Monday, September 24, 2018

Disappearing Beach

I realize that the levels of the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Lake St. Clair, Erie, Ontario, and the Georgian Bay) rise and fall periodically and that apparently no one is sure "why" that happens. Well, at least I'm not sure. When I first saw and bought my property in late 2011 the beach stretched out for a few hundred yards which were filled with pebbles, rocks, boulders, and phragmites.

So whether the fluctuating lake levels are the result of the collection and accumulation of winter snows, the amount of summer rain, the temperatures, the pull of the moon, the flow of water over Niagara Falls, dredging by the Naval Core of Engineers, or Global Warming, my beach has almost virtually disappeared. For now. But it will change again.

Even the metal fire pit that we've used a few times previously reappeared today after being lost under a few feet of beach sand. And I am now the proud owner of a new-ish boat. (Clicking on photos will enlarge them.)

The only constant is change.







Back in late July (July 23) Scott from Grass Roots Nursery came and improved my goldfish, frog, and snake pond. We found a few snake eggs and left them to incubate naturally. Yesterday some of them started to hatch about 63 +/- days later. I suspected that they were corn snake eggs; garter snakes bear live young. And they are! None are completely "out" so far; I've finally removed them from where mom left them so they can continue the hatching process without the mid-wife dogs in attendance. Click to enlarge.






Of course I realize that some of the energy that went into producing those cute baby snakes came for my frogs and goldfish. Ah yes, the circle of life, eh? I will release them after they finish hatching regardless. They are now "my" snakes and part of the web here after all. I moved into their territory and not the other way around. (Still though I wish the rabbits and deer would leave some of my plants alone.)

Sunrises and harvest moon - could be a song, eh?



Recently we drove from Port Austin to Caseville both popular vacation spots and, in the summer, filled with people. I like it better when there's more nature and fewer folks.







This house looked familiar to me. 
Have I ever been here?

Where's Korpur?
(With apologizes to Waldo.)
It's almost time to retire the geraniums to the garage for the winter.










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