds for decades, so you can’t expect to hand feed your birds you encounter, even on an everyday basis. Now the ducks at the Park last Saturday – they were up close and personal, no holds barred! I just kept shooing them away as I’d not been there in two weeks and my “regulars” were hungry. I’ll take corn for them next time – starting Friday we will have a good run of nice weather – finally after three weeks.
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I bet that plant is named after Enrico Fermi?
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You are right about that Wayne. I didn’t use the official name for the plant – it is just called Fermi 2.
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You packed a lot into this post!
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I did Anne – thank you for reading til the end! I got a lot of mileage out of this trip to Sterling State Park. It was a 60-mile round trip and I got three posts out of it as well!
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You certainly keep yourself busy and appear to have boundless energy!
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I hope that being busy will keep me young Anne! (Of course you don’t see me occasionally nodding off or my eyes at half-mast while sitting at the computer.) 🙂
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That was a good walk thanks Linda 🙂
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Glad you liked it Brian – I got three posts out of one walk. 🙂
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👍😁
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I enjoyed your photographs depicting the waves, water, and the paths next to it. The color of the water isn’t as aquamarine as the Caribbean Sea, but the waves are very much the same. The MI water is more daunting and dark but you found ways to make it appealing in your photos. Congrats on persevering through the yucky January weather you’ve been having. Your choice to stay un-retired for the time being will hopefully help the rest of winter fly by! Way to stick up for yourself and get that extra day off per week.
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Glad you liked the photos Shelley. I was amazed to learn that surfers go to Lake Erie – the waves didn’t seem that big to me. I will have to go back in the Summertime when it is hoppin’ but I know it is such a popular spot, they have, in the past, closed admittance as parking lots fill up. They do that at the metroparks too sometimes. January has been nothin’ special weather-wise and with tonight’s precip we will now have the second rainiest January on record. Yes, well the extra day will be nice because I had plans to organize my life with a big declutter campaign over the Winter … so now that won’t happen which isn’t good. I have to spend some time getting rid of some stuff … a big purge next Winter. That extra day will be nice for sure.
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That’s crazy that you’ve had the rainiest January. So odd.
You’ll get to the declutter campaign in due time. It’s the end of Jan and I haven’t started mine either 😆😆
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Yes, now made it to second rainiest … our “dusting” morphed into a snowfall. We got about 2.5 inches where I live and the northern ‘burbs got 5-6 inches. Weather folks said it was an “overachiever”. Well, there is a lot of clutter because I planned to be off. And things are not 100% back together from the flood … I have to get the ceiling panel downstairs repaired one day as well. The water made the ceiling panel sopping wet and it fell on the floor over the drain.
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Oh, jeez, that weather. It just makes me shake my head.
Oh, yes, I remember you had flood issues to clean up too. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you’ll find little pockets of time to deal with decluttering. I’m thinking about February being a short month and spending it to clear stuff out. We shall see, I have one more day to decide. 😆😆
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A short month – well including Leap Day, so a week bit longer. Decluttering will not be fun … January was not a great month. Trying to figure out why this comment went to SPAM???
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Yay for short month that gets us closer to Spring! I hope it is a better month for you than January. It is hard to tell why comments head to the SPAM folder sometimes, thanks for rescuing it!
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Yes, let’s move along to Spring … I am looking forward to the next week. It makes me scratch my head why comments end up in SPAM too Shelley!
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And now I’m waiting to hear what Phil has to say about when that Spring will arrive! 😆🧐
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Phil says an early Spring, but Woody the Woodchuck, Michigan’s female groundhog (who is more accurate than Phil) disagrees. I hope Woody was just having an “off” day. 🙂
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Let’s go with Phil this year!! 😆😎
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I love that picture with the gnarly-looking tree roots. It’s a wonderful experience, having a beach to yourself with only a few gulls for company. That’s pretty cool, having a boardwalk along the lower part of the sea wall. (Or do they call it a lake wall? 🙂 ) I wonder if the waves come crashing up over it during storms. Would love to take that walk. Your winter weather has been so rough, maybe when you finally retire you can move somewhere warmer and safer…
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I am glad you liked that gnarly-looking tree Barbara – I thought it was unique looking for sure and it was so heavy, it wasn’t going anywhere. I was debating whether to use one of the Fermi 2 pictures to illustrate the two walkways, but I guess you could see the bright blue railings/barrier in those photos and the upper walkway with no barriers where the deer nearly ran me off the path that time. Good question – would it be a “lake wall”? I would like to know how they built it. At Lake Erie Metropark they have boulders all along Cove Point shoreline but they do not rise high out of the water like these do. However, I learned from a walker one time that it had been sand and a beach and swimming at Cove Point at one time, but then they decided no swimming would be allowed, so they brought in big boulders to line along the shoreline instead, giving the park a whole different look. The waves must crash up over the railing/barrier during storms as the walkway was wet as I was walking along from ordinary waves, so I was mindful of the water coming up too high and getting the camera wet. You would enjoy this walk. I would like to move somewhere where I would never encounter harsh Winters again.
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You demonstrate your hobbies perfectly here, Linda, with your lens and walking shoes. I enjoy reading about parks and their unique amenities!
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Thank you Terri. I will have more hobbies waiting in the wings down the road, but these are in the forefront for now. P.S. – These larger parks do draw me like a magnet.
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Once I retired there was no way they’d be able to talk me into coming back, even part time! But you know what’s best for you, and I’m hoping it all works out great!
I definitely need to get down to Sterling this spring. I’m moving it further up my list of things to do!
I used to read all the time too…but now I fall asleep reading. Sigh. Last year I only recorded 12 books in the entire year on my Goodreads challenge. I’m trying to do better in 2024 but I don’t know.
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Well I had all my ducks in a row Dawn – my Social Security starts in February. I joined Detroit Bird Alliance (formerly Detroit Audubon) as they were going to do even more events than just birding events. Their events are usually on weekends anyway, but the weather and walking/photography on weekends has to always ensure I have enough photos/narratives for weekly posts, especially through the Winter, so that kept me from joining. I figured I would have more time to do their events too. But I still intend to hook up with them sometimes. I wanted to take some sketching and/or painting classes to join a plein air group – I met their members a couple of years ago and did a post about them and I still follow them on Facebook. They go out twice a week (Saturdays/Wednesdays) from April through October to many of the venues I go to. I thought that would be fun, but I haven’t taken sketching classes since I was a teenager – you know how long that is as we’re the same age. 🙂
I would like to go back, maybe in the Spring before it gets crowded with campers. That walkway by the water is nice and picturesque.
I made 24 books my 2023 Goodreads Challenge – what was I thinking? Because I thought I was retiring on Leap Day, I made 18 books my goal. I have to adjust it again. I can’t read in bed or in a comfortable chair … I will nod off, no matter how good the book is.
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I didn’t even set a goal for reading in 2024. If I get past 12 books I’ll figure I won. Definitely will get down to Sterling this spring…which, after all, isn’t all that far away! OH…I’d love to take a sketching class…I paint little watercolors but mostly trace images and then paint. I can draw some but sure could use some help. I’ve always wanted to try plein aire too, but without drawing I don’t know how to do that.
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Most of the group members do watercolors – the organizer (John) does oils and finishes each painting back in his studio. The group is mostly hobby artists. John takes commissions and teaches calligraphy at a local community college. Their outings look fun. I’ve met them twice, did a post on them while I did a 5K charity walk (“Run for the Trees”) at Humbug Marsh and they were there. They have not set a schedule for 2024 but are planning to go to the Detroit Zoo in July. They are a nice group and told me “join, learn on the fly” but I don’t want to do that. A few times last year they joined up with a Farmington Hills Plein Air group. I want to have some skill set under my belt before joining. As I write this someone is using a snowblower. The “dusting” of snow we were supposed to get Downriver turned out to be 2.5 inches – I heard the northern ‘burbs go 5-6 inches. Penny was probably itching to go out and play in it again.
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I love a beautiful shoreline.
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Me too Kirstin – it is so peaceful with the waves lapping onto the shore.
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We Aquarius “bear” water perhaps better than you do, Linda. We accept it’s a part of our fate/destiny/cross-to-bear, as in countless issues with houses and plumbing, floods, ambitious ocean tides, etc. Having said that, growing up by the Pacific Ocean I can’t imagine a surfing club on one of the Great Lakes. Are the waves really big enough? Finally, sorry about your Lions but it was a great story while it lasted. For the first two quarters last night I thought you were a team of destiny, but my-oh-my what a difference another thirty minutes makes. If it’s any consolation, I’ll be pulling for the Chiefs in two weeks.
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Ha ha and I am Aries, the Ram, who is supposed to charge into any crisis head on. I’m not sure that describes me Dave. 🙂 I found it difficult to believe that there was a surfers group at Lake Erie. Those waves were fairly big, but not like you’d see in the ocean. But that said, perhaps what gives Lake Erie’s surfers a thrill is the wake from all the Great Lakes freighters. Sometimes you’ll see them passing one another on the Detroit River and all the pleasure boats and small motorboats filled wit anglers don’t want to get too close. All of Detroit is bummed today about the Lions and, like I mentioned in their first playoff game, they are now once again “THE” Lions, not “OUR” Lions on the sportscasts and social media and some disparaging remarks about Dan Campbell. I was streaming “All Creatures Great & Small” on PBS and it has no commercials, but I couldn’t resist peeking at the score. Halftime they were ahead and next time I looked they were really behind – many sports writers here picked them to be underdogs and to lose by three points, just as it happened. Many dejected fans took the red-eye back to Detroit and refused to talk to reporters at Detroit Metro. You know they became America’s team and that was nice. I’m glad you’re pulling for the Chiefs for the Super Bowl. There is much disdain here for San Francisco as you might imagine.
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I like your photos of water and your meditation on how it has fit into your life recently. I know the situation with your retirement hasn’t been what you planned but once you do retire and get into your groove I’m sure your 2024 inspirational word will seem perfect. In fact you’ll have time to contemplate it thoroughly.
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I’m glad you liked the photos of the water Ally. There was a lot to see at this park and I got three posts out of one trip. This was not the post I intended to do, but given the way water, in every shape and form, was my nemesis in January, I switched to this beach and shoreline post topic instead. Yes, un-retiring was not my intention for 2024 and I’d feel better if I had gotten my house decluttered which was on my agenda for the Winter months. I had great expectations for cleaning and decluttering my home so that when Spring arrived, I was free to roam.
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Miss Linda……………………………………I just love Sterling State park and the nice pictures of the water and Fermi and DTE smoke pipes……………………………..I’ve had my fill of this January’s winter Blast Artic weather………………………………………………I can’t wait until January is over with……………………………I’ve had my fill of car dead batteries, stuck in icy snow patches and slipping on black ice all around our apartment complex…………………………maybe because I’m getting older and would like to walk outside on dry sidewalks………………………………………………..I enjoy dressing warm in the winter……………………………………but not the icy snow………………………..
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I really love it too Ann Marie and I’m glad I got the directions from you a few years ago so I didn’t get lost. (Well maybe the first time in 2022 and I kept on going into Monroe downtown but the sign out front is so small.) It’s so distinctive when you go around that one bend and see Fermi 2 in the distance, then the smokestacks once at the park. As a fellow walker, I am not surprised you hate this weather as much as I do. I don’t think I’ve ever gone two weeks without walking. Driving yes, if we had ice/snow and once I got plowed in at the end of the driveway, then we had freezing rain. The sidewalks and driveway were treacherous every morning when I went out to run the car. And now we’re getting a wintry mix and snow tonight which does not thrill me in the least. I don’t mind dressing for the cold either. I took the bus for years, so it is easy to just layer up with all my warm clothes.
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Ugh!!! You have been having the worst weather. I’m so glad (and I bet your furry/feathered friends are too) that you were finally able to get out to the park and dispense some goodies. I bet they all wondered where you were!
I had a gardening-is-my-biggest-hobby era too. I got over that also. Now it just seems like work.
I’m happy to read about your retirement plans. I’m sure you will find lots to do.
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It’s been an awful two weeks Laurie and we are getting more snow tonight, not a lot plus a sleety mix as well. Ugh indeed. I was chomping at the bit to get to the Park but I knew it would be icy there as they rarely plow and that freezing rain and flash freeze was really bad at my house, so it would be worse there. Yes, my furry/feathered friends came over and were very happy. I’ve been pondering through the Winter on what to do in the garden and will be writing about that next week. Like you, the joy of gardening has become work and with the erratic weather anymore, you have to wonder if you plant, will it all survive with longstanding droughts, torrential rain days on end or another Polar Vortex like we just had. The Polar Vortex of 2013-2014 is when I lost my entire butterfly garden. I will enjoy the extra time off … I am so disorganized at my house that is something I really have to do as well.
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It is good to put the garden to bed and take time off. You do get around on your walks. I miss beaches – even the Great Lakes would do! No surfing though.
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It was always a feeling of accomplishment to put the garden to bed Eilene, then enjoy leisure time. Here in SE Michigan you have to be out there doing yard cleanup by early April … toiling in the garden eight months of the year is a lot of work, maybe for younger lens. I do have to rethink what I will do as to my backyard with so much erratic weather. The Polar Vortex in the Winter of 2013-2014, then the downed wire fire in 2020 has made a mess of my garden. I do like to try new parks and I aimed to try more new parks in 2023 but the construction was so bad, I tabled those excursions until 2024. I had not been to the beach in many years – surfing is not for me either!
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Congratulations on your un-retirement? lol As long as you enjoy it ! I like watching the surfers in the waves, we have those crazy people here too, even in the wintery months. I would not do it but I hate the cold so there’s that…………
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Well, I had planned to retire. Had my ducks in a row, social security to begin in February … at least I will only work four days, so more leisure time, which was the principal reason I was retiring – more “me” time. I was amazed to see that surfing is a thing here in Michigan. I follow the Huron-Clinton Metroparks photographers site – I like seeing all the photos at the 13 metroparks and there was someone there in the bitter cold paragliding. It is usually just wildlife photos, but here they were … much braver than I’d be (even in Summer).
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I had no idea that surfing was a thing in Michigan either. That would be interesting to watch. We have a decommissioned nuclear plant about 50 miles up the coast from us. Now we have all the visual pollution with no energy production.
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That was news to me Janis … I do know the wake from the Great Lakes freighters can cause big waves, especially when two of them pass one another – the pleasure boats and motor boats move closer to shore then. Too bad they don’t take that nuclear power plant down – maybe it’s complicated to remediate the property, so it’s easier to leave it. This one is 30 miles from me.
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I love the boardwalk by the water!
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Yes, isn’t that great Linda? You can walk right next to those rocks and look down. The spray from the waves made that boardwalk wet as it was wavy and windy that morning.
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I enjoyed seeing your waterfront and beach. This is a very interesting place. Mostly your story and descriptions were so very fun to read. 😊
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Glad you liked it TD … I originally planned another venue, but given all the stats and events surrounding weather, I thought I’d use the part 3 of Sterling State Park instead.
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It is so sad what man does to nature Linda! You are so lucky to live by all that waterfront. All our waterfront is being taken over by man. Condominiums, hotels, restaurants etc have taken away most all of it from the people that pay taxes and want to use the waterfront property. It won’t be long and it will be gone in our city.
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Yes, it is Diane. One thing promising as to those big smokestacks you see every time I go to parks along the Detroit River (they are red and white striped stacks). That plant was decommissioned the end of December 2022 and they are inviting people to attend meetings to decide on whether it is made into another riverside park (which seems to be in the majority right now). That’s terrible they have sold out your waterfront property. Twenty years ago when my boss/I left the Firm and moved to a building along the Detroit River, the entire area was bad. There were two huge cement silos where freighters would come and load/unload and there were several big manufacturing plants, long gone and all dilapidated.. They have since torn all these down and made a park that goes from downtown Detroit to Belle Isle (about three miles) on a boardwalk. It looks much better now.
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That gnarly tree stump must have a story to tell! It must have seen a lot of things and experienced a lot of nature’s beauty and wrath. I see what you mean about the huffing and puffing machines in the horizon.
Great picture of the walkway. Congratulations on working 4 days a week instead of 5!! Yes, more time for leisure and hobbies.
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Yes, imagine all the waves that tree has seen wash up onto shore. Plus, it would have felt the wrath of that tornado. It is a shame to see the huffing and puffing smokestacks marring the horizon. That walkway is amazing – you are up close and personal to the rocks and the water. I am looking forward to the four days of work instead of five – that will start next month. All the moving and that prep etc will happen in February. It’s good to see you back. I am behind in Reader three days. I had to drive my car this weekend. I had not driven it in three weeks due to ice/snow, etc. and it was finally beautiful so I did some walking and photos … it was good to step away from the house, just as you stepped away from blogging … you’ll return refreshed and full of words to write about.
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Oh, how nice that you got to drive your car and go for your outing in pleasant weather. I can imagine how fierce the weather has been for you. Glad you are safe and well.
I’d love to walk on a walkway like that…close to the water and rocks, although I might get scared of falling in. Chris would be nervous of me taking pictures on a walkway like that and falling in. lol
Nature is fierce, especially in horrible weather yet they grow back in all their gentleness and beauty. Incredible.
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Boy I needed that drive and walk Esther – that outing was good for the car and me. The dregs of snow and ice are still around, despite warm temps on Sunday, but it was frozen solid for an entire week. This morning we had freezing fog. It looked strange. Luckily it was just on the grass where I live. I had errands to do this morning and there had been lots of accidents earlier in the morning.
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I can imagine how rough it is on the roads with snow and ice. Glad you did your errands and got home safely! I don’t even know there was such a thing as freezing fog. I wait for spring…desperately!!
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You have had nightmare-type weather too Esther and we have had a month of weather that went from warm and torrential rain to the Polar Vortex. The freezing fog deposits ice onto grass and cement and it becomes like black ice, only it is white. You can see it on the grass and roofs, etc. and it is a white layer, but once the cars go over it, it’s slick but you can’t see it. I was lucky my appointment wasn’t until 9:35 so it was fine on the roads. I had already moved the appointment twice due to icy conditions. I am ready for Spring to arrive too. Our Michigan groundhog disagreed with Punxatawney Phil and predicted Winter for six more weeks and I understand we will get snow for Valentine’s Day – ugh.
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I would not want to experience that freezing fog or its effects! Sounds slippery and dangerous. I can see why you worry so much with the weather conditions.
Ours is a lot of rain and wind, and lots of people are getting sick. You won’t believe this, but we are sick again. Last week was Elliot and now it’s Ellis’ turn. She has a mild fever, ferocious coughs, and throw ups. This morning I shook my head in disbelief that we are going through another bout of something. Please stay well and keep masking up. Something is going around and it’s not going away.
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You guys cannot catch a break. I was surprised that the flu is just peaking now – I figured it would be like Covid and happen right after the holidays. I hope Ellis’ illness and throwing up does not morph into another hospital stay for her (and you). I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you this clears up quickly. We have had a nice couple of days – tomorrow too, but now we will get rain, which was not forecast before. Oh well, it is not snow, dangerous winds, freezing rain or tornadoes, so I will take it. You guys take care as well. No kisses for Dart so he gets “it”. 🙂
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For your weather, rain is mild…Just please none of that freezing rain or freezing fog or other dangerous weather conditions. I hope you got to enjoy the nice weather and got to see your furry friends.
It’s bronchitis and the antibiotics should help. We have ups and downs in too short a time (lol), which you can see from my blogging post titles. One day it’s good…the next day it’s something else.
Dart is just hanging out by this heating pad and rock garden. I wonder if he’s sad that we’re not paying too much attention to him these days.
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It got to 60 degrees today – just wonderful and I hated to come back home. One more day of very mild weather – then back to reality. I am sure the damp weather is not helping you bounce back from the earlier respiratory ailments, but thank goodness it is not Covid, the flu or RSV. You know Dart is probably sad as he was used to a lot of interaction with all of you and says “I guess the newness is worn off and I’m old hat now” when in reality it is just illness has prevailed since Thanksgiving. I think I remember you saying that the cold weather affects Dart too, so maybe staying on the heating pad and rock garden takes all his energy in your colder weather.
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This is Dart’s first winter, so he’s probably wondering what happened to the heat of the CA sun. He sleeps all day and gets active at night, which I see when I poke my head into the room where he is. If you see the latest picture post about Dart, you can see how much bigger he got. He was skinny and small when we got him last July.
Enjoy the last lady of mild weather…soak it all up!! You always have wild and tumultuous winter weathers. Hang in there…just a few more weeks and warmer weather. I cannot wait!!
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I just went and took a peek Esther – I am still behind in Reader so popped over. I have not caught up as I was watching the Jennifer Crumbley trial highlights every night after work. He sure has gotten big – all those mealworm treats he has been getting. 🙂 Thought of you again today, twice, earthquake in California and another in Hawaii. Mother Earth is having a tough year.
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It’s been a wild winter for us in terms of life in general and the weather. We’ve had a mild weekend albeit cold.
This next week we’re expecting more rain, so we’ll be stomping around in our rain boots. Any chance we get to jump in puddles, we do. This is what happens when you live in a drought state.
Have a great start to the new week!
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Well, your grass will green, your flowers will thrive, so it is a win-win, right? When we had the recent warm spell, almost 70 degrees, people were walking around in short sleeves and shorts.
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I know that those lakes are very large. You just don’t think of them having waves. But we had occasional waves on our lake shore so you should certainly have some! Plus you have big ships. But…. let’s talk about that clam shell. How many millenia has it been since clams frequented your waters? Just amazing!
I thought, btw, that coal plants had to have zero, or close to zero, emissions. Of course, you still get steam. Hopefully no mysterious glow from the nuclear plant.
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I loved seeing that one clam shell on the beach and was amazed no one picked it up when it was still warm weather. Where did it come from I wonder? Good pondering on your part Zazzy! They are still not going to close that one plant for a few years, but today I heard the Trenton Channel Power Plant (the one with the red and white ‘stacks) will be demolished by implosion in two parts starting on March 1st. What a difference that will make to the skyline! Then they talk about remediation and future park(s) at that large area.
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