A Walk Along Sand Lake

I got this all ready to post during the worst of winter ... now, in the worst of spring, I'm finally putting it out there. Let's face it, we're all at least half a year behind. 

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Between Emily's knee surgery and my general laziness, we weren't taking Beowulf out for walks as often as we should, so before the weather turned icky in November we drove down to Chain O' Lakes State Park. I took him for a stroll along Sand Lake while Emily was in the car, luxuriating in not being at home. (Then we went for a drive.) Naturally, I took pictures.

Of course, no dog walk would be complete without the dog, who was happy to get some new smells in.

Honestly, it was a little depressing seeing everything closed up for the winter.
There were still a few brave souls camping, though. As you read this, outdoor stuff is finally getting a little easier.

Duck! Sorry. The geese weren't fond of the dog, I don't know why.

It was close to dusk, but there was still one fishing boat out there. Even with most of the leaves down, Chain O' Lakes is still a beautiful place to visit. We didn't see any deer this time, though.

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It's a wonderful world. It is, TOO.

See, here's the thing: Life goes on. Morning always comes. The Dude abides, stuff like that.

I'm no philosopher. What I am is a student of history, and I can tell you this right now: Not only is the coronavirus outbreak not the end of the world, but the human race has been through much, much worse. Plagues, wars, dictatorships, natural disasters, holocausts, reality TV, we've seen it all. Tell me the Kardashians aren't deadly, at least to your brain cells.

Yes, do what you can to stop the spread. Yes, have calm, reasoned debates about how to tread that fine line between protection, rights, and economic needs. No, don't break down in a screaming hissy fit every time everything doesn't go your way--see previous sentence.

This is a time, as with any crisis, when people need to come together. Let me rephrase: This is a time when we need to get along--to, in the immortal words of the guy the Romans executed (no, the other guy, from the movie), "Always look on the bright side of life". Yes, it's a frightening, frustrating time. But ask yourself this:

Did I make things any better by yelling and hating everyone?

No. The answer is no, you didn't. Sheesh.

For all the virus and discontent floating around in the air, it's here: Spring arrived, anyway. Why not try a spring-like attitude? Laugh. Love. Leave the room a little brighter than when you entered it.

There are all sorts of places where you can get some fresh air without being breathed on. This one is Chain O' Lakes State Park, and see? Getting green!

And don't go around breathing on people.

Oh, and hurry up, tornado season is here.

The world is so good, it even feeds us.

But at least it's not snow

Before we went for a walk earlier this week, we first had to find a place that wasn't a path of mud, or a new stream with mud underneath. Mud was fun when I was little, before I was responsible for cleaning it up; these days, not so much.

So we settled for the campground at Chain O' Lakes State Park, where the roads between the sites are paved, and that worked out pretty well.

As long as you didn't go off the paved roads.

 Elsewhere things are the same as they are all over the Midwest--soggy. The park's beach is gone, and a beaver dam we spotted over the winter is either washed away, or completely underwater. Every swampy area around is now a lake, although I suspect that's not going to cut down on the mosquitoes.

Last I heard, we were about two and a half inches over our normal rainfall for April, and April's usually a pretty rainy month. Still, there are places that have it way worse than us, especially those near major rivers.

Besides, April flowers bring ... well, you know.

A tale of two photos

I posted a photo on Instagram in August that was pretty popular, even though I thought it was a little dark. I've noticed that I tend to prefer a lightened version of my photos, but now I'm wondering if they're better, or if's just me preferring brighter. So ... I'm asking you. This photo was taken at dusk along Sand Lake, at Chain O' Lakes Park near Albion. Which version do you prefer?

The original:

The slightly brightened:

That's the family out on the dock, of course.

I studied photography for quite a while, but that was back in the film days; I'm still getting used to the idea that I can make substantial changes to a picture after taking it.

Yeah, but at least the forest fire risk is low

They cleaned up the beach at Chain O' Lakes State Park, all ready for the big holiday weekend ...

And now the beach is gone.

And more rain is expected tonight.

Be very careful driving--there was lowland flooding last night, and there's going to be more tonight across local roads, so slow way down, watch out, and don't go into standing water. Remember this rule: Stalling out your car is no fun, and drowning is even less fun. I've heard.

Duck, duck ...

Confused geese at Sand Lake in Chain O Lakes State Park, where water is on top of ice that's on top of water.

Not the best photo--they were way out in the middle of the lake, and no way was I going to get closer. That's the beach house in the distance, on the other side of the lake.

Stanley Schoolhouse

The old Stanley schoolhouse at Chain O' Lakes State Park, near dusk.