Summer time on the lakes means long days and short nights with some of the best sunsets that can be imagined.
The winds were calm but blowing enough to put the sail up and cruise around and catch the sunset. This is one of the images I was able to capture.
This image opens onto a vast sweep of Lake Michigan at sunset, the water stretching out like a sheet of gently rippling glass. The lake’s surface glows with molten color—deep oranges, soft golds, and smoldering reds—each hue melting into the next as if the sky has spilled its warmth across the water. The sun itself sits low on the horizon, a brilliant, fiery orb partially veiled by thin, streaking clouds that catch the light and shimmer like brushed copper.
The air in the scene feels warm and still, the kind of quiet that settles over the lake at the end of a long summer day. The water reflects the sky so cleanly that the boundary between the two blurs; the horizon becomes a soft, glowing seam where light meets water.
A sailboat rests in the foreground, its silhouette dark against the blaze of color behind it. The mast rises like a slender line of ink, and the boat’s hull gently kisses the glowing water. You can almost hear the faint creak of rigging and the soft slap of small waves against the sides of the boat—subtle, rhythmic sounds that deepen the sense of calm.
The entire scene carries the warmth of memory: the smell of sun‑heated wood, the faint tang of freshwater, the lingering heat of a long northern summer day. It feels both expansive and intimate, like a moment held still just long enough to breathe it in.
An aerial view of downtown Buffalo, New York, completely covered in snow during the Blizzard of 1977. High-rise office buildings and shorter commercial structures are clustered near the center of the image, with streets, highways, and highway ramps barely visible beneath thick snow cover. The city grid appears muted and pale, with few visible vehicles or signs of activity, emphasizing the scale of the storm. Printed text at the top reads “BUFFALO, New York” and “Blizzard of ’77.”
Today’s small moment - one of my favorite photographs from Whitefish Point—even though the lighthouse is actually behind me. I’ve learned to always turn around during a shoot and see what else is there. This time, it was a lake freighter slowly appearing on the horizon.
I love beach scenes that include more than just water, sky, and sand. As in life, there are always extra layers waiting to be seen—if we take a moment to look.
At the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, a sandy beach scene at sunrise, looking out over Lake Superior. Tall grass and a piece of driftwood are in the foreground. In the background, calm water reflects a soft, pastel sky, and a distant lake freighter can be seen on the horizon. Coming soon to my gallery at https://beautifulsunphotography.com/
Today’s frame in the filmstrip reel that I run through my head when the day is overwhelming or when sleep is slow to come.
Sunrise on Lake Superior from Whitefish Point in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This was the first place I ever felt that deep, peaceful vibe — long before I felt something similar while looking out over the Pacific at Big Sur.
A serene beach scene at sunrise at the Whitefish Point Lighthouse on Lake Superior, featuring calm waters with gentle waves lapping at the shore. The sky is filled with soft clouds in shades of blue and pink, and a faint sunset is visible on the horizon. The sandy beach includes patches of small stones.
A view of a dense forest of tall trees stretching to the horizon. The forest meets a vast lake under a cloudy sky. The clouds are thick and grey, hinting at a possible storm. The scene conveys a sense of solitude and the power of nature.
This vintage postcard captures the Great Lakes freighter Edmund Fitzgerald passing through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, a vital connection between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. The image shows the massive 729-foot ore carrier painted in its signature red and white colors, moving slowly through the lock chamber under a bright summer sky. In the foreground, a small group of onlookers—men, women, and children—watch in awe from an elevated viewing platform, illustrating the ship’s immense size and presence.
Printed on the postcard is a memorial text honoring the Fitzgerald, noting its years of service from 1958 to 1975, and its tragic loss with all 29 crew members during a violent November storm on Lake Superior. Trees and park paths line the right side of the frame, evoking a calm, peaceful setting that contrasts with the ship’s later fate.
The handwritten-style caption at the bottom reads, “The Locks at Sault Ste. Marie”, and the photo credit goes to Lucy Gridley, emphasizing the postcard’s personal and historic charm—a quiet tribute to one of the most legendary ships of the Great Lakes.
#Heatwaves and cold snaps: Study finds the #GreatLakes have entered an era of extremes
“A lot of people say, okay, cold extremes are fine. We are heating, so let’s just cool it a little bit,” Hazem Abdelhady said, a water resource engineering researcher with the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes, “Maybe, but from the fish perspective, if you like to live at 20 degrees and suddenly the temperature dropped to 10 degrees, you’re still gonna die.” https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/heat-waves-cold-snaps-study-finds-great-lakes-era-of-extremes/
To get past the hurt and trauma of the day, I’m trying to post something every day that makes me smile or laugh. I’m currently in the middle of a serious family medical emergency that has taken me back to my home state of Michigan. I’m looking for any and all things, big or small, that will take my mind off the life and death circumstances here.
I like to fall back to familiar views and here is today’s piece - a view of the Mackinac Bridge from Bridge View Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A lake freighter had just passed under the bridge when we arrived.
A view of a bridge spanning a body of water, with a distant ship emitting smoke. In the foreground, flowers and shrubs are visible along the shoreline, under a cloudy sky.
My primary care doc put in a referral for the orthopedic hand doc. Hopefully the referral will get me a quicker appointment than my phone call did (late September).
1.a. Blessed I didn’t need the orthopedic hand doc in over 4 years. Trouble is, if it’s been over 3 years, you’re treated as a new patient so there’s a long wait for an appointment at a time when you really need to get in sooner than later. Lesson learned.
High of 75 here in the Blue Ridge Mountains today and only 72 tomorrow. Yay!
Listened to my favorite songs in the car on the way to and from the doctor appointment. Windows down, sun roof open and good music is good for the soul.
Bonus - love looking back at my nightly sunset shots on Lake Superior when we stayed at our family cabin last year. I miss living near the Great Lakes (home).
A serene sunset over calm waters, with vibrant hues of orange, pink, and blue reflecting in the water. Wispy clouds are visible in the sky, complementing the tranquil scene.
A map showing basic information for various weapons manufacturers and defense contractors in the state of Michigan. There are entries for Ann Wixom, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Saginaw, Zeeland, and Boyne.
"The #OneidaNation has restored wetlands that help to improve water quality in Wisconsin’s Green Bay while creating valuable habitat that attracts many birds."
Words by Andy McGlashen
Senior Editor, Audubon Magazine
Published June 17, 2024
"In the ongoing effort to bring the problem under control, the region’s leaders are increasingly reaching for a primitive but proven tool for capturing and cleaning water before it enters the lake: wetlands. No one believes that #swamps and marshes alone can starve the algae blooms, but experts say they are an important part of the solution. 'Wetlands are wonderful filtration systems,' says Richard Stumpf, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration who monitors #algae outbreaks. And because wetlands around the Great Lakes offer vital habitat where birds can rest during migration or raise their young, restoring them not only improves water quality but also brightens the outlook for vulnerable avian species.
“'There’s momentum building behind #NatureBasedSolutions,' says Kyle Rorah, regional director of public policy for Ducks Unlimited. 'There’s a huge opportunity to get serious about taking a chunk out of the problem.'"