As I approached Lake Michigan today near Fullerton, a man approached me, asking, “Can you hear it? Do you remember Pop Rocks from when you were kid?” Ah, it’s 12 degrees out, and he is thinking about sugar gasified with carbon dioxide. “Hey buddy, I can’t feel my fingers.” And then I smiled. I never liked Pop Rocks until a rumor spread that eating Pop Rocks while drinking Coca Cola could cause your stomach to boil, and then explode.

In any event, my new-found friend was right. There is a light patch of snow covering the ice, which was visible for some distance, but when I cautiously walked up to the edge of the concrete breakwater and looked down, I saw triangles of ice sheets stacked in rows. As the lake water slowly moved back and forth, and side to side, those shards were rubbing against each other, producing the loud creaks and groans. I was hearing the water resisting the cold temperatures. Would it violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics? Not if the temperatures remained this cold for another day or two.

Not a lot of people were out. Those who were either had a camera or a dog. Some of the fotags were lying prone of the ground to get closer to the shards. One actually was stupid enough to walk out on rocks in the inlet. One slip and he would be a goner.

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In Color

My Wintertime Love

Belmont Harbor: Kinda Blue I

Belmont Harbor: Kinda Blue II