Skies, time and community (SWF)

A landmark that we have visited during both of our trips to the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky is Natural Bridge. There are actually LOTS of natural bridges and arches scattered throughout the forest, but this is the one that gets to have that title with Capital Letters (not to mention its own state resort park). When we checked it out 5 years ago, we hiked up to see it from the lodge in the park. This time we came at it from the opposite side via the sky lift. No matter how you get there, the view from the top is breathtakingly beautiful.




You can see how gorgeous the weather was on this late October day.

Oh hey, it's the happy couple, sitting on the Natural Bridge. We celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary while we were on this trip!

Looking over at the Natural Bridge from across the valley.

Beginning the descent from Natural Bridge on the sky lift
Speaking of skies, it is not by mere coincidence that I post these sky photos today (nor is it just because it's Skywatch Friday time, but that's a good reason, too!). November 12th marks my first anniversary as a member of the Nature Blog Network, and it was a post showing images of a moon-lit November night sky that was my inaugural post as a member of said group. The NBN has been a great resource for me, but most importantly it has been a way to meet lots of great bloggers who share a similar passion for nature. To echo words that I have read on several other member blogger's pages, it was through the NBN that I found "my people." The Nature Blog Network is a wonderful community of people with diverse interests, held together by a common thread. I don't use Facebook, or Twitter, or Myspace, or any of the other online social media tools, and when I joined NBN, I didn't think of it as a social "tool" either. After all, I'm not the biggest socializer in the world! However, within this last year I have come to meet some pretty cool folks, both virtually and in person, and I have really come to value the community that has formed around my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to stop by! Many folks recommend that when writing a personal blog, you should "write for yourself," and "do it because you want to." Both of these are statements that I agree with, but it's icing on the cake when you discover that there are other folks out there who are willing to read what you have written and give you feedback and help to create interactions and conversations.

I would be remiss not to thank Mike, Wren, Nate and Seabrooke for all their hard work in keeping the Nature Blog Network up and running, and for making it an awesome haven on the 'net for nature lovers across the globe.


Wind-blown leaves in the air, as seen from our seat on the sky lift at Natural Bridge.
I would also be remiss not tip my hat to the folks over at Skywatch (Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Slyvia) for hosting links to great sky photos from the world over every week! Get yourself on over to Skywatch Friday to see another great community of folks!

Marblehead Lighthouse (SWF)

I promise there are more bird photos to come from our recent trip to the Midwest Birding Symposium, but part of the fun of being in a new place (for me) is going exploring and sightseeing (and photographing!). Marblehead Lighthouse State Park was only about 4 miles away from our Lakeside location, so it was a no-brainer to go down and check it out while we were in the area.


Now owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. The U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the actual beacon within the tower.


I seem to recall reading somewhere that this is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the U.S., but since I can't find my source on that, don't quote me on it!


I would imagine that some fantastic photos of this lighthouse could be made at sunrise (although when I do a Google image search for it, I don't see any sunrise shots...), but we were there at sunset. The golden hue of the fading light made for some pleasing colors.


The weather was quite nice when we arrived at the lighthouse, but some sort of front blew in seemingly out of nowhere, and the winds picked up to mild but steady gusts. Ominous clouds rolled in, but there was never any precipitation, which was just fine by me...
Ominous skies + no rain = dramatic photos and a dry camera!


I should have stuck around long enough to get at least one photo of the beacon in action, but I had already decided to pack it up by the time the green glow started its 10-flashes-per minute signaling (the light is green to distinguish from the white light coming from air beacons).

For more views of skies from around the world, check out Skywatch Friday by clicking the badge below:

Dramatic Michigan skies (SWF)

It's been a while since I've done a Skywatch Friday post, but photos from our recent trip to northern Michigan gave me some great sky images that I just had to share!

Being on a lake always makes for nice fluffy, puffy, dramatic clouds. This post is dedicated to my Dad, who is a big fan of taking sky photos. Hope you enjoy these, Dad!










(this photo was taken by Dave while I was reading bedtime stories to my niece and nephew - nice work honey!)


*Skywatch was created by Dot and put in motion by Tom, who made it a huge success. It is now hosted by Klaus with the help of Sandy, Ivar, Wren and Fishing Guy. To see more great sky photos from around the world, go to Skywatch Friday.

Dreaming of summer (SWF)

I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but we've been having some yo-yo weather lately. Cold. Warmer. Warm! Cold. Really cold. Warm! Ugh!!!! I've got spring fever in a big way!

This time of year, I actually start getting so antsy for better, warmer, sunnier weather, that I skip ahead in my mind and start dreaming about summer!

I'm tired of wearing layers, tired of wearing long-johns and hats and scarves and boots. I want to wear shorts and Tevas! I wanna go paddling in my kayak, dang it!

Oh look, Dave's inviting us all to go for a paddle! I'll be right there honey!

All photos taken last summer during our time on Walloon Lake, Walloon, MI.

Want to see more sky photos? Then head on over to Skywatch Friday. You'll be glad you did.

Glimpses of clear sky (SWF)

During the worst of our recent ice/snow storm, blue sky was a welcome sight in the midst of so much greyness. Even though there was snow and ice everywhere, it all looked kind of dull and washed out due to the cloudy sky.

The sky was actually kind of hard to see through all of the ice and snow-encrusted branches now hanging so low.

Some of the gentle giants in our wooded acres. I was sad to see all my trees so weighted down.

Ahhh, a break in the clouds. Fleeting, but lovely.

This is my first entry to Skywatch Friday. Don't know what Skywatch Friday is? Simply put, it is a place to enjoy Skies and views from all around the globe. But don't take my word for it, go see for yourself. Either click here, or click on the Skywatch Friday badge over in my sidebar at any time to go to the site.