Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: weather


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Black & white photo challenge: Shadows and reflections

Shadows and reflections. Having spent the better part of two weeks on the lake I’ve been struck by the many beautiful reflections I’ve seen, and I’ve used quite a few of them in the last few posts. Maybe, just maybe, there’s nothing new to show you.

Still. Cee’s black and white challenge is intriguing and I haven’t done enough of them. In fact, I had to go back and watch the you tube instructions again because I’d already forgotten how to convert a color photograph to black and white since I did my last black and white for Cee’s challenge a few weeks ago.

After I figured out how to do it, the question became what to use. I had a couple of ideas but what it came down to was the still water right in front of the lake house, and the reflection we look at in all different kinds of light whenever we’re here, of the house across the way.

Early morning stillness.

Early morning stillness.

You can tell the weather just by the way the house reflects in the water. If it’s dimpled there is rain. If it’s ruffled there is wind. If it’s perfect it’s water-ski water!

So I guess you can tell what we did right after taking this picture earlier in the week.

Yep, it involved a boat.


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Overnight in paradise

Peaceful

Peaceful


I went north to Nortport this week, specifically to listen to Loreen Niewenhuis talk about her latest book “A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure.” This is the third in her trilogy of Great Lakes adventures — I loved the first two; the first about her walk around Lake Michigan and the second about her walk on the shores of portions of all five Great Lakes.

Her talk was excellent and I can’t wait to read the new book. I opened it at random in three places last night and laughed out loud each time. She can write! Even while you’re learning about things you may never have thought about you’re enjoying the adventure of it all in her books.

Sunset glow

Sunset glow

I love Northport, the little town at the tip of Michigan’s pinky finger. I can’t think of a place more lovely, more welcoming, more serene. Lucky for me I have a friend or two there, so I was able to camp on a lawn near Lake Michigan on Tuesday night after Loreen’s talk at the local library. The sunset that night was spectacular.

Beautiful water.

Beautiful water.

I didn’t take a lot of photos this trip, other than the sunset, at least there on the lake. Instead I enjoyed swimming in the cool clear water of Lake Michigan, listening to a bit of jazz at a local restaurant, conversation with friends, and sleeping out under the stars.

OK. So I didn’t really notice the stars much. I slept better out there on the front lawn than I’ve slept in a good long while and I don’t think I woke at all until morning. Must have been the lake air.

It’s cherry harvesting time in Northport and I stopped on my way out of town to get a photo.

Looks like a good year for cherries.

Looks like a good year for cherries.

Don’t they look good? In my family we love tart cherries even more than the sweet versions. I wanted to grab a bucket and pick a few pounds, but I guess that would be stealing. So I bought a quart at a stand and ate them on the way home.

Have I mention I really love this place?

Sand clings to my memories.

Sand clings to my memories.


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Hard hit

Stormy times

Stormy times

The safety of everyone on our roads and highways took a big hit last week. The Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015 (S. 1732) passed out of the Commerce Committee and is headed to the full Senate complete with all the anti-safety aspects that we fought to extract. The ability for a truck company to hide safety statistics from the public, to allow the hiring of 18 year olds to drive across the country (some states had higher minimum ages, but this will now be overrun by federal law), creating more hoops for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to jump through in order to mandate higher insurance requirements, all of these and more are still included in the bill. Every amendment presented by a safety conscious Committee Member lost by one vote, or by a voice vote. Every amendment offered by a American Trucking Association supported Committee Member passed.

The voting was straight down party lines.

I don’t understand. If you’re elected by the majority of people in your state, but you’re only going to vote the party line without listening or even considering another opinion, what’s the point of discussing anything at all? If you can’t listen to the safety concerns of many of your constituents, if you can’t let the overwhelming evidence sway you even the slightest toward safety, if you are more concerned about your campaign contributors than the safety of regular citizens, well, then there is no hope for the future.

I’ll be honest. It has been a difficult few months. It’s hard to look forward and figure out what the next move is. Obviously the next move is to call Senators when S1732 gets to the floor of the full Senate. But sill, it’s been so discouraging. It would be easy to just let it go. I’m beginning to wonder if we’re wrong. Maybe this is what the population wants…larger trucks, younger drivers, longer driving hours, the public shouldering the expenses when a crash occurs…if so, so be it.

I was driving this morning, looking for a photo challenge shot. Out in the cornfields of rural America I had all sorts of negative thoughts bouncing around my brain. But as I drove the dirt roads, past farms and small towns, other voices started to push their way into my brain. Voices of the families. The sons and daughters, wives and husbands, siblings, grandparents, and parents of those we’ve lost. I remember saying years ago that if we saved one life my family would be even, and my sister responding emphatically that no we wouldn’t. We’ll never be even, never be whole, no matter how hard we work.

But that’s no excuse for giving up. It’s no excuse for abandoning those who can no longer speak, no excuse not to expose the horrors and the grief, no excuse not to push for change.

By the time I made my way back home I had taken a deep breath and begun thinking about what’s next. There is more than one way to approach safety. If we can’t get it done through Congress maybe we can get something done through the DOT. And if the DOT can’t get anything done then maybe we go straight to the big trucking companies. We’ve already done that with one, that company realizes that safe can be profitable. Maybe we just have to spread that word. Meanwhile we still provide support and advice and love to the families who have been forever changed by truck crashes, one family at a time.

We lost big time this month. But we won’t give up and we won’t go away. There’s only one way to move and that’s forward.

Did I get the photo I was looking for? You’ll have to wait and see.

Clouds around every corner.

Clouds around every corner.


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WordPress Photo Challenge: Muse

This week’s photo challenge is to show something you photograph regularly, something that inspires you to take more photos.  To show us muse.

Pretty clouds...and a sheltie.

Pretty clouds…and a sheltie.

For me it’s often the sky.  Prior to retirement I had a window at work on the top floor and regularly posted ‘window weather’ photos taken on my phone of the clouds, rain, and sun streaming by.

Now that I’m not working I have to go a bit further to find that wide open sky.  But it’s still one of my favorite things to photograph; it changes frequently, it can be beautiful or dramatic; sometimes both.  I’m always watching the sky, early morning, midday, and late into the evening.  You never know what you’ll see.

Oh.  Yes there’s also the sheltie-girl Katie in this shot, another muse.  I have a few thousand photos of her in her many different moods.  Today, as you can see, she’s a very happy girl.  Because she loves to run, and because she knows I have treats.

You can see other interpretations of ‘muse’ at the original post.  Or if you like, check out a few of my favorites, here, here and here.

And don’t miss this one.

 

What’s your photographic muse?  You have time to show us, just post a photo on your blog and link to the original post.  I can’t wait to see!

Katie-girl.

Katie-girl.

 

 


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Epic, windy, wet adventure

Our beautiful campsite!

Our beautiful campsite!

Katie here.  Mama says I’m monopolizing her blog but what’s she got to talk about anyway now that she’s retired?  Right?  Of course I’m right.  I’m a princess.

So anyway, last January mama reserved a campsite for this weekend right on the shore of Lake Michigan! It’s about five hours from home and I have to say I was an excellent traveler.  I didn’t bark at her once the whole way up there!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First there was the planning and the packing and the loading of the car.  I was afraid she might forget to take me so I stuck really close to her.

Don't forget me mama!

Don’t forget me mama!

She didn’t forget me but she did forget my bed!  GEEZE mama!  She must be getting old.  That’s OK…I figured I’d just sleep on hers.

This is for me - - right?

This is for me – – right?

Our campsite was really beautiful, right on the shore.  Friday afternoon mama took me for a walk along the sand by the waves.  I did not like it.  Not one bit.

Not getting any closer than this mama!

Not getting any closer than this mama!

The only water I want anything to do with is the water in my bowl and it doesn’t make scarey noises like those waves did!

Since all mama’s romantic notions of walking me on the beach were dashed we went into town.  This was more like it!  I went up and down the steps of the marina no problem.  (Mama is beginning to realize I’m scamming her about not doing steps at home.)

Buy me one of these mama!

Buy me one of these mama!

I even went out on the floating docks at the marina, and the boats were rocking and squeaking and the docks were moving and I was OK with it.  Mostly.

I guess I’m more of a city kid than a beach bum.  But I did like my tent!  Every night my mama made a campfire and settled in to read her book next to it and every night I went over and pawed at the tent door.  Cause I wanted to go to bed already.  Mama just sighed and we went to bed.

Mama made me a bed out of her pillows.

Mama made me a bed out of her pillows.

Because a princess always gets what she wants.  Don’t you know.  And every morning I got my mama up around 5:00, because even though we were on vacation I didn’t shirk my responsibilities.

Time to get up mama!

Time to get up mama!

Do you know that people in campgrounds don’t get up that early?  That was cool, we had the whole place to ourselves.  We tiptoed down the road and I did my jobs and then we tiptoed back and went back to bed.  It worked out great

We had two evenings of beautiful sunsets.  Mama made me go back out on the beach to see those.  It was OK, I was sort of getting used to the waves.

Friday night

Friday night

And in the end whatever makes mama happy makes me happy.

We were supposed to be there three nights, but there were thunderstorms coming.  The clouds were low and heavy on Sunday morning.  Mama began to worry.

Mama used the 'dramatic' button on the camera to show you the clouds.

Mama used the ‘dramatic’ button on the camera to show you the clouds better.

She talked to dad on the phone and decided we’d leave early.  Of course we had to go into town to use the phone and by the time we got back it was raining.  Mama packed up the car as fast as she could.

Hurry up mama!

Hurry up mama!

Everything was soggy.  Even me!

Can't we stay mama?

Can’t we stay mama?

We were sad to leave a day early, but we are very happy that we got to go at all!

On the way home we stopped at a little park and I got to walk on a bridge over the Au Sable River.

Still raining.

Still raining.

Mama says she used to canoe on this river when she was a little girl.  It made her smile.  And I found her a beautiful flower along the river too!  Cause I love my mama.

Along the river.

Along the river.

We had a wonderful time, but I’m glad to be home.  I missed my dad a lot.  Plus it was cold, and I don’t like cold so much.  And then there were those waves.  And the sand.  And the mud.  I got wet.  I wasn’t that thrilled about the campfire either.  Hmmmm…..maybe camping in the back yard isn’t all that bad!

Anyway…I guess that’s all for now from your friend Katie – camper extraordinaire.

Kind of.

Don't like sand in my fur mama!

Don’t like sand in my fur mama!

 

 

 


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Just a thought.

Driving back from an appointment today, listening to news radio, I heard a piece on the dangers of TV binge watching.    You know, the latest kick happening in the past couple of years of watching a whole series in one day or weekend.  Sitting in front of the TV for hours at a time.  The research, done by the University of Michigan, points out that binge watching is often associated with depression and can lead to obesity and heart disease similar to other bad habits including overeating.

I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and consciously watched a whole season of anything.  But I do know this past snowy, cold, windy, nasty Saturday I lay on the sofa and watched several segments of “What Not to Wear” on TLC, back to back to back to…well…you know.  I loved that show.

Anyway.

Right after the piece about the risks of binge TV watching was a very long advertisement read by one of the news anchors for Exfinity,  a division of Comcast Cable.  It was selling the app that would allow you to download all your favorite shows and movies so that you could watch anytime from anywhere even if you were offline.   If you were traveling you could watch.  If you were waiting somewhere you could watch.  If you were bored with your dinner partner I guess you could watch.

Ironic.  I wonder if program directors ever pay attention to what ads go where.

Apparently not.