Big Dipper With Clouds

I created the animated GIF with this post last year, but never used it until now. This summer, I’m looking forward to getting out into darker locales, where I can hopefully take more spectacular night sky photos than I can living deep within the light well of Saint Louis. Last summer, while vacationing at the cabin, I took a few good low light photos, like this blog’s current header. The cabin situated on Lake Superior’s coastline lends itself to superior sunset photography, as this week’s sunset themed photo posts can attest. I was able to do some interesting light painting, while playing in the dark on the beach, but even the cabin has fallen into a light well and other than a few stars, the night sky is washed out.

Forty-five minutes west of the cabin, on Chippewa County’s Lakeshore Drive (I think that the older name, the Curly Lewis Highway has more panache.), in the Hiawatha National Forest is a place called Naomikong. While, Naomikong is not perfectly dark, it is quite dark and also offers a westward lake view. I hope to make it there this summer on a clear night, with enough wind to handle the bugs, but not too windy to shake the camera. Maybe I’ll get really lucky and see the aurora borealis, which I have only seen once in my life.

Anne continues to work feverishly on her current quilting project. It is starting to come together and really looks quite nice, maybe even Paducah nice? She hopes to have it ready for final assembly tomorrow. All the while, she continues with her marathon bicycle riding and hopes to hit 400 miles for June this week.

I’m still feeling sleep deprived after Sunday night’s witching hour of a baseball game, but today at work was way better than yesterday was. Sleep deprivation means no dawn patrols, bicycling in the park. After a wet, but relatively cooler weekend, the Lou’s weather has returned to its regular steamy summer sauna.