M. Sullivan Photography Animals, Daphne, Garden, Photos, Weather

Searching

The skies have been gray and dreary all week.  We have had a mix of snow, rain and wind each day since Sunday.  We are all craving sunlight and blue skies.  We were somewhat satisfied that there was little to no precipitation today and temperatures were in the mid 40’s.  It should be in the mid to upper 50’s this time of year, but we will take what we can get.  To celebrate the departure from rain and 30’s, Daphne and I went for a walk after work.  When we returned home I spent some time searching, not for blue skies, but for any sign of green in the backyard.  When you look at the yard as a whole, it looks brown.  Well…except for the patches of white snow.  If you look closely, you will see this…

Bleeding Hearts Peeking Out
Lichens
Strawberry Leaves
Irises
Baby Spruce
Siberian Squill
Tulip
Chives

 

Day Lilies – Nibbled By Deer
Weeds…There Are Always Weeds
Moss
Moss From A Different Angle Is Still Moss

A departure from green…brown.

Old Tree

And then there was this guy.  We are accustom to seeing big gray (and sometimes black) squirrels in the city.  We never see these cute little red squirrels.  We have affectionately named this one “Hammy”.  As in “Hammy” from the movie Over the Hedge.  He moves around our backyard like he just downed an energy drink.  That is why my photos are not as close up or as crisp as I would like.  He never stops long enough to get a sharp photo.

The Squirrel Known As Hammy
Up A Tree
On The Move

During my search for spring foliage, I uncovered this Mother’s Day stepping stone Sebastian made for me with his hand print when he was 3 (with the help of his Aunt Dee Dee).  I will have to clean it up and replace the missing “E”.  Even with moss growing on it, I still love it.

Mother’s Day Gift Circa 2004

I can’t believe his hands were ever that tiny.  Now look at him.

Growing Up

 

M. Sullivan Photography Photos, Weather

Happy Spring?

It’s officially Spring here…the weather just doesn’t know it yet.

Difficult Commute

This was the scene in downtown Duluth at lunchtime today.  I decided to take the skywalk from my office to get lunch at a downtown restaurant and snapped this picture with my iPhone.  Mike and I usually spend our lunch break at home to give our dog Daphne a little love, some exercise and needed bathroom break. Fortunately our neighbor was home and kindly accepted our request to let Daphne out for us.  We were lucky to stay put and not venture out.  The roads were snow-covered and treacherous on what is supposed to be the second day of spring.  The snow lightened up in the afternoon to allow the plows and salt to do their jobs.  I guess this means the snow conditions for skiing will be excellent this weekend.

M. Sullivan Photography Lake Superior, Landscapes, Photos, Ships, Weather

The Never-Ending Winter

We can’t seem to shake the snow and cold despite the calendar telling us that it has been spring for more than three weeks.  Our last storm dropped nearly 14″ of snow.  It began on Thursday and continued overnight and into Friday.  Wind gusts were over 50 mph.  I stopped by Canal Park to check out the waves on my way to work.  My photos don’t nearly capture the height of the waves, the strength of the wind or the spray of the water that traveled all the way to my parked car.  I didn’t stay long as I needed to go into work and remain somewhat presentable.

We dug ourselves out on Friday afternoon.  The snowdrift that was once our driveway was nearly 30″ deep.  Mike’s old snowblower struggled, but made it through the heavy snow.  We also had a huge snowdrift that ended up hanging over the roof of our house.

Mike played a little snowball golf in the driveway.  It’s going to be a long time before the golf courses open.

The heavy winds caused ice to blow in towards the harbor blocking the way for many ships.  We spotted nine out on the lake at one time, along with a coast guard cutter clearing the way for them.

The forecast is for another 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow and the possibility of another storm in the middle of the week.  I can’t wait.  😦