Final Bloom
A stroll in the Alderfer-Oenslager Wildlife Sanctuary at Wolf Creek Environmental Center led us out over the wetland area via boardwalk. Along the walkway was a late-season water lily bloom, floating on dark waters in the afternoon sun. Nearby, tiny green dots of plant life float. It was warm that day but cold days lie ahead. Nature knows.
A severe thunderstorm passes to the south of a farm in rural Wayne County, Ohio as bright sunshine illuminates barn and field.
One good thing came from my extended storm chase that afternoon. While my hopes of spotting a powerful approaching storm were washed away by torrential rains, the drive home revealed the beautiful contrast between peaceful, sunlit farm scene and a threatening sky. — September 21, 2018
Sunday’s was the latest in a string of frigid nights. Sometime during the night, fog rolled over the area. Fog-enshrouded trees and shrubs, standing in below-zero Fahrenheit air, emerged in the morning’s light bearing beautiful white coats. I was happy I had a camera tucked away in my coat pocket when out on an errand. It was beauty not to be missed, and a pleasure to share.
Driving to work this morning was both a pain and a pleasure. It was very cold this morning; en route my car's thermometer hit a low of 4 degrees (F) on the east side of Strongsville. At home and in many areas along my route, hoar frost had coated very twig producing an amazing landscape at every turn. It was a beautiful trip but painful to resist the urge to play hooky, wade through the snow, and take photographs everywhere I went. Helping little, I told myself to simply enjoy the passing view and not worry about photographing. Still, I did succumb and pulled into a conveniently located Metroparks parking lot immediately adjacent to an open field lined with flocked trees. The sun was just beginning to illuminate the treeline when I shot the last of my morning's pictures.
