Home again...

B and I thought we needed a little mid-winter break; North seemed like a good idea.

Sunrise over Lake Huron. We stopped to sleep in Mackinaw City the previous evening as we follow an ancient unspoken rule about never being in a hurry when one is heading North. (Okay, I might have made that part up.) Since the beach was so close, we couldn't imagine missing a perfectly good sunrise even if it was frigid cold on the water. 0 degrees frigid. Brrr...

Soon, I was home. I don't really live in Grand Marais, but I would...if I could.

We dropped our belongings in our room, donned snowpants, boots and hats, and promptly headed for the beach. There was no sand and rocks today, no crashing waves, no sound of laughter as children played happily on the shore. No, there was only deep snow to be trudged through and ice to be scampered over if one wanted to see what there was to see. We were the only souls on the beach. Those dunes in the distance? In the summer we hike down the beach with snacks and beach towels to spend hours climbing the dunes, playing in the river and exploring the waterfalls. Today, it took all our effort to get over the ice without falling...too many times. I have a couple bruises because I simply had to explore.

Looks pretty desolate doesn't it? I assure you, it was anything but.

I'm grateful for my 70-300mm lens for close-up pictures of the lighthouse. It didn't take long to realize that if you slipped on the ice you would go over the edge and there was no way out of the water, so no, we didn't go out there. I'm not nearly as close at it seems.

The channel, full of ice. It was all so fascinating, the way the ice piled up on top of itself, the holes that were formed from the waves, the patterns from the wind and spray.

We did some exploring in the woods too...I love Birch trees, the different tones and how the bark curls around itself.

Amazing shadows as we were driving along in the woods.

I might have to print these for framing.

We did manage to find a windblown open area close to the pier. See what I mean about the patterns?

A small cairn was built in honor of my visit to the beach.

I don't read bones, but if I did, I think these sticks would say something profound.

Oh, alright, I admit...we did look for agates for just a little while. B found the only one and it was really nice. I'm not sure I should have showed him what to look for because he's prone to finding better ones than me now. Hmmm...

This little treasure now graces my souvenir bowl at home.

Three days, that's all we had and it was time to head south again. Drat! But there's always summer to look forward to. Yes, my beautiful home, I'll see you again in a few months. Until then, be kind and be well.

Sunset over Lake Michigan on the way home. Wow!