• Monday-What'sUP April 4 - 07:59 am

Drips, clumps and puddles... this trio of pictures from Joyce Tormala depict the phases of Spring here in the Upper Peninsula pretty well. We start out with the drips that melt the ice formed by the chilly mornings we're still experiencing. Then we move on, to the running water resulting from the thaw, as the sun warms things up. Check out the clumps of persistent snow hanging onto the branches, ready to drop when the rays of sunshine reach them. And finally, we see the result of the warm-up this time of year with the dirty snow banks in the background, the puddle below and the culprit that produced that foot splashing mess... the setting sun!

Love the pictures.

Love the pictures too! Spring is great isn't it?

Spring has sprung :) This is my favorite time of the year to visit the UP, because with the winter thaw comes beautiful cascading waterfalls...from all that melted snow :)

Another day of great pictures making me miss the U.P. more and more....

Beautiful pictures Joyce. I always enjoy seeing through your "eyes".

As usual a beautiful picture show of Joyce's photos...I too enjoy seeing the world through her eyes. Great story depiction, Mary. Creativity abounds! Thanks for sharing! I love the colors in the sunset...

Joyce....as usual WONDERFUL pictures!!!

Arn't we glad spring has finally come.....and the sun is back!!!

dont forget the mud! nothing says spring in the midwest quite like
mud!

We are so happy to see the snow melting here in
Calumet. The 8 foot bank in front of our house has
shrunk to about 5 feet and we can start to see out the
windows. The seed catalogs have arrived, but there is
at least 3 to 4 feet of snow over the garden. The
weatherman is calling for more snow, so I don't think
I will put away the scoops quite yet.

I remember sand more than mud in the spring. It made for wonderful dams when walking home from school at lunch hour or after school in Houghton. Seems not all residents appreciated the dam works as I did, as often there were problems at home re:phone calls with complaints over my structures.

The pictures actually bring Spring in Michigan home to me. I remember all the pent up energy expended biking and roller skating and just being outside without all the heavy,confining winter clothes on.I loved Spring in Michigan...even the cold and rainy days.

that third photo is really something - thank you for sharing it -

Thank you! Despite the forecast,spring is here!The highlight of my day was walking to the bus stop,cracking ice on the puddles and watching the little bubbles swim by.
We used to swim in the run-off from the melting snow. Now that I am older and wiser,I see dirt and decay in the stagnant pools.Back then,we saw WATER and if it was deep enough to dunk in,it was a lake and since Lake Superior was still under ice,we settled for second best.
Yes,it's still a thrill to expend the pent up energy outside,without the heavy winter clothes.I look around my own yard and see fallen branches,bales of sod,water trickling everywhere from the huge snowbanks,lotsa junk;so much to do,but can't,yet.The early crocus are blooming,robins are roaming and there is enough daylight hours to spend time reorganizing winter's mess while admiring the beauty of early spring.

OK Joyce, I have to ask. I have been admiring your photography through pasty.com for quite awhile. The pic of the icemelt on the twig is my wallpaper in the classroom. Many of your previous pictures have been featured on my comp. in the classroom and home. So, what type of camera are you using? The quality, not to mention the composition, is beautiful. Even blown up to a full screen the resolution is true. I really enjoy your pictures and gain a sense of calm by viewing them. ahhh, back to nature and the U.P. Thanks for sharing your creativity.

Thank you so much! I have been called 'simple' and I take it as a compliment,though there may be hidden meanings. :)
I enjoy heading out to the woods with my camera,hunting for simple subjects.Our 3 cats usually follow me and because of their dilly-dallying,I notice everything! When I am able to escape for a good,brisk walk without the kitties,I wonder what I am missing.
This camera is the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2. I emptied my piggy bank and picked it up on impulse at Walmart in March 2005. I read the reviews on amazon and figured I can live with what it lacks,yet have a blast with the features it does have. As hard as it is at times,we have to live within our means,so for now,it suits me just fine. A sense of calm...I like the sound of that!