Tuesday, February 3, 2009

WATERY WEDNESDAY – The Mountains of Lake Erie


Early each winter, the lake goes through alternating periods of surface freezing and thawing. If a big wind comes up during a thaw, it buckles the ice and piles it up in ridges as the waves push towards the shore. How many of these winds and thaws occur before the final big freeze determines the ice “landscape” the residents along the lake will look at for the rest of the season. This year we have a series of ranges that look like they could be distant mountains. Some of my neighbors bundled up and walked out to the ice-fishing huts further out, scrambling over the ridges as a giant might, in a few well-placed bounds.





For view more photos of water around the world, and to play along, visit Watery Wednesday.

34 comments:

VALKYRIEN said...

The first photo is just stunning! So beautiful colours - perfect image of a snunset flowing over frozen lake! And the tree in front reates those nice shadows...Great shot!

Cloudia said...

I love this austere beauty! Aloha-

Mojo said...

That must be really cool having a different "land"scape to look at every year! Guess it never gets boring anyway. Not with views like this at least.

bobbie said...

The people out there look so tiny amid the mountains of ice.

Kim said...

The first photo is breath taking!! I love all the colors in it.

Sylvia K said...

The colors in the first one are stunning! They're both marvelous shots. Always look forward to your "view" of your world! Thanks, Deborah!

bass said...

I like the first photo, the hues in the sky and the tree. I'm wondering what's on the tree trunk?

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh the power of Mother Nature!!! She can turn water into ice, blow the ice and snow around to make a mountain, and then allow everything to melt and become a lake again during the summer... Then it starts all over again next winter!!!! Fun Fun..

Love the pictures especially that first one. Beautiful colors.
Hugs,
Betsy

EG CameraGirl said...

It sure looks pretty, Deborah, I haven't up north to Lake Simcoe for a few weeks but I think it has remained pretty frozen and flat this winter. Gret for ice fishing, important to the economy of the towns around the lake.

Anonymous said...

I love the first picture. Branches against the red sky. Beautiful

Unknown said...

That looks like such an interesting experience, but of course you probably have to be a local to enjoy it, and be prepared to withstand the elements, and know where to go. Such is often the case in life.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I don't live in snow so this is absolutely amazing to me. That's a lot of cold and snow.

SandyCarlson said...

Amazing verbal imagery to go along with these photos. Oh, wow. I am cold and I am in awe of the power of the lake to create these temporary landscapes.

Rose said...

Deb, that last picture looks as cold as it feels here. But that first is just beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos. They are beautiful especially the first one.

kden said...

I have never seen anything like this before. The first pic looks like rolling gentle waves are hitting the tree. Very pretty.

DeniseinVA said...

Stunningly beautiful, great photos.

Great Grandma Lin said...

hey I recognize that tree. ice huts-don't sound fun at all...

Anonymous said...

How lovely and serene...

Jan said...

Oh, my gosh. Your photos are wonderful. I'm having 80 degree temps and you're having ice mountains.

Allison said...

Wow! The first photo is absolutely gorgeous! The second one looks really cold. Thanks for sharing!

Carletta said...

That first shot is beautiful! I like that the tree hides the sun itself so that the light seems to emits from the tree. The colors are heavenly.

magiceye said...

the 1st is heavenly!

Anonymous said...

How interesting. I had no idea the surface of the ice on Lake Erie would be anything other than flat!

Anonymous said...

How beautiful that first shot is; happy WW!

Anonymous said...

Very fine post. Informative and wonderful photos.

Tammie Lee said...

your neighbors look so tiny out there. That first image is stunning. I love the changes a winter goes through.

Connie T. said...

The first one is beautiful. Nice colors.

Linnea said...

Unbelievable shot of the tree silhouetted against that colorful sky...really a beautiful scene - you could make a poster out of this one! You sure have a lot of ice and snow to deal with during the winter months - makes for fun photography though!

JunieRose2005 said...

These are beautiful scenes and ones I can barely imagine-having lived my whole life in the south!

Thanks also for your visit to my blog. Hope you will come again!

Junie

Kathie Brown said...

That first photo is phenomenal! I love all the soft pastel colors and the shadow of the tree. You can keep you ice though. It's suppose to reach 80 here today!

Mamapippa ... said...

Nice ones !

Quiet Paths said...

That is so amazing. Those ice mountains look like something from Alaska. What a fascinating process to watch.

Anonymous said...

That first pic is totally gorgeous!
And oh, I would love to try ice fishing with hubby one day :)
We almost did this winter, but didn't go in the end :(