Out of the Shadows



Early morning at Mt. Baldy. Shadows cover much of the area between the dunes and the lake until the sun rises high enough in the sky.

Much of the dune is roped off in an attempt to preserve the dune from erosion. Let's hope it works and the ropes can be removed in a year or two. This dune is moving a few feet a year inland. At that rate, the parking lot will be covered in a few years!

Holland Holiday Open House



Each year, our holiday season begins with a trip to Holland, Michigan for the annual Holiday Open House. Downtown stores stay open late and offer visitors free refreshments, snacks and gift wrapping. It's a great time to visit shops we normally wouldn't even notice, and find some merchandise we can't live without.

Carolers, Santa Claus, luminaries and roasting chestnuts can all be found on Holland's 8th Street sidewalks.

Holiday Open House

It's generally pretty crowded - especially at the corner drug store where they serve beautifully made Christmas cookies.

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Walking Hand in Hand



A crisp, November morning along the Lake Michigan shore. Kintzele Ditch meanders through recently eroded dunes creating an interesting path to the lake.

Finding a narrow portion of the stream, the family hops across the water to continue their walk on Central Beach.

Woops!



The waves have really eroded the dunes this year.

The boys were following an old trail on the edge of a dune when Chris slipped backwards and fell about five feet down onto the next layer of sand. He then continued to slide backwards and down the next layer to the beach.

No one was harmed in the capturing of this image.

Amber Against Blue



Just before sunset, we headed out for a walk along the rural roads near the house. The golden hour provided the perfect, warm light for photographing the Fall colors of this open field.

The Glow of Chicago



A 10:00 pm view of Chicago from the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Over 40 miles away, Chicago illuminates the sky over Lake Michigan.

The air was relatively calm, so the clouds did not smear across the sky as I had hoped.

Stars Over the Lake



A late night, long exposure over the lake. The earth's movement can be seen in the elongated stars and the blur of the hazy moon. Looks like an airplane was flying very far away- seen at the top right of the image.

What interested me was the depth created by the artificial lights on shore. It's rather unusual in landscape photography to see light between objects.