April 1

And thus begins the longest six weeks of the year — when it should be spring, but it won’t be till the lilacs bloom and the garden stores open around Mother’s Day. New Englanders know this as the fifth season — mud season. Mud season is the name given to the period between winter’s end […]

As good as it gets

Spring begins with a full moon, setting within minutes of sunrise. It’s 6:48 a.m. and I’ve been rushing around in my puffy coat to get the right lens, the correct settings, and a good point of view. This is it: just the blushing moon contemplating her reflection in the water. Tech: 1/160 sec at f/8, […]

Sister Moon

5:25 a.m. here on the edge. 28°F. and calm. A dusting of snow. The waxing gibbous moon will set at 6:06 a.m., but I better get a picture before it sinks behind the cloud bank. Hope the bright moon and the chill air energize me for the rest of the day. Tech: 2 sec. at […]

Stars over Ontario

3:30 a.m., 16°F. and calm. Coat over pajamas. Hat over headlamp. Crampons over boots. Gloves. Camera on tripod, set to 30 sec., with 16mm lens at f2.8, ISO 1600. The constellation Casseopia is the W in the upper right corner. The standout star near the horizon, left of center is Capella, the biggest and brightest […]

Arctic Ontario, after the storm

Here comes the sun. Today, 3:15 p.m, after a few more inches of snow. At 6:04 p.m., the sun will set at 263° on the compass dial. When the sun sets at 270° — due west — that is the spring equinox. On March 21, the days will start being longer than the nights. The […]

Arctic Ontario, before the storm

If it’s going to be cold, let it be this blue arctic cold. A storm is on the western horizon, threatening to make tomorrow’s errands a hassle. Flowering spring is still a good 6 to 8 weeks away, so might as well appreciate beauty where we find it.

Gusty day on the edge

26 mph west winds, gusting up to 43 mph. Only a dusting of snow, but I had to brace myself from being blown over. Hard to capture the drama, but you get the idea. The span of ice over the lake disappeared but now thickly covers about a third of our bank. I’m fantasizing that […]

Winter Moon over Ontario

Watching the full moon set over Lake Ontario is a winter treat. For several months the northwesterly azimuth is right, but… with great lakes come thick clouds. I’ve learned to try to get a photo as soon as I see it. Waiting till it’s a huge orb low on the horizon usually means disappointment. Today, […]

The wind giveth and the wind taketh away

… and giveth again. Earlier this week, with warming breezes, our shore was an iced-over wonderland of bridges, cenotes, and fiords. By yesterday, it was all gone. We were back to gray-green open water. But the west wind was blowing, knocking out power here and there across the region. This morning I found the wind […]

Lake Ontario nightglow

4 A.M. The moon won’t rise till 6:01 and the first pre-dawn glimmer won’t appear till 5:47. And yet, above the faint orange streaks of Canada light pollution, the horizon glows. I guess it’s nightglow (or airglow), an atmospheric phenomenon. The physics of it escape me, but I love its bright mystery. I saw it […]