Ice breaking up on the Keweenaw Bay
Yesterday morning in town–in between errands a’plenty–I noticed that the last of the ice on the bay was breaking up into jagged concentric circles and other patterned ice floes.
It was warm, about 60 degrees (16 C) in the early morning so I paused to take some pictures to show you.
Hope you enjoy the last glimpse of winter of our Keweenaw Bay. We hope it’s our last glimpse!
It breaks into thousands of floating icebergs
One can stare mesmerized for a long time at the patterned ice shapes
Four ducks swimming between the ice floes
Some of the ice floes look like modern art, don’t they?
Circular bowls of ice
Ice floes floating behind sheltered breakwall
Red bench before yonder breaking ice
Fisherman wades in
Another short-sleeved fella just enjoys the spring warmth while the ice melts…
Lake Superior Spirit 
very cool
Thank you, LouAnn!
Ice is very artistic. It is also musical … I can hardly wait for my lake to start groaning and cracking … maybe this weekend.
My small lake is still frozen pretty thick. However, there must be a small air pocket opening as there was a large fishing party going on out there last evening …. 12 Bald Eagles. I watched with binoculars for a while and then decided I needed to hike down there and take a picture of this unique gathering …. of course, the snow was still up to my knees in places and I was much too noisy for them to stick around.
Bearyweather, I liked the story of your “large fishing party”. Sounds beautiful! I, too, like that groaning and cracking noise that ice makes. For some reason didn’t hear it this year. Wishing you melting…
Melting ice and short sleeves, great photo Kathy, and love the bench, I’d be sitting on it turned to the water tho’ watching the ice…Mesmerised as you say.. xxx
Pen, glad you were mesmerized, and can just picture you sitting on the bench watching.
Pretty ice … but time for it to be GONE !
Sybil, I just drove by there again this afternoon and it’s gone–at least in that spot. High time, I agree!
Get with the program kid! It is spring here like crazy! Trees are green, birds are flying to and fro…
the flow of ice imagine… ice art! Very cool!
Jeff, it’s been such a late spring here. We’re trying to get with the program, we really are. Can’t yet imagine a green tree or blossoms, but the temp is 70 degrees right now. (Falling to 45 tomorrow…) Glad you liked the ice art.
Lovely photos, Kathy…now I’m wondering which camera you used. You have such a good eye for composition in you photos, I think it doesn’t often matter?
Cindy, I am happy you enjoyed the photos. This time I used the little Sony CyberShot. She did a nice job, didn’t she? With the Rebel could have zoomed in and focused on the ducks more, but the CyberShot didn’t do half bad. For some reason, I do enjoy the composition angle of photography–looking for that interesting view. Thank you.
Magical!
It WAS magical, Susan! Is there ice over in Baraga today? Looks like it’s mostly gone in LA.
Time for a big forehead slap on my part. I wondered why so many migrating waterfowl were still hanging around down here so much later than they normally do. It’s because there was no place for them to go that wasn’t frozen over.
I love the sounds that come from the ice break up almost as much as I like the patchwork of art that the pieces of ice form.
Even though you take such great photos of ice and snow, I hope that you’re devoid of that subject matter for a while now. 😉
I hope you didn’t slap your forehead too hard! Yep, that’s probably the reason for your extended migrating waterfowl. We’re wondering whether to put up the hummingbird feeder. They are usually here by now. As to your last sentence, I’m hoping to be devoid of this subject matter–at least for a few months now!
Ice melt is so fascinating isn’t it? It’s different every year. Nice to be able to take a moment at the lake.
You are so right, Lisa. It was really lovely to get out of the car and stroll down by the bay yesterday. And to see the patterns of that ice melting. Thank you.
Great shots. Did you take all of those? Some of them look like it’s from high above the water. And, some of those ice floes almost look like an island, or the shape of a continent. Do you live that close to the water? I guess no more ice fishing for Barry. He’ll have to fish like the guy in your photo.
Yes, indeed, Lori D, I took all the shots yesterday on the Sony CyberShot in between running errands. Barry thought some of them looked like islands, too, but they were really just little ice floes. We live a quarter mile from the Huron Bay, but these were taken in our little town–12 miles away. And, yes, ice fishing season is over!!!
Thanks for sharing that info. I was wondering how close to the water you were.
Oh that’s what you wanted to know. I misunderstood. I was about 100 feet away from the ice floes when shooting.
Oh, heh, I actually was curious how far you lived from the water, but that’s good info too. 🙂
I love that pancake ice 🙂
And if I were the guy on the bench, I would require sleeves. I know the breeze over that lake is COOOOOOOLD, because I get chilled (and steal Tony’s coat which for some reason has taken up residence in the car) if there’s a hint of wind blowing over Torch Lake.
No, no, no, Heather–it was REALLY warm yesterday! Even in L’Anse, I swear it. It can get warm in LA when there is a southern breeze. If it’s a northern or western breeze, forget it. For example, today it’s 55 in L’Anse and near 80 out here in Aura. (*big happy grin*) But I know exactly whereof you talk concerning chilly lakes.
I know that temperature differential. We’ve been experiencing the same thing here at home vs. TC. It’s been very warm out here, and if we go into TC, the north winds have chilled it to the fifties. (Sharing your big happy grin!)
That pancake ice looks like ephemeral islands to me.
Pamela, that’s exactly what Barry said. Another commenter also thought they looked liked islands.
Kathy – I can’t even begin to imagine! It gets cold where I live. Really cold. But NOT nearly as cold, nor for as long, as it does in your neck of the woods. I’ve got goosebumps just looking at your photos! (We’re expected to reach 78 beloved degrees today)…
Ms. Laurie, you don’t even have to feel sorry for us today. It’s almost 80!! In fact am headed out for a walk in this Paradise very soon. (Unfortunately, it’s suppose to drop to 45 and rain tomorrow, dang it. But that’s OK because surely it’s Spring now?)
Kathy – I’m taking advantage (like a crazy woman!) of today’s gorgeous weather as well. Like you, we expect rain tomorrow.
Enjoy!!
Such great photos. We were in Jamestown, ND last Sunday and noticed ice still on some of the small lakes along the interstate. Interesting comment about the birds still being south. With all our technology we still can’t trump nature and how its members know what to do and when to do it.
You’re right about that, Lucinda–we can not trump nature. Guess we’ll have to learn to get along with her. 🙂
good idea!
Only five more months until the weather starts to get cooler (down here). 😉
We feel SO sorry for you, Stacy!!! 😉
Those are so much better than anything I captured. I went to Marquette yesterday and was very surprised to see the large patches of snow hiding beneath and on the North side of pines along 41.
I’m not surprised you were taking pictures too, John! Actually, I DID see you just after I left the bay. You were in your car, zinging past me around the corner, and had your eyes peeled on the bay. I grinned.
Modern art and sometimes clouds in the sky. Hooray for breaking up ice!
Don’t you love when nature gives us an art show, Carol? Seconding your hooray, by the way!
It still looks very cold, but the man in the short sleeved shirt assured me that you finally have warmth. The ice floes are beautiful. They look a bit like some of the pictures of islands that Chris Hadfield has taken from the Iss.
We did have some warmth, Bonnie. Today it’s almost hot! Tomorrow it will be back to cold. The weather is so bi-polar, but we’re used to that. By the way, some others, including Barry, thought the floes looked like islands, too.
Ice ice ice!! send some here… we are dying of heat. The summer s killing us this time.. I wanna eat ice.
Oh you poor thing, Sonali. I wish we could send you some of our ice. We could make an international trade. 🙂
You know, Kathy, as much as I have trouble with the winter (especially snow and ice) every time I see pictures of my favorite Lake and the surrounding areas, my heart fills with desire to be there. So even though it is a warm 73 degrees here today, I would rather be along the shores of Lake Superior. ♥
Your pictures are wonderful….love the one with the guy in the short sleeves and the one with the ducks 🙂
I smiled reading again of your love for Lake Superior, Brenda. That lady lake better appreciate your devotion! Glad to hear you have warm weather there today, too. Thank you.
Kathy, you have a wonderful ability of making your surroundings seem like a paradise where one might go to enjoy a lovely vacation. Are there a lot of tourists in your area? Anyway I love the way your viewpoint communicates such a wonderful message.
Patty, thank you. I used to not like living here (can you imagine?) in my earlier years and had to cultivate an appreciation for the land and a way of learning to see the paradise which surrounded me. There really aren’t that many tourists in our area. Lots of tourists come to lower northern Michigan but from there to here is another seven hours, can you believe it? Thanks for your lovely comment.
What a wonderful sense of relief this post gives. The park bench is so inviting and the fella in short sleeves basking in the sun. Of course we know how happy you are to see winter go. May the sun continue to shine on you and reduce those artistic ice patterns to clear water. 🙂
Dor, thank you for appreciating that sense of relief that we’re all feeling up here. Even the ice fishermen are sick of ice–well, maybe I shouldn’t speak for ALL of them! We had 78 degrees today! Even though it’s supposed to be 45 tomorrow, at least we’re having tastes of warmth. Thank you.
The pictures are lovely. The ice breaking up is so hauntingly beautiful.
Guess what, Sheryl? Apparently I took these pictures at the last possible moment–the next day they were all gone. Thank you for liking them.
Oh my… I haven’t been in the blogosphere for awhile and that title had me wondering about your marital status. Glad the post was about ice floes and not Barry!!
Ha ha, Amy-Lynn, it figures you would be the only one to wonder if Barry and I had called it quits. (Of course everyone else may have wondered but didn’t dare type it…)
I was on Facebook this morning Kathy, and see that your blog was re-posted by the Lake Superior Binational Forum! Beautiful pictures. But I kind of want the ice to hang out for a few more days so the record can be broken!
How nice that the Forum would post a link to this blog. Thank you for telling me, Chequamegongirl. Our ice is now pretty much broken up and the wind is whipping waves in from the north. Don’t know about record-breaking…
LOVE seeing these photos Kathy! There’s no chance in the world of us having anything like that ice here (unfortunately, say’s I, whose winters plummet to 10 C at night!) so seeing the magical shapes of the breaking ice here today is a real treat. Thank you. 🙂
Gosh, I am glad you enjoyed, Joanne. Your poor hot things down under. *grin* Happy to share the magical icy shapes with you.
Gorgeous pictures of a Season that is finally on the move. I love the shape of those small icebergs, each unique for a few moments, ever changing. Fascinating.
Glad you enjoyed this, Isabelle. Thank goodness spring is–possibly–arriving. Even though we had snow on the deck both mornings this weekend!
Beautiful. Some look like clouds.
Thank you, Ms. Lunar. They do kind of look like clouds, don’t they?
gosh Kathy that’s a lot of ice! They are all such beautiful shapes
Thank you, Rosie, how nice to see you! Those icebergs were very beautiful, indeed, but I am glad they are all gone now. Thank goodness. Maybe we’ll have spring yet.
Aha…you slipped this blog in without my noticing it! What an enjoyable way to spend a break from my yardening..( because my yard is more flowers than grass) I have never heard ice breaking over the lake…but I bet it is a memorable experience!
This blog is from 2013, Barb! And guess what, we had ice back in May of 2013. Which goes to show…ice on the bays in May is more common than we think… I think the term yardening is beautiful.