Steven Helmer Publications

After a couple days of temperatures that were nice enough to be outside grilling (and taking family walks), I woke up to a bit of a rude awakening with winter-like temps once again. I decided to tough them out though and went for a short walk along the lake. There wasn't much to see, other than some geese and one or two very shy killdeer. But, I still managed to get a few photos.

The weather has been nice enough to go for a walk at lunch. However, thanks to all that rain we had, the mosquitoes are pretty much unbearable right now so, other than a failed attempt yesterday (I lasted all of 10 minutes), I haven't been going. I have, however, been still getting the occasional photo before heading into the office in the morning. Here is a selection of those (as well as one I did manage to take before giving up on my walk yesterday).

I had to take my car in to the dealer at lunch today to fix a recall on it and wasn't able to take my walk as a result. So, instead, I'm just sharing a few random photos I've taken over the course of the past few days.

I haven't had much of a chance to post photos the past couple of days so I'm just cleaning off my camera and posting some I took on my various walks.

I saw some pelicans flying over top of me yesterday and decided to stop by the lake this morning to see if I could spot any. Even though the water still had a thin layer of ice on it, there was one that was hanging out near shore and I was able to get a photo of it as well as some other birds.

It was still a little dark out when I went for my walk this morning (the sun was coming up, but it was still behind some trees). And, as a result of the shadows, it was a little difficult getting good photos. I did, however, manage to get a few shots off while walking along the shoreline:

My oldest daughter was running a bit late this morning and, by the time I dropped her off at school, I only had a limited amount of time to go for my walk. I did, however, manage to get a short walk in by the shoreline this morning and, even though I debated even bringing my camera with me, was able to get a few photos as well. Here is a selection of those photos:

It's been really chilly out the past couple of mornings. In fact, as I was walking along the shoreline this morning, I realized I probably should start wearing gloves (my hands are always the first to freeze). All I can say is, it's way too early for it to be this cold already. I know it's Wisconsin and we can get winter-like weather as early as September. But, just a couple of weeks ago, the temps were in the 80s. I know it's going to get cold eventually. I just wish it would be a bit more gradual. The critters are apparently starting to notice as well. The only thing along the shore this morning were gulls (which usually stay all winter). Most of the other birds were hiding from the cold temps. Either that, or they are already heading south.

It was kind of cool out and there was a layer of fog over the lake (which I still haven't figured out how to photograph). As a result of this, it was a little difficult getting pictures this morning while out for my morning walk. Fortunately, however, I was able to find quite a few discarded aluminum cans as I was walking, which helped make up for that. I did manage to get some photos while I was out this morning. Here are the best of the few:

I didn't see much on my morning walk this morning, mostly because there were several people already at the lake first thing (it's amazing how many people don't have to go to work on a Wednesday) and the critters were keeping their distance as a result. I did, however, find a few cans to add to my recycling efforts and, as I was walking back to the car, I was able to snap this photo of a couple gulls as they were standing on some rocks.

For a short while, I wasn't really sure if I was going to get my walk in today or not. It got really cloudy outside and looked like it was going to rain. But, when lunchtime came around, the weather looked a little better. And, as I was walking the trails, the sun came out. Here are some of the photos I was able to take: