January proved to be a typical winter in SE Michigan – cloudy, dreary, torrential rains, snowy (a little anyway), foggy, and temperatures all over the map. According to the National Weather Service we had exactly zero fully clear days and only seven days of partly cloudy conditions. While the weather was conducive to interesting photographic opportunities the road conditions were not, and when the roads cleared up inspiration seemed to dissipate with it.
I did however find a couple of opportunities to get out for some photography. The first was a long walk in early January before the weather turned nasty, around the U of M campus where I thought I could capture the excitement of the community coming back to life after the holiday break. Little did I realize classes did not start up until after the National Championship game, so I concentrated instead on the campus architecture. Speaking of national championships it was a double year of celebration for me. Yes, the Wolverines won the FBS championship, but more importantly the SDSU Jackrabbits, my alma mater, were the repeat FCS national champions! And who would have thought it but the Lions almost went all the way too. But I digress. My second photo opportunity was to capture some of the wildlife enjoying winter. I hope you enjoy the images I put together for this journal entry.
We have several old crab apple trees in our yard and every winter the fruit provides nourishment to many of the birds, especially the robins, frequenting our property. This is the first year we have watched the squirrels also partaking of the fruit.
January proved a little tough to get out to enjoy nature, but I’ve already made it out to one of my favorite hiking locations in February. And while the weather was still not great, I do look forward to next time when hopefully there will be snow on the ground and ice on the water, with the making for another adventure. I look forward to getting back to walking the deer trails through the heavily wooded parts of the park now that hunting season is over for the year, so stay tuned. If you enjoyed this Journal entry, please drop me a comment below, feel free to share with your friends, and visit my website site Terrance Alexander Photography.
Terrance Alexander