my arctic Grand Haven afternoon ...

I drove over to Grand Haven this afternoon especially to photograph my almost-favorite lighthouse encased in ice ...

The first time I ever laid eyes on the lighthouse at Grand Haven was January of 1972. The weather had been much different that year ~ much warmer ~ and only a touch of snow. I was a freshman at what was then Baptist College and a few friends drove out to the lake, walked to the end of the pier, and went inside to shield ourselves from the wind. Yes! You used to be able to get inside the outer structure! We stayed inside for more than an hour and when we opened the door we found that the wind had picked up, a blizzard was upon us, and waves were crashing right over the pier ... we couldn't walk back!

We actually walked back on the ice-covered catwalk (the catwalk used to have a floor to it, but the flooring was removed years ago), climbed the high fence at the end, and made it safely home. Oh the folly of youth! I have loved this place ever since!

Last February when I spent an afternoon in Muskegon taking pictures of the lighthouses there, the temperature was in the low 20's. I remember thinking how completely invigorating and exhilerating it was to be outside that day! This morning in Grand Rapids, however, the air temperature was -4 degrees. Look how far out the ice is on Lake Michigan! I couldn't see water at all!

Good thing I dressed in lots of layers because the air was SO frigid ... a sharp, cutting, take-your-breath-away, icy, piercing, penetrating, numbing, teeth-chattering kind of COLD! There was so much ice on the walkways, I really didn't walk very far today on the pier.

The sky was very grey and overcast all afternoon. I was hoping the sun would break through at some point; the photographs would be more interesting that way, but it was not to be! The wind was pretty brisk, but at least there was no snow falling.

I went around the Ferrysburg side and took North Shore Drive to the end to get this view. I have only been on the north pier one other time in my life, more than 15 years ago ...!

It was getting pretty late in the afternoon when I took these pictures. I was going to stay until the sun set, but with the sky so dark with clouds, I wasn't very hopeful of seeing anything worth photographing; besides the fact that it didn't look safe to be out there in the dark!

I'm thankful I got to do this today. I've been wanting to for several weeks, but we've had so much snowfall and quite a few bad storms. I don't like driving distances in that stuff. I was actually blown right off the highway into a deep snowy ditch between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven that same winter (but a different day) of 1972 ... I wasn't the driver, but it was pretty scary! We hitchhiked all the way back to town ~ the only time in my life I have ever been that stupid! Well, enough reminiscing.

I'm always looking through Scripture trying to find more "light" verses. I like this one very much from Isaiah the prophet: "Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day." (Isaiah 58:10). A pretty poignant description ... I want my life to shine like that ...