Constantly changing skies

 

 

During our sunset cruise on August 22 the skies were constantly changing.

I took so many pictures, it was hard to select just one.

Lightning was seen in the north as we headed for shore.

An hour later the skies opened up and we received 2 inches of rain.

An independent little cloud

 This independent little cloud wasn't afraid to cast it's own shadow on Smith Lake.  Orange, gray and black make a beautiful color combination.  August 15, 2020. 

Turquoise skies

 Caught on camera was this stunning turquoise sky over Smith Lake on July 7th, 2020.  The delicate peach and sweet yellow above the horizon give the illusion of a sunrise in the evening sky.

Sunset silhouette

This colorful sunset danced across Smith Lake on July 10, 2020 throwing the clouds into silhouette and drawing a brilliant orange line on the horizon.  

A birthday sunset for Mom

Looking through photos from last year.  So many lovely sunsets, and no time for posting.  This one was taken on my Mother's birthday last year.  I hope she enjoyed it from her vantage point above.

Fire in the sky

Again this year wildfires in the western United States and Canada are affecting our skies at Smith Lake.  Smokey air aloft makes for hazy skies and spectacular sunsets.  Even looking to the east the skies are draped in color.

 July 29, 2018 photo.

August sunsets are the best

The summer is flying along, but the sunsets at Smith Lake are as unique and spectacular as ever!

Shining through the darkness...

Just had to share this photo taken by my daughter on her cell phone the evening of Friday, May 27th.  Between two heavy banks of clouds the sun shot through for just the briefest of moments.  The brilliant light shining through the darkness created this dramatic sunset.

photo by Amy Tromberg

New lodge on the lake

Lots of things happening at Smith Lake this spring.

The Beaver has helped himself to one of our best Oak trees along the shoreline over a three week period. Needless to say, chicken wire went up around all remaining shoreline trees!  It was no small tree, maybe 8-inch diameter.

 It's completely gone now, and here's where it went.  There's a huge new Beaver Lodge on southeast Smith Lake.  He's been a busy beaver, the rascal!

While looking at the beaver lodge we noticed a loon on her nest, in the area, so be cautious if you are up that way taking a look.  We want to protect our loons, their nests and babies!

January fun

January flies past as each New Year begins.  Ice formation on the Lake was late this year due to warm weather, but when it finally was thick enough, the ice fishing was good.  It seems that the best tasting fish come from icy cold waters!

The long shadows cast across the lake at sunrise are a special winter treat that you only see when the lake is frozen and snow-covered.

Thick, foggy cloud cover, and warm south winds popped the temperature up to near 40 degrees one weekend.  The snow conditions were perfect for making snowmen.  I'll never bee too old to enjoy this childhood activity!

Snowman clearing the patio.

Snowman on the lake shore.

This snowman is close to the shore to stay out of the usual snowmobiling areas.

First Sunset of 2016

What a lovely weekend at the Lake!  A little decorated tree greeted us as we drove down the road, with Holt Lake in the background.

 

The first sunset of the year in a cloudless sky, and way far around the Smith Lake shoreline.  It's always amazing how far the sun travels across the horizon throughout the year.  

 

The play of sunshine and shadows across the lake is a winter's day delight.

We celebrated the New Year at the Lake with a bit of ice fishing, hot spiced wine, working a puzzle and enjoying the company of family and visiting with neighbors.  Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

Early October Fog

Early October at Smith Lake brings cool, crisp nights.  Air temperature dips below the lake temperature and the sunny mornings are softened by fog lifting off the surface of the still water.

The trees were still mostly green when that photo was taken on October 4th, but by now they have turned to brilliant gold.  We will be up soon to see their autumn finery.  The price of that delightful view is having to rake the fallen leaves up off the lawn.  So worth it!

Fall colors are coming

The longer crisp nights and shorter sunny days of early autumn means it's time for the leaves to don their glorious fall colors.  The reds and golds are starting to show up here and there among the green leaves.   Some early leaves are starting to fall and accumulate on the lawn and along the roadside.  The tops of the trees have a hint of gold, giving us a taste of their brilliant fall coloring just a week or two away.

The woodbine on the Smith Lake shoreline is turning bright pink!

In the garden, the cheerful sunshine-yellow Brown-eyed Susans bob their heads in the breeze and say "Good-by" to summer!

Lunar eclipse

A once-in-a-lifetime lunar event happened this weekend.  The September 2015 full moon was a 'super moon', when the moon is at it's closest point to the earth in it's orbit.  Only 7% closer, but when the moon is on the horizon it certainly looks bigger than usual.

Saturday evening we zipped out onto the lake in the pontoon to snap a few photos of the moonrise.

Sunday evening we were treated to a complete lunar eclipse - and at a reasonable hour.   No trying to get up at 3AM for a glimpse.  The eclipse began as we were driving home from the Lake.  Clouds were gathering to the north, but cleared as we drove south.  The farm fields gave enough clear viewing that we were able to keep an eye on the disappearing orb in the sky.

At home in the city the trees are so tall and close to the house that we had a difficult time seeing. But the skies were still clear.  Finally, I had enough sense to grab a camera tripod and walk down the block and across the street to get a clear view of the moon, just as it reached total eclipse.  For those of you who had a cloudy evening -  here's what it looked like from Bloomington.  The photo was taken with the 'fireworks' setting on the camera.

It was so tempting to howl at the moon just for fun!  And I think some appropriate music for watching an eclipse would have been nice...Moon River?  Moonlight Serenade?  Cat Stevens- Moonshadow or Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon?

I skipped out again just before heading to bed, and snapped this shot as the eclipse was nearly over.  The moon was too bright for the fireworks setting, so I tried 'night landscape' which had a shorter exposure time.

The end of a beautiful summer

September nights are cool at Smith Lake, and the days are noticeably shorter.  What happened to our 9 PM sunsets?  There is a hint of color in the leaves and soon their spectacular autumn display will arrive.  A boat trip out on the lake after dinner to drop a line is a quick trip these days.  Sunset comes before you know it.

Woody Woodpecker

Do you remember Woody Woodpecker from Saturday morning cartoons in the 1960's?  The cartoons were produced by the Walter Lantz animation studios.  Woody first appeared in 1940's film cartoons, and then from 1957 to 1972 on television.  The Woody Woodpecker Theme song was a 1948 hit, and was the only song from an animated short ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song!

The Pileated Woodpeckers frequent the Smith Lake area in the summertime, and my sister claims that their call sounds just like the Woody Woodpecker Theme!  Can you hear it in their song?  The pair near our cabin successfully raised two young this year and they are getting big!  All four were looking for bugs in the grass on Labor Day, but only two were willing to stay around for a photo.

August skies

A neighbor reminded me that I have been negligent in posting photos recently.
Looks like I have some catching up to do!
Summer thunderstorms in August are so typical in central Minnesota.  The towering Thunderhead Clouds can be seen for miles.  This storm blew through early, and after the storm passed, the storm clouds on the eastern horizon were highlighted by the sunrise.

Not to be out-done, the western sky put on it's own spectacular show at sunset.

Summer storm clouds

A thunderstorm was brewing in the distance just before sunset on July 11th.  Smoke in the air from wildfires gave a red-orange glow to the sky and lots of layers and colors were visible in the clouds.

Hummingbirds

We love to watch the birds that visit Smith Lake.  From the majestic stillness of a Great Blue Heron fishing along the shoreline to the quickly darting little Hummingbird, they are amazing and delightful to see.  This summer a hummingbird family has built a nest in a maple tree near our deck.  Mother bird was caught at home one July afternoon and Jim snapped this photo.

Hazy Days

Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada and Alaska filled the air around Smith Lake in early July.  We could even smell the smoke in the air!  The sun became a huge red ball in the early evenings, and sunset came at least a half hour earlier than usual as the sun suddenly disappeared behind the smoke that cloaked the horizon.

Not a cloud in the sky... smoke from wildfires at sunset.

Here is a map that shows how smoke from the fires traveled around the globe in early July.  The article notes how Minnesota was "hit particularly hard."