Silver Beach Locked In

Silver Beach Locked In Ice collects along the shore of Silver Beach, the public beach in St. Joseph, Michigan. Dozens of people walked along the shore to view the icy lakefront, and many decided to venture out onto the ice - a very dangerous thing to do. What seems to be solid ice, is often riddled with holds and thin spots leading directly to the frigid water below. Some visitors also walked onto the snow covered piers to get a closer view of the lighthouses. Seen in the distance, they appear to walk on the water past the lighthouses.

Advancing Ice



On an unseasonably warm winter day, pancake ice and drift ice gather at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River. While temperatures climbed high to melt the snow, the ice was thick enough to withstand a couple of days of warmth. Temperatures are expected to drop to near zero in the next day or two, helping the ice to grow once again. Dozens of people walked along the frozen beach and piers to get a view of frozen Lake Michigan; a few even ventured out on to the shelf ice. Luckily, nobody fell through the ice into the freezing water.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Before the Snow

The Dunes Before the Snow A cold walk over the dunes of West Beach, before the arrival of the season's first snowfall. The conifer forest is still green, while all of the Marram grass and other ground plants have gone dormant, and turned a drab brown. This trail allows people to experience full dune progression in just one mile. From beach to bare foredunes, Marram grass covered dunes, to conifer forest, Oak Savanna to forested rear dunes. The trail is a bit easier than others, since the steep dunes have boardwalks and stairs. Still, with hundreds of stairs, it can be a strenuous climb for some. By now, this areas should be covered in about six to eight inches of snow; I'll need to check that out soon.

Winter's Arrival

Winter Arrived Winter weather arrived this week, with cold temperatures and the first measurable snowfall of the year; the perfect backdrop for an antique sled. I was asked by a friend of mine to photograph her beautifully decorated antique sled outside an historic home. Brings back memories of the sled we had when we were kids.