Mostly Macro

 
More work assignments today. I'm paying the price for not being able to do any last week with all the snow and road closures. It's interesting with the deep snow, but I'm getting them done.

These are just some details of things I liked. First is a beech nut pod. As in, from a beech tree. The nut is not there-- probably taken for dinner by some small critter. It was all alone in a path. Not a beech tree, or another pod in sight, which made it stand out.



Next is the common ornamental, maiden grass Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'. I love the look of the plumes against the snow, and when I moved in even closer, things got more interesting.





Finally, this is one of those pictures that was a total surprise. It's the wall of a shed that needs painting, so it got a closeup for the insurance company files. But I loved the subtle monochrome hues when I looked at it- cropped out a window and door latch, and... I like it!

	See Beech Nut
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Crystal Lake in Benzie County

 
There's probably a Crystal Lake in every county of Michigan. But this is the largest one in the state, and the 9th largest inland lake in the state. It's about an hour north of me,in Benzie County, and occasionally my work assignments take me there. Today was such a day. Here's a map.



The pictures are taken from the spot labeled "1."

First we are looking west, toward Lake Michigan, at that big square end. Here's a odd thing about this lake. It has no natural outlet to Lake Michigan. In 1873 some people (I'm thinking non-engineers) opened a channel but they neglected to take into account the fact that Crystal Lake is much higher. It dropped the level of Crystal Lake significantly. Even though the channel was closed, the water level never recovered. Whether you want to call it good or bad, it provided a ring of rather level land which is now populated with cottages and created several nice beaches.



Here's a view of the hills straight across. There aren't any towns on the north side of the lake. Frankfort and Elberta are southwest. Beulah and Benzonia are at the east end. The watershed for this lake is very small. There are also no rivers that flow into it. The water is known for being exceptionally clear, so at least it earns its name.



Looking east, you can see the bay bumping out to the south, and the narrow end in the distance. There is one small creek that will flow out of Crystal Lake when the water is high, drain into the Betsie River and then into Lake Michigan. It's in the middle of that bump of a bay. As lakes near Lake Michigan go, this one is unusual in many ways.



For a look toward the west in summer, see Vistas, Lakes, and Who's Looking

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Winter at Its Finest

 
Today was one of those winter days you have to love. I was out working all day and there were a couple of glitches in that, but who cares? It warmed into the 20's, the sun shone, and everything looked clean and lovely. Just enjoy the sky, back roads, and lakes.

	See Winter Stillness
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Call Me a Liar for an Inch

 
I've been telling everyone that the snowbank at the end of the driveway is taller than I am. Well, today I decided to prove it, and instead proved that I'm a liar. I think. Maybe it's just the angle. Maybe. Do you think I can get away with saying that?



Here's the long shot. I can't seem to keep it open any wider than that.

	See And So It Continues
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Spirit of the Woods at Big M 2014

 
As has been a tradition for several years now, for the February event we go to Big M Cross Country Ski Area. We didn't manage to get a picture of all the people who came this time, because folks just come and go from the warming shelter. I both skied and snowshoed. Here are four snowshoers on the Double Bit Trail.


All together, I think 13 people showed up. I both skied and snowshoed for a total of about 6 miles. We had a lot of fun. Instead of a howling wind, the temperature wasn't ridiculous, and the snowflakes fell softly. Catching them on the tongue isn't only for kids.


Speaking of kids, we had one who came with her uncle. She thought it was pretty funny when he warmed up her feet. She did get warmed up and skied a total of a couple of miles herself.



We had chili, and cornbread and brownies in the warming shelter. It's impossible to get good pictures in there because of the big windows, but they let in the light, and I'm not complaining. You can see what a nice facility it is.

Nice day!

	See SPW Big M 2013
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