Tag Archives: Dawn

Photography, Poetry

Blood Thirsty Mosquitoes

10 Comments

Spinweb_3423

 

We pulled into the campsite

On a far northern lake

The turquoise blue waters

Of Martha Lake, Algoma

Shimmering around us

 

As expected our northern hosts

Were greedily awaiting our arrival

The blood thirsty mosquitoes

They are not called

The northern scourges for nothing

Blood is what they want

 

The first order of business

To set up the screen tent

This to be our place of peace

From the waiting mosquitoes

The mosquitoes are lining up

Waiting for their next victim

You

 

The next order of business

To erect the tent

With practiced precision

The tent is erected

The sleeping cots in place

Bedding is laid out

The bug coils are lit

To be placed in our shelters

 

I don my bug jacket

The barbeque and stove

Are now set up

The cooler of food

Locked in the vehicle

No need inviting unwanted guests

For an overnight feast

Namely the bloody bears

 

Peace and solitude reigns supreme

Not a soul in sight

It is nearing dust

The wind dying down

The lake becoming calm

The moon edging up

Casting a silvery path

On the lake surface

 

Darkness is at hand

Time to hit the sack

A small lantern hangs

From the tent ceiling

Revealing the mosquito hordes

Lined up on the tent screen

Crawling into my sleeping bag

The light now off

I lie there with eyes closed

Listen to the drone

Of the ever gathering swarm

I had the feeling

Of being the only victim

Within a hundred miles

I guess in the turn of things

We all have to survive

Thus I fell asleep

To the humming sound

Of the north woods mosquitoes

I must be a northerner

Photography, Poetry

Martha Lake,Algoma

10 Comments

Spinweb_3378

 

There is a chill

In the early morning air

Mosquitoes and black flies

Scourges of the north country

Lying dormant for now

A mist is rolling

Off the greening forest

Covering the placid waters

Of a small lake

The forest deep in shadow

With a hint of mystery

The cover of darkness

Casting its mirror image

Over the lake surface

 

It is early June

A time of renewal

Through out the north

The birch and poplar

Luminous in new coats

Of green leave cover

Flowering shrubs are scattered

Among the refreshing forest

Spring wildflowers dot the landscape

 

 

The dawning of the day

Is now approaching

The sky becoming enlightened

The sun is peeking

Over the emerging woods

To shed golden light

Among the surrounding trees

Enticed by a mayfly hatch

A rising brook trout

Dimples the lake surface

Leaving a telltale ring

 

As the morning wears on

The sun cresting the horizon

The air is warming

The mist is retreating

Revealing emerald green waters

Of a pristine lake

The mosquitoes are emerging

To bite exposed skin

Of its unprotected victim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography

Sailors Warning

4 Comments

Pukaskwa_0936

My last morning at Pukaskaw National Park I slept in by a half hour. Crawling out of my sleeping bag and grabbing my camera gear, I quickly headed towards Hattie Cove. I was greeted by a spectacular color display in the morning light. The sky and clouds were brilliantly colored. I setup my tripod and camera and captured the above scene. This type of view is ever changing. It is a matter of watching the changing lighting. It is a matter of taking a number of shots. You are looking for that optimal composition.

I proceeded to do some research on the subject and came up with theses facts. A red sky in the morning , sailor’s warning. Most times weather moves West to East, blown by the westerly trades wind. Meaning that storm systems generally move in from the West. The colorful sky that can be observed at dawn and dusk are caused by the sun’s rays been split into the colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and bounce off the water vapor and particles in the atmosphere.

I will be up at Pukaskaw National Park next week for a week of photographing. So until next time happy trails