Atop the Bluffs

Hello, Sleeping Bear Dunes. I miss you.

Breathtaking

I love Pyramid Point—a spectacular vista in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It's one of my favorite views along the Lake Michigan coast. The last time I was there was this past Fall (2010), and I tried to "drink it in" (as Anne would say) while I was there. The day was beautiful, and the temperatures were mild—a perfect day for nature photography. :)

Lavendar at the winery

Lavender with grape vineyards and Lake Michigan beyond

Bowers Harbor Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula, MI

Arcadia overlook

Lake Michigan is so beautiful! Isn't it? This particular day was especially beautiful. I love when I can see all the blues and aquas, with some white-caps dotting the scene. These pictures were taken from an overlook in Arcadia, MI, on a clear Fall day. The wind was pretty strong, and it was difficult to keep my hair out of the picture. :o)

Fall Surf

This was taken on a beautiful Fall day at Lake Michigan. I believe we were just south of Leeland at the time, on our way to Fishtown. We stopped to do some rock hunting. I just love the deep aquas and blues of the water. When I look at this picture now, I realize that it has some of my favorite colors in it. When I took it, I wasn't thinking about that—I just loved how the surf was crashing on the shore.

Even though it's really cold most of the time (you'll only find me swimming in it when the water temp is above 70ºF), I've come to really love and appreciate Lake Michigan. It's free of sharks, and other living creatures that could kill you. That's a plus! It generates some of the most beautiful stones I've ever seen. The water is ALWAYS beautiful, even on stormy days. You never know when a piece of a famous shipwreck will wash up, as you're walking by (ok, that's not normal, but it's cool when it happens). And, I love the uniqueness of the Lake Michigan coastline in the dead of winter—the frozen, snowy parts that stick out and break up the surf. It's really an amazing body of water.

Fall sunset

I noticed these plants as I was walking along the Platte River, on the way out to Lake Michigan, with my sister- and mother-in law. I loved how the sunset was hitting the pods and seeds on this plant. These kinds of plants are interesting to me, because the older plant is dying, but it is giving birth to new life—even as it dies. Regeneration is so amazing!

I'm listening to an audiobook of Anne's House of Dreams, right now. I still LOVE that series. It revives my imagination, and makes me use phrases like, "Drink it in!" :o) Reading (or listening to) them revives the Anne-spark in my spirit.

What once was . . .

I'm sick this morning! Sick over what's happening in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico! No, I'm not going all political on you—I'm just sad. It's one of my favorite places on earth (not that I've explored much of the Earth), and now it's being destroyed. I almost can't watch the footage on TV. I get emotional. My heart breaks to see such beauty taken over by such ugliness. My heart breaks when I hear about all the wildlife that is trying to escape, that can't. My heart breaks when I watch MY beaches defaced. The Florabama coastline is my "other home." My heart is breaking this morning!

I pray and hope that one day, it will all be fresh again—untainted by this man-made disaster. Maybe I have lofty hopes, but I can't help but pray that I'll be able to look at it again one day, and see the landscape that I love . . .

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge, Week 21 - “Yellow”

I love mountains and wildflowers, and my husband. When you combine all three . . . *sigh*. This is one of my favorite pictures from our Smoky Mountains vacation in 2007. The crazy thing about this picture is that my husband (who is 6'3") is standing straight up, and I'm standing on the trail that is actually a bit higher than where he's standing. These crazy wildflowers were taller than him! So fun!

View from the observation tower

View from the observation tower at Big Lagoon State Park

I couldn't decide which angle I liked better—portrait or landscape? So, I decided to post them both. The sun was setting when I took these pictures, and you can't loose with that kind of lighting. This is a small bay that empties into the Gulf. I love the swooping of the shoreline, and the way the water is flowing into the shore. It was a beautiful view!

Great Blue Heron

On a recent Gulf Coast vacation, we made a trip to Big Lagoon State Park, and encountered this Great Blue Heron on our walk to the observation tower. He must be quite use to people, because he wasn't all that startled by us. This was my first picture of him (above), from a good distance away. Then the second one (below), was actually quite close—closer than I thought he would let me get.

Then, he flew away. But, then I found him again (below). I was standing VERY close to him in this particular picture, snapping the picture with my left hand (not an easy feat with a chunky D90), and holding tightly to my squirming little 15-month-old in my right arm.

Boardwalk at Big Lagoon State Park

I was recently at the beach . . . recently. But, I'm not right now. Can you tell that I wish I was? *sigh*

Well, we had fun while we were there, at least. And, on our visit, we visited Big Lagoon State Park in the Florida panhandle—right next to Alabama. I'm starting to really enjoy this little state park. I haven't done too much exploring, but they have this really great observation tower. I was standing at the top of it when I took this picture. The sun was setting, and the lighting—well, "c'est magnifique." It was definitely a fun chance for me to play with my D90. If you were to follow that little creek out to the left of the picture, you would be in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a really beautiful spot.

While we were there, we had a close encounter with a Great Blue Heron. I'll be posting pics of that soon.

Where I want to be . . .

Perdido Key, FL

The Beach

Ahhh . . . the beach. There's just no place like it! I get so much energy from being by the sea. We just got back from a mini beach vacation, and it was so nice to be there once again. It restores something in me.

The water was still a bit cold, but we enjoyed being on the sand, the warm sun, and watching the waves crash. Our weather was mostly beautiful with just a little bit of cloudiness and rain the first day—but, then again, is there ever a bad day when you're at the beach? Can't wait to go back!

My new artsy collage

My husband and I have been trying to figure out which of my artistic photos to display in these four black frames we have. I've traditionally taken seasonal pictures and put them in these frames, but we wanted to do something a little different with them. And we wanted to put them in our bedroom. I haven't really taken the time to try and figure out what I wanted to do with them, but my creative bug has been alive and well lately, and I just had to do something about it. So, I rifled through my pictures, and decided to go with a natural Michigan theme (we're from Michigan)—specifically "up North." But, I didn't want to use the full-color versions of these photos, so I sat down and spent a little QT in Photoshop.

After playing with them, I decided to use a sepia tone, which would work well with the black frames, off-white mattes, and the colors in our bedding. Only two of these pictures are ones that I've previously blogged about (I included links to the originals below the respective pics), and two of them are new to Grace Made Evident. So, here they are . . .

Pyramid Point view of Lake Michigan 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Curling Birch bark in the woods of Northern Michigan

The Empire Bluffs Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
View the original

Mouth of the Platte River, emptying into Lake Michigan
View the original

Those are the ones I decided to use. Two of them went into 11x14 frames, with an 8x10 matte. The other two went into 8x10 frames, with 5x7 mattes. I couldn't quite get a great picture of the end result, but here it is . . .

I have to say that I was impressed with my own picture hanging abilities. They're all really straight!







P.S.—These pictures ARE included in the giveaway. :o)

One of my favorite places

Watching the waves at the Gulf Islands National Seashore—Florida district

This is one of my favorite places in North America. It's sort-of a secondary home to me. My family has vacationed in this area for many, many, many years, and it never gets old. My husband and I were sitting on the sand, and watching the sun set over the Gulf when I took this picture. There were Willets darting in and out of the waves, and the sunlight on the water was just incredible. Every time I look at this picture, it takes me back to that. It's like having a little mini-vacation in my memory. There's just nothing more peaceful than watching the waves roll in like this. It speaks to my soul! The world becomes clear, sitting at the edge of the sea. The chaos comes into focus. It's amazing to find peace in the roar of the ocean, but I do.

Winter Light

South Haven Pier Light in Winter

Empire Bluffs Trail—Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

View of Lake Michigan from the Empire Bluffs Trail
in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

South Haven Pier Light

South Haven Pier Light
South Haven, MI

My husband and I took a weekend to getaway in South Haven, MI, several years ago. While we were there, we took the opportunity to do a bit of snowshoeing and sight-seeing. The snow was just beautiful. The South Haven Pier Lighthouse was covered in ice and snow, and I had to stop and take some pictures. I took a lot of them! This is definitely one of my favorites. I had to snap them really quickly, because the wind off Lake Michigan was extremely cold, and I had to duck out of it after a few pictures to get feeling back in my hands.

Point Betsie Foghorn in Winter

Point Betsie Fog Signal Building in Winter

This fog horn is located in one of my favorite areas in Michigan—Benzie County. The day I took this photo was a beautiful, crisp, winter day. It was the kind of day where you see your breath, and you bundle up before going outside. After being out for a while, you love the thought of getting into the warm car and going home for a nice warm cup of hot cocoa. Ahhh . . . I love winter!

According to www.pointbetsie.org, "Renovation of the Fog Signal Building, which sits immediately north of the lighthouse, is also complete. It, too, was returned to a look not seen in many decades. It’s exterior siding replicates the original iron needed to house the steam boilers that powered the fog signal in pre-electricity times. The exterior and metal interior walls were restored in 2008, enabling the building to house the lighthouse's Sesquicentennial exhibition of juried works of art inspired by Point Betsie's structures and surroundings."

On the Empire Bluffs Trail

Empire Bluffs trail

Earlier this Fall, my mother-in-law and I went on a short hike on the Empire Bluffs trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It's a hilly, 1.5 mile (round trip) hike through beech-maple forest, fields, and dune plants. The day was perfect—blue sky, mild temperatures, light breeze, and blue, blue water. We had such a good time being outdoors, and taking in the wonderful fresh air. This was the only sunny day during our week-long visit.