Nightfall at Blackwell

Show up at a forest preserve in the so-called Golden Hour, that hour before sunset, and the automatic timer will let you know when it is time to go. Here are a couple of so-long Blackwell shots from the recent visit.

Low Fliers

The honking racket of the apparent residents of Blackwell Forest Preserve -- the full-voiced gaggle of geese -- was very restless, screeching for a time and flying low across Silver Lake. And back. Only to repeat the move, giving me several chances to grab photos of the flight plan.

Fish Stocking

Spring in the air . . . . and fish in the water. The lake was closed and the fish have been stocked for the season which begins April 2.

I have no idea what the contraption shown here does for the stocking, or even if that is the intent. I keep a stretch of PVC pipe in my small pond during the worst winter freeze time, and the structure of the item might be one I adopt for next winter.

Dreaming

A stack of canoes waiting for the season, a vista of Silver Lake with a skin of ice still afloat . . . . and a quiet couple sharing a moment.

Just Two Weeks

Just two weeks from now the spring fishing season will open at Silver Lake. In the meantime the flat-bottom rentals sit locked up, waiting. Just two weeks . . .

Steps to the Docks

The steps we looked down a couple of days ago are seen here in the other direction, a nice example of the importance of viewpoint in photography. The lower end of the steps is a parking lot for a boat launch, with docks stretching into Silver Lake for boat rental purposes.

A quick look makes the water out further than the dock to look unseasonably summery. A closer look will reveal a thin skin of ice floating atop much of the lake.

Down the Stairs

A wonderful set of stairs leads down from the parking lot to the Silver Lake launch area, seen here with a shot of the late afternoon sun setting.

Blackwell

On the way to a photo shoot, I stopped at a Forest Preserve I had not entered in more than 35 years. Primarily a fishing and camping preserve, neither of which being part of my life, Blackwell had recently been stocked for the coming season.

The early spring sunshine highlighted the visit, including a look at Mount Hoy, a tubing hill constructed on landfill. Along the way it was great to see others enjoying the park on the sunny March afternoon.