Big Bay Lighthouse

 

 

Big Bay Lighthouse was converted into a Bed and Breakfast Inn and stands on a tall bluff
over a rocky point near Big Bay, Michigan, approximately 24 miles northwest of Marquette on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The grounds are beautiful but you will need a defense against the attack of black flies.  Thousands of black flies swarmed around us the entire time.  It was miserable fighting them off my face, arms and back.  When we got in the car, 100's flew into the car and it took a lot of swatting their bloody bodies all over the windows and dashboard and strong winds to get rid of them.  I had at least 50 bites so I do not recommend this bed and breakfast during the summer months when black flies thrive.  Mosquitoes hatch everywhere there's standing water. Black flies bedevil campers and hikers along Lake Superior, especially in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Black flies are hardest to avoid, since they attack the face and are nearly invisible except when they multiple in the thousands then you see a black cloud following you!

Eagle Harbor Light House

When we visited this lighthouse, it was a very chilly and windy day.  The doors were difficult to open and when I did, the wind slammed the door against the building and I had a hard time closing the door.  You could hear the wind slamming against the building and the windows were making crackling sounds.  I kept reminding myself it was a lighthouse and would be strong enough to handle the wind gusts.  Eagle Harbor Light is a working lighthouse at Eagle Harbor, in Keweenaw County in the state of Michigan

Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge

 

This covered bridge is still a functional bridge for traffic.  It was built in 1840's by a freed slave and bridge builder Horace King (1807-1885) and it is the oldest and longest wooden bridge in the state of Georgia.  We drove through it and it was sturdy even though there was grass growing within the rails and some large nails were loose in several wooden planks.  It is located in Meriwether County, Georgia. 

Southern Memories Pine Valley

These photos were taken in August across from Callaway Country Store when the weather was warm and sunny and flowering trees were still blooming.  Memories of summer to keep me warm in a chilly November day.

Under the Crescent Light - Birds in Flight

Poem from a "Thousand Mornings" by Mary Oliver who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose body of work is largely filled with imagery of the natural world.

THE FIRST TIME PERCY CAME BACK

'The first time Percy came back
he was not sailing on a cloud.
He was loping along the sand as though
he had come a great way.
"Percy," I cried out, and reached to him—
those white curls—
but he was unreachable. As music
is present yet you can't touch it...

And now you'll be telling stories
of my coming back
and they won't be false, and they won't be true,
but they'll be real."
And then, as he used to, he said, "Let's go!"
And we walked down the beach together."

Excerpt from "A Thousand Poems" by Mary Oliver

The Morning Crescent Light: Waves and Patterns

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At the different stages of the sunrise, light reflects through the clouds with shades of pink or orange hues.

Daily Walks - Sunrise Crescent Beach

 

This mornings walk at Crescent Beach, I had the pleasure of seeing the different stages of a cloudy sunrise.  It was a magnificent view and the photos do not come close in capturing the beauty of the morning.

Lightening Under the Trees

 

It was thundering and lightening tonight so I tried to capture the light from the yard lantern flickering in the rain.  The night sky had flashes of light that brighten the surrounding area with a reddish tint.  The light shining between two trees makes the front tree look crooked.  This photo has a weird and spooky effect for Halloween.

Sunrise Matanzas River

These pictures were taken south of Crescent Bridge on a road to a fishing spot for locals.

Throught the Looking Glass: Water and Light

 

 

Early morning hike at Matanzas Beach.

Through the Looking Glass: Clouds and Light

Autumn Trees and a Swing Providence Canyon

These are a few of the trees near the Welcome Center at the park.  There is an old swing out front near the walkway.

Autumn Providence Canyon Floor

 

 

 

 

 

Surprisingly, Providence Canyon had more autumn foliage then the Pine Mountain valley further north.  On the canyon floor were brilliant red, yellow and orange trees among the southern pines.  The pine branches reflected a golden glow from the morning sun.

Cheaha Mountain in Early Fall

Cheaha Mountain is the highest mountain in Alabama so I decided to drive my mother through the back roads for her to see the country side.  Cheaha Moutain is part of the Talladega Mountain Range, a final southern segment of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It is located close to the town of Delta which we could not tell if it was just a barn and a small church that made up the town.

Pine Mountain Valley

 
It is not often I get  pictures of clouds at Pine Mountain Valley.  It is usually no clouds, hot and too bright and the landscape colors look faded.  Finally, glorious clouds floated in front of my camera.  The foliage is not fully turned into the autumn magnificent colors but I am happy for the clouds!

Beach Wonderland - Through the Looking Glass

 

When the white beach reflects the light from the morning sun, the wet sand illuminates a mirror.  Shadows of the clouds, birds, sand piles, sea weed have a looking glass effect. The visual effect is surreal like a favorite children's book by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland:  Through the Looking Glass.

'As to poetry, you know,' said Humpty Dumpty, stretching out one of his great hands, 'I can repeat poetry as well as other folk, if it comes to that—'
         

     'In winter, when the fields are white,
     I sing this song for your delight—     

     'In spring, when woods are getting green,
     I'll try and tell you what I mean.'

         

     'In summer, when the days are long,
     Perhaps you'll understand the song:
     In autumn, when the leaves are brown,
     Take pen and ink, and write it down.'

          

     'I sent a message to the fish:
     I told them "This is what I wish."
     The little fishes of the sea,
     They sent an answer back to me.

     The little fishes' answer was
     "We cannot do it, Sir, because—"'

    'I sent to them again to say
     "It will be better to obey."

     The fishes answered with a grin,
     "Why, what a temper you are in!"
     I told them once, I told them twice:
     They would not listen to advice.

     I took a kettle large and new,
     Fit for the deed I had to do.
     My heart went hop, my heart went thump;
     I filled the kettle at the pump.

     Then some one came to me and said,
     "The little fishes are in bed."
     I said to him, I said it plain,
     "Then you must wake them up again."

     I said it very loud and clear;
     I went and shouted in his ear.'

    'But he was very stiff and proud;
     He said "You needn't shout so loud!"

     And he was very proud and stiff;
     He said "I'd go and wake them, if—"
     I took a corkscrew from the shelf:
     I went to wake them up myself.

     And when I found the door was locked,
     I pulled and pushed and kicked and knocked.
     And when I found the door was shut,
     I tried to turn the handle, but—'

There was a long pause.
'Is that all?' Alice timidly asked.
'That's all,' said Humpty Dumpty. 'Good-bye.'

Excerpts from Chapter 6, "Through the Looking Glass"
by Lewis Carroll

Surfside Beach

I don't know how many times I drove past Surfside Beach and ignored the park sign.  You wink and you will miss it.  It is a small park located on A1A north of Vilano Beach.  An old run down motel is adjacent to it.  The motel must have been build in the forties and is the coastal stereotype you run across driving along southern beaches.  Most of them have been torn down and replaced with resorts.