Weekly Photo Challenge & Sunday Water Dragon Post~”Misty Morning”

Two posts with one image!  The theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge is “Near and Far”.   Jake’s Water Dragon Sunday Post theme is: “Morning”.  Today I decided to combine them.

This photo made me think of what mist on the moor might look like in Scotland or Ireland.

“I don’t ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.” ~Pete Hamill

“Misty Morning”   *click for larger image*

“A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day.”~Proverb

This photo was taken from our hotel in Mackinaw City, looking across a bay and into the Straits of Mackinac.  Mackinac Island is to the left of the photo and a 20 minute ride by ferry.
Mackinaw City is located at the south end of the Mackinac Bridge, at the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.  (see my post from last week).    Despite the different spellings, both names (Mackinaw & Mackinac) are pronounced the same: “mack-in-aw”.

Compared to the slow pace of Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City is busy!  Souvenir shops, restaurants, tee shirt shops, motels and pasty shops abound.  Click here to find out about our yummy Michigan pastys…and the history behind them!   Click here to find out more about Mackinaw City.

Thanks for bearing with me on the double theme!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Movement

Definition of Movement: (1) “the act or process of moving; especially: change of place or position or posture (2): a particular instance or manner of moving.”
~Merriam-Webster Dictionary 

What I’m showing you today is the RESULT of movement.  The action (movement) has already occurred. 

What you see below is the RESULT of movement of water and sand.
When Lake Superior’s wave action recedes from the beach, pulling and drawing sand with the water,
it leaves behind sand “sculptures”, where water rushed around rocks.

a beach on Michigan’s U.P.’s Keweenaw Peninsula.

The result of movement of the sand and water is like Nature’s Artwork on the beach.  

The miniature sculptures are fun to find,

and they remind us of the strength and power of water.

Nature’s Artwork….

 Thank you for taking the time to read my post! 

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Friendship II

I tried to find this photo for the challenge and it turned up in my husband’s computer!  So here’s my Friendship ll photo!

 Though miles may lie between us, we’re never far apart, for friendship doesn’t count the miles, it’s measured by the heart.
~Rozina Hasham

At the beach with Gail on St. Simons Island, GA.

  Good friends who don’t see each other often can pick up right where they left off the last time they met.  They can talk all day about what they’ve missed in each other’s lives.   But sometimes friends don’t need to talk at all.  They often share the same thoughts and feelings anyway.  Just sitting side by side, two good friends can enjoy each other’s company, the scenery, and searching for that elusive cormorant bobbing up and down in the waves of the St. Simons sound!!! 😉

In friendship,

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

First tour stop: St. Simons Island, GA!

Hello everyone!  

Between sorting and editing photos, we’ve had internet problems.  Then I got a new laptop and a new photo editing program!  eek!  The learning curve is back!  Thank you for your patience with me!
I got shut out last night again by ATT.  New router….no one can figure out the answer.  

Are you ready to start our trip?  Climb aboard!  Today we visit lovely, lush, sub-tropical St. Simons Island, Georgia.  St. Simons Island is a barrier island off the coast of Georgia, along with Jekyll, Sea Island and privately owned Little Simons Island.  Of the four Golden Isles, St Simons is the largest with 16.6 square miles of land, and 1.3 square miles of water.  Their temperatures average  in the 80’s in the late spring and summer, and the 50’s in the winter.  July is usually hottest with temperatures in the 90’s.  (information from weather.com)

My best friend from college, Gail,  is fortunate to live on St. Simons, so we stayed with her.   Gail took us to some new places we haven’t been and that was fun.  As always, my camera was stuck to my hip!

As we pass over the causeway from the mainland, we can see the marsh, where a variety of fauna live.

The marsh.

We are greeted by a bustling marina!

The marina.

St. Simons Island is known for their beautiful Live Oak trees, often draped with lacy Spanish Moss.  This street is an example.  It’s like driving through a lush green tunnel!

Street on St. Simons Island.

Spanish Moss in Gail’s yard.  Spanish Moss is an air plant.

Spanish Moss.

If you love beautiful beaches, come to St. Simons Island for a visit!  They have long stretches of sandy beaches and they even have some rocky areas!  They’ve got it all!

Wide sandy beaches with the tide out.

Rocky coastline.  “Splash on the rocks”

The St. Simons Lighthouse has been in existence since 1807, when it was commissioned to be erected on the site known as Couper’s Point.  That lighthouse was 85 feet tall.  In 1862, during the Civil War,  Federal troops formed a blockade and invaded Georgia, and caused the Confederate army to evacuate the area.   Before leaving, the Confederate army destroyed the lighthouse so the Federal troops could not use it as a navigational aid.  The new lighthouse was built in 1872 by Charles Cluskey, a world-renowned architect from Georgia.  It is 104 feet tall and has a 129 step cast iron spiral stairway.  (I know because I walked on each of those steps!!)  The lighthouse has a third order Fresnel Lens that projects its beam 18 miles.

The lighthouse today.

St. Simons Island is a great place to catch the last rays of the sun.  We stood on the long pier to watch the colors change and enjoy the soft, balmy breeze.

St. Simons sunset from the pier.

The last shot of the day…….palms in the sunset….Good Night!

Thanks for joining me on our trip to St. Simons Island, Georgia!  
If you’d like tourist information on St. Simons, click here.
If you’d like information on the history of St. Simons, click here
Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast

Our Arts & Crafts chairs contrast against the rock piers on the porch.  They are unlike each other because the rocks are round and wide; the wood on the chairs is straight and narrow.    The rock piers taper as they rise; the wood on the chairs remains even. The rocks are smooth; the wood has four corners.

Contrast is all around us.  We need to open our eyes to the possibilities.

Arts & Crafts chair contrasting against the rock pier.

Thanks for visiting~

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Hello to my wonderful blog readers!

Another year has come to an end.  The sun is setting on 2011.  We must say good-bye to this year and all its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, its celebrations and quiet times.  But a new year awaits us!  A brand new, fresh, sparkling year.

We have a fresh slate….    It’s time to start writing in the sand!

sunset on Lake Superior in the Keweenaw Peninsula, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

The Keweenaw Peninsula is known for its beautiful rocks, many with red
colors, due to the iron in the area.

sand reflecting the sunset, Keweenaw Peninsula, Upper Michigan

Happy New Year to all my blog readers!  I hope you have your best year yet in 2012!

❤ Judy

All images are copyright © 2005-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.