Snow on the banks of the river

Yet another Huron River lately... the snowstorm made for some beautiful winter landscapes. 

The rain has already washed away the snow, however, so these moments were fleeting: 

© Dawn Nelson 2022. All Rights Reserved.

The Huron River Lately

Recently I thought about my proximity to the river differently. I decided to journey just a bit further north to the docks on Lakeshore Drive and was not disappointed. The platform that juts out into the river makes for excellent immersion into blue space and it was precisely what I needed. 

I had also recently contemplated the notion that even if some of my observations are just a bit further up the river, the USGS monitoring station at Canal Street is still relevant.

So I shall continue my exploration.

Though it is just a small stretch, there remains so much to reveal and interpret.

Graciously, I accept, and I am honored to be the steadfast observer. 

---

© Dawn Nelson, 2022

2022 Water Year Report

I did it. I finally did it. I sat down and entered in all the precipitation data for the last water year for 2022. It only took me about 2 hours total, probably less. There is unfortunately some missing data for August, but I'm just glad I finally completed all the entries. 

While it appears to be a much dryer year than on average, I will note that my gage site is not ideal and there is some obstruction so it is an underestimate of actual precipitation values. 

Anyway, I will write up a more thorough summary soon, this is just my initial celebration.

See more reports at https://cocorahs.org/

Lakes, Trains, Fish

I spent some time at the lake these past two days, and enjoyed watching the small fish school around near shore while the train passed by across the lake.

Very peaceful and existentially satisfying, it was.

Blue space is something to experience as often as possible, it is healing and calming.

And the weather was beautiful.

October is a great month to spend time near this lake, as most folks have gone back to their regular routines and the lake is calmer. There is also a bit more solitude.

So I will try to make more time for this throughout the month. In between compiling my precipitation data for the past water year, because while I am diligent about writing it down with pencil on paper, I am terrible about adding the data to CoCoRaHS. 

Hopefully I will have more to report soon :-)

Autumn Equinox

The temperature dropped today, entirely in sync with the equinox. I brought all my plants in from the balcony. 

So many plants.

The season has changed. 

Drifting Rudderless

Today I was adamant with myself that I needed to go for a drive to the lake. I had a specific place in mind, but I wasn't sure if I would find it again so easily. 

Fortunately, I found it just fine.

Where the Maumee River meets Lake Erie. Photo by author, September 19, 2022.

It wasn't just about lake time, though. Today was about finding a new way to anchor my ambition and career goals. Wandering through blue space helps me gain insight and clarity. 

The reality is that I am feeling boxed in with few opportunities. Since I am not yet ready to move to a new city, I need to find ways to throw out a few grappling hooks (so to speak) into my cities of interest to find remote work opportunities.

As I was driving through Toledo (and before I got lost in the north neighborhoods) I remembered there was a newspaper and magazine publisher I had done some writing work for years ago that is based there. I think maybe it is time for me to pick that back up and see where it might go...

In the meantime, I shall plod on with my myriad blogs and mixed media as a labor of love.

Sunset over Lake Erie with West Sister Island in the distance. Photo by author, September 19, 2022.

© Dawn Nelson, 2022.

River walking

 

© Dawn Nelson, all rights reserved.

Zukey dreaming

Pond Dwelling

 Midsummer has brought lovely overgrown edges to the pond.

A lovely wilderness in all its simplicity.

© Dawn Nelson, 2022. All rights reserved.

Bonsai Sojourn

 

Another sojourn to Lake Erie, this time by way of the Bonsai garden and greenhouse. My first stop was on the River Raisin near the Old Mill house that is now a museum.

The Old Mill on River Raisin. June 28, 2022. 

The Bonsai greenhouse on the way to Lake Erie. 

I did in fact pet the coy fish. They are kind of like dogs. 

Coy fish in the greenhouse.

And then, the sea.

I have arrived at my destination.

Lake Erie as seen from my front row tree root seat.

Lake Erie with the Davis Besse in the distance.

Overall it was a warm sunny day with a very nice breeze. Once again I am glad I took the time to punch out of the city paradigm and visit the shore.

© Dawn Nelson 2022, All Rights Reserved.

Rambling the Zukey

A bit of afternoon gardening and tidying up preceded a walk down to Zukey Lake and memory lane. I once caught small fish with my hands in this lake, long ago. I'm hoping I'll manage to catch a few fish this summer (with a fishing pole) and remember how to clean them and prepare them for dinner. Not too many though, PCBs and all. I imagine there are more than a few. Good thing my child bearing days are done.

Still a beautiful and comforting view.

 © Dawn Nelson, 2022

A Lake Erie Kind of Day

Shallow waters at the edge of a long beach on the western basin of Lake Erie. May 17, 2022.

Finally, after five months of intending to get back to the Lake Erie shore, I finally made it happen on a late Tuesday afternoon. It's amazing how much calmer I feel after a long stroll on a beach of the western basin. 

My favorite landscape feature, twin smoke stacks in the distance. May 17, 2022.

A lovely late afternoon looking out over the water of Lake Erie. May 17, 2022.

City of Toledo over the Maumee River. May 17, 2022.

© Dawn Nelson, 2022

the Huron River lately

A lovely sunny Tuesday afternoon revealed an unexpected and delightful walk by the riverside. Funny how just yesterday it was snowing gigantic snowflakes.

A large snowflake day. April 4, 2022. 

I've been experimenting with writing on Medium and have started to develop a longform content series I am currently calling the 0100 series. It seems to be unearthing a fair amount of narrative from me on weather obs, so I imagine I will revise some of these posts for longer form essays here on my beloved Lake Poet blog. I'm finding that it really helps to give myself creative license to experiment with different platforms to see what works and what kind of writing it inspires me to cultivate. It's funny how a lot of this kind of writing I would do offline, now I just write and put it out there as I will, caution to the wind. So be it.

The sun is shining.

The Huron River on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. April 5, 2022.

© Dawn Nelson, 2022

Fast

The river was moving pretty fast so I decided to stop by a take a quick video near Canal Street (1310 cfs streamflow at 17:00 today). This time I stood right next to the USGS water monitoring station. The little concrete dock is no longer used, but the fancier model is tucked away in the shed mid-video.

Huron River at Canal Street, USGS station #04174500.

---

 © Dawn Nelson, 2022.

Detroit River riverwalk

Short video of the Detroit River, Windsor in view. March 14, 2022.

A short stroll along the Detroit River riverwalk near sunset on an early spring day. Many birds chattering in the trees made it a comforting occasion on a Monday evening. 

Detroit River, facing downstream to sunset. March 14, 2022.

© Copyright Dawn Nelson, 2022

Meteorological Spring

 

The meteorological spring begins today. The river is kind of high, but still lower than what it has been for several weeks. Pictured here is the Huron River at the Argo Dam in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Supposedly it was almost 50 degrees Fahrenheit but the wind chill begged to differ. Still, it was a good noon on a Tuesday walkabout!

Lunar New Year of the Tiger

Last night I dreamt of a Tiger, or maybe a mountain lion, who challenged me to a fight. I suppose. Not really sure what he was getting at. actually. 

Happy lunar new year of the Tiger!

Winter wonderland

It's a winter wonderland on the peninsula of Zukey Lake. More snow on the way!