It's been a mild winter and Lake Huron has been slow to ice up. And I miss that. I find the winter palette serene and peaceful. The many shades of white, blue, pink and purple offered up in layers of water, ice and snow delight me. It's cold but it's certainly beautiful.
These pictures were taken over a 2-hour period from 3:30 to 5:30 yesterday afternoon. The sky was somewhat cloudy with the sun breaking through every few minutes. The dunes were still visible a little further from the shore, frozen in place and lined by winds that pound the land from the northwest.
That same wind blows sand onto the frozen structures, turning the pure white of the initial formations a muddier shade.
Layers of ice and snow, that will keep expanding out to the horizon as long as the temperatures remain below freezing.
As the afternoon wore on and the winter sun dropped lower the ice and snow took on a blue cast and the sky and water picked up more pinks and mauves, changing by the moment.
The ice structures are built up from the constant spray of waves and moving water. And once the temperature drops enough the build-up happens quickly. In this area iI's not unusual to see the lake go from a liquid state to frozen right up to the horizon in a couple of days. For me, it's that time in-between that offers the most.
Layer upon layer, all different. Ice "volcanoes" in front, ice floes at the back, and slow-moving ice in thick water in between. Cold but beautiful. Peaceful and serene. I never tire of looking at it.