Saturday, April 25, 2009

Shoreline sculptures




As a photographer, the Lady Friend sees things I'd miss. After taking that gorgeous beach shot posted yesterday, she took a close look at the edges of the frozen snow berm in the shade of the tree line and discovered that the melting ice and sand mixture created tiny stalagmites a few inches below the frozen shelf -- fragile structures that would last only as long as the lapping waves left them alone.



She also found that repeated snow, freezing and wave action had covered successive layers of snow and ice with thin coatings of sand, resulting in an enticing layer-cake effect. The sand also insulates the ice from increasing warmth, and since spring nighttime temperatures in the Upper Peninsula often dip below freezing, I would not be surprised if some ice remained in the shade upon our return to the cabin in mid-May.

Click on each photo for a closer look.

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