Sunrise, January 13

As far as sunrises go, this one was rather lackluster.  There was a heavy bank of clouds on the horizon, but none higher in the sky to take on the color from the sun.  It was 0 degrees, and the sun rose at 7:49 a.m.  (Curious what time the sun rises where you are?  Enter your zip code at this site: http://www.sunrisesunset.com/USA/Minnesota.asp)  Despite the icy temperature, I hiked along the lake for about 45 minutes and mostly felt the cold on my face.

It was a calm day, with just a hint of color.

The light touches the tops of the clouds

 And begins to glow

We had a bit of a January thaw last week that, combined with a rainy Friday, melted the snow on the beaches.

I found some rather interesting objects this week:

Someone's balled up socks

 A beer can frozen in ice

A rusty barrel top

And most interesting to me, a large wooden spool bobbing in the water

 

I also walked across the third beach for the first time, exploring new rocky areas.

Lots of debris

Up close and personal with the rocks

 

Beautiful color and pattern!

Despite the thaw and rain, new ice is forming.

On the way back to my starting point, I saw these frost crystals attached to a barrel.  I wish they would have been just a little more in focus, but I was in the shade and didn't adjust my settings accordingly.

As the sun rose above the clouds, it shined through the trees and lit up the sea smoke on the lake.

Up next: a study in shutter speed!