• Valentine's Day-What'sUP February 16 - 04:39 am

Today we welcome a pair of newcomers to the Pasty Cam photographers club...an unofficial group of photographers who have a love of the U.P. and show it with a click of their shutter button.

The top three photos were snapped by Carli Ongie out at McLain State Park, first with the Upper Portage Entry Lighthouse off in the distance and then she ventured out on the breakwall to get an up close perspective of the icy coating that is clinging to the frozen light. Such a stark difference from summer photos, with the setting sun warming the scene and captured quite beautifully.

The bottom shot comes to us via Lianne Larson and I have to admit that when I first viewed this photo, I thought it was also taken at McLain Park. Then I realized the ice cover was different than in the top three photos, so I looked a bit more closely and saw the red stripe around the light and I knew I was then looking at the Marquette Breakwall Light, many miles to the southeast of where the other three photos were snapped. What a grand shot it is, with the different blue hues of the water and sky, bordered by the whites of the clouds and snowcover.

Whether covered in winter white or warm summer views, the lights around Lake Superior are always a beautiful sight. Thank you for sharing the beauty with us all, Carli and Lianne!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!

great pictures....up close and personal. ;O)

All beautiful!!!

WOW....Awesome pictures...great stuff!

Beautiful but brr photos!
Happy Valentine to you, Mary, and everyone!

Brrrrtiful photos this morning.
We didn't get to McLain while we were there, but I did manage to get some excellent shots of the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse....

I see some wonderful photos from a couple of my favorite photographers today! Great pics ladies!

I would have found that walk out to the Lighthouse exhilarating!

I enjoy lighthouses.

Ah, so that stripe around the Marquette Lower Harbor Light is red, Mary. In 2004 I did a painting for a Michigan friend, from a photo she sent to me. It was of a ship arriving at Marquette and that lighthouse was way off in the distance. I couldn't tell what color the stripe was, so I painted it black. She was nice and didn't correct me.;>

Love the photos today! I'm pretty sure this last photo is the Presque Isle Harbor Light in the Marquette Upper Harbor at the end of the Breakwater. I did see the red stripe you mentioned Shirley, in a separate site which I googled. Have to admit that I never noticed its color before!

If you look to the right as you are facing the Presque Isle Harbor Light, you will see the Marquette Ore Docks, where we have seen so many vessels loading or unloading during the shipping season.

To add to the confusion, the Marquette Harbor Light House, which is red for the most part, is south of the Marquette Lower Harbor. There is also a Maritime Museum in the vicinity of the Light House. Anyone who appreciates lighthouses would really like to see the Marquette Harbor Light House. It reminds me of the Eagle Harbor Light House.