• Wednesday-What'sUP June 8 - 08:02 pm

Leave it to Joyce Tormala to find beauty extraordinaire along the western Lake Superior shoreline. This shot shows turbulent skies, but with the sun setting low on the horizon, it gives everything a golden glow making a wild looking sky part of a tranquil scene, just the same. Even the tree in full blossom looks almost like it's burnt orange, almost fall colors!

Blossoms are still sprouting around the U.P. and one of my favorites is the Lilac. Each morning as I take my walk, I get a heady scent in the breeze, of Lilac bushes along my route. The ones in the second photo were preserved by Ken Scheibach looking so vibrant that you'll find yourself leaning in to try and catch a whiff!

If you're interested in catching the scent of U.P. Pasties, then you need to mark your Pasty Cam Calendar for July 2nd, so you can be in Calumet for Pasty Fest 2005. There will be all kinds of activities taking place, including a parade, Pasty competition and of course free pasties to the first 400 who clip the special coupon and join the Pasty Central crew at lunch time. Hope to see you there!

Looking at these beautiful pictures this morning i can just feel the cool, clean air in the first one - and smell the sweet scent of lilac in the second. What a perefct combination!

Wish i could be there for Pasty Fest - wishing for a perfect day for all who are blessed to be there!

The pictures? Wow! The top one is my screen saver today.

Awesome photos! Wish I could be there. We're in the middle of a 90° w/high humidity stretch and its ugly. I hate being shut in the air conditioning and I hate being hot and sticky. Guess I'll just look at the top picture and dream of the breeze... There, that's better. Have a nice day, everyone.

Morning. It is 45 here this morning, our high yesterday was around 61.

Thanks for the Pics. Pasty Cam is a great way to start the day. It's raining here this am. Wayne, NC

Super pictures. Glad I can save them for a rainy day.

I closed my eyes and imagined the scent of the second picture this morning. It's my favorite flower and the smell always takes me somewhere nice.
I'll be able to smell the breeze in the first picture in person in a few months.

Good morning. What a nice picture of lilacs..these are the one flower and fragrance I miss the most here in the keys. Not to say we don't have beautiful blooms here,also---just no lilacs.

high Joyce!! beautiful pictures! as always!! as soon as i saw that one i could def. tell it was one of yours..! hehehe...i love em!

The Golden pond picture is now my background, going from your last picture of the lilacs! We have lilacs and when I bring some in, I sit here working on my laptop enjoying that wonderful scent. Yes, it is very hot and sticky here in Ohio (hit 91 degrees yesterday)so, I can hardly wait 'til we head north in July! Sure hope that the whole summer doesn't stay this way!!!

Our lilacs just "finished" in Southeast Michigan, but we hope to enjoy them all over again this friday when we run up to Mackinac Island for their lilac festival for a day or so....

The lilacs have been done here for nearly 2 months. They looked great in April though. =(

Getting to take a trip to the UP come August... don't know who is going to drag me back down here! It'll take some effort, that's for sure.

Ken, I really enjoyed your album. You have a Great eye for Mother Nature's beauty. The Cardinal was my mom's favorite bird and now he is mine. I have sculptures, plates and now I can enjoy your beautiful photos. Thanks for the early morning pick-me-up!

What beautiful photos to wake up to this morn. It is cold here this morn,30 degrees. Have been having rain mixed with snow, so we can't put our flowers out yet. The lilacs here just have small buds on them, but next week the weather is suppose to warm up so they should be coming out. Would be fun to be on Mackinac Island for the lilac festival. Enjoy the photo of the lake too. I will be back in the UP in July for a class reunion, and am looking forward to being on Lake Michigan in the summer. Sure miss the lakes.

Too bad you can't put your nose to the screen to smell the lilacs:)

The golden glow of the sun whether sunrise or sunset reflecting off the big lake strike my memory, even if just looking at a photograph. Wonderful pictures!

Beautiful pictures and I am like Mary from NW the heat here is really off the wall we went from 60's to 90's and that is a big change. Wish we was there but not until August. We always stop in at Tony's and get cookies and pasties on our way up to Copper Harbor and we can hardley wait.

I was doing just ducky until Ms. T's sunrise hit. Ever so beautiful which caused the ever so Lake shore yearning to bounce into the front of my mind. Like Mary Ann said above: Rain mixed with snow on June 7 and probably the rest of the week.....but, my lilacs are over now. Did clip first rose early today.

Beautiful Pics!! Now which one do I choose for my wallpaper. Yesterday's two, today's two. So many wonderful choices.

Wish there was a scratch and sniff feature the lilac picture!!!

I can smell lilac's!!! Favorite flower. Have a good day.

The cat on the waterfall is now my background. I love all of the animal shots. The flowers are great too. Thanks for the ray of sunshine in the concrete world down here in Detroit.

Janet-if you want delicious cookies, go to Slim's in Mohawk. They have cookies that taste just like my Grandma's with currants or raisins in them. Also have peanut butter, oatmeal & chocolate chip. Also saffron bread(like Grandma's)& homemade bread. On Sundays they serve turkey dinner with ALL the trimmings. They serve it til 2:oo but you better go early because it is so popular that they sometimes run out by that time. It's really reasonable & huge portions. We always have some left over. We've bought it & brought it to my in-laws a few times.It's a real treat. You won't be sorry if you stop in there on your way to Copper Harbor.

BEAUTIFUL SKY!!

Wife has Lilac perfume,so i'am smelling them as i look at them.Reminds me of Grandparent's house in Dollar Bay.The corn stalk's are more then waist high here.Soon will be enjoying the sweet corn. Up there it only is knee high by the 4 th of July is the rule.Who remembers getting corn and vegtables from Sam Lockitalie's (sp) on M-26? Or Sandford up on New Road hill on the way to Senter?Strawberries from Niemi's up the Airport road? Excuse me i must stop now be for i start thinking about Thimble berries.

I'm going to Mackinac Island This Sunday & Monday during the lilac festival. I can't wait!

Joyce, thank you for a fantastic new screen saver!

What a gorgeous picture of Lake Superior. I cant wait to come home and spend a night on the beach. To feel the water again is a dream.

I just put up some pics in my guest gallery - if you like D.C. check 'em out

I planted a lilac tree 6 years ago. It still hasn't amounted to much. I bought it from K-Mart
before they closed at the CC Mall. Someday I'll have lilacs, one of my favorite flowers.

gmw, give it time... I planted one and it took almost five
years to start doing something.. it seemed dormant. I kept
wanting to pull it up, but kept the faith and now it's
gorgeous!

JUST CHECKED THE BRIDGE CAM AND LOOKS TO BE THE PERFECT ENDING TO A COPPER COUNTRY DAY, EH?

Thanks, Trish,WA-I wanted to pull the tree out too, but I'll take your advice.

gmw and Trish, WA,
I'm so glad to know that, since my Mother gave me a lilac tree for my birthday several years ago, could even be 3 or 4 and it's really not doing much either...good to know I just need to be patient. I guess good things come to those who wait! :->

Great pictures Joyce Tormala. You have a gift at
picture taking. Most people enjoy all the great
pictures in the morning, I enjoy them at night,
at work. Spent all of last week in the U.P. and
the sun shined everyday and the temps were great.
In the mid to high seventies all week. Had to come
back to the hot, humid temps of the city. Enjoyed
every day that I was up there. Look forward to the
next trip.

Hi gmw, I planted some lilac trees last summer and I have flowers already this year. Lilac's need alot of water. One gallon a day when you first plant them. My neighbor lady told me to spit in the dirt when transplanting, I did. Maybe that's why I have flowers this year!!! Oh yeah, when the flowers die off, you should cut the dead one's off so they can bloom next year. Good luck.

I miss the lilacs more than any other flower. Florida has the crepe myrtle, but they just can't compete with the beauty and the scent of the lilac. Pick a bouquet for me!

I'm a little late posting this, but thank you for the beautiful picture of the lilacs. My husband and I are celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary this weekend. We were married last year on Mackinac Island during Lilac Festival. They will forever be the flower that reminds me of the day I wed the most incredible man in a most incredible place. Thanks, again.