January 9, 2012 January weather!

We are having some unusual January weather.  We aren't, yet, getting the cold and we aren't getting the snow either.  On Sunday, January 6, I took Toby to a favorite beach walk area to look at what might be around as far as ice formations.  There most certainly isn't the necessary snow to do serious winter snow photography.  The wind was blowing, and it was a nice sunny day.  As you can see, above, the waves were really rolling in.  We covered over a mile of beach walking one way, and then back again.  Toby had to make a few trips in to the water for drinks, and whatever.  He has a hard time to not get in Lake Superior when we are on the beach, whatever the season.  His tail feathers even froze to his back leg feathers at one point! 

Here is one of the ice formations I found, one of several.  I thought it looked pretty cool laying on the rocks.  There were several.  One was of an "ice lizard" which is really cool and posted on my Facebook Moose Valley Photography page.  It really does look like a little lizard on the rocks....altho, as I think about it, I called it a snow lizard there.  Someone else told me it looked like a little ghost. 
Anyway, it wasn't the typical ice formations hanging on rocks at waters' edge that was so interesting, it was just remnants of ice from storms, melting away into something else that caught my eye.

 Here is another bigger view of the area I was hiking on Sunday.  Such a pretty day!  I hike this area several times a year.  Because of it being on the shore of Lake Superior, it will almost always look different because of both water levels and season.  It is also a place to see eagles.

Here is a shot of Toby watching me and posing at the same time.  You can see he is slightly wet.

Here is one more shot of the beach as we are heading back toward the trail that takes us back to where the truck was parked.  We spent a couple of hours out on the beach just enjoying the beauty of the day.  Just down the beach from where you see here, there were people having a beach fire.  In January!!  Does that tell you how nice it was out there.....
Anyway, it has been a busy week.  Monday morning, the tech came and installed my HughesNet dish so I don't have to mess with dial up internet anymore.  How nice is that?  So, after he left I got to start dealing with the issues of new systems.  I am muddling through it.
Yesterday morning, I left bright and early for Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  Toby had his regular, every 3 months, check up at the vet to see how his Lyme's disease is doing.  I suspect I will get his blood report tomorrow and see if he has to stay on the antibiotics. 
Today, it is a windy, blustery day.  I went to my mother's and we played our usual Wednesday morning Scrabble game.  I got home in time for the electricity to go out.  The wind is still really howling so I think Toby are going to be taking to serious woods for our afternoon hike.....soon.  I am stalling, hoping the wind will die down.  It isn't working.
On Sunday morning when I got up, I went down to the basement "magic door" to feed Skinny Butt right away.  I got out the door and the deer on the east side of the house started stomping and snorting.  I couldn't see anything so I went upstairs and started looking.  There, about 75 yards from the house, a wolf was laying.....just watching.  I sure wished it wasn't so dark as it would have made a wonderful photo in that pose.  Finally, it got up, went a bit more straight east of the house and laid down again.  The deer were getting in quite a snit by now.  The wolf finally stood up one more time, stretched again, got up, stood around a few minutes...I took a couple more photos.....still no good, too dark....and it moseyed off to the east.  I made the coffee, went out, fed the deer, got Toby, and headed off to the county road for our walk.  I hadn't got very far, going west, when it stepped out on the road.  It stood there, then sat down, and watched us.  I decided we were going home!  I hadn't been in the house but a few minutes when again, the deer were getting jumpy.  We went and looked out the west windows and here was the wolf coming again.  My husband, at this point, went out the door with the gun and was going to have a little lesson in respect here.  Well.....maybe they can read minds because it sure got the heck gone in a hurry then.  No lessons that day!
Oh yes, I should mention, getting back to the wind, the local grader operator came down just when I was coming back up the road home.  In that amount of time, several tree tops and a whole tree came down in or across the road.  With the grader, he just pushes them off the road, doesn't even have to get out.  Someone had also gone in the ditch on one of the hills.  That's the kind of day it is out there!
With that, I am done stalling...Toby and I are going for that walk!  :)