Joan

Joan, pointing.

Perhaps the best photo I've ever taken of Joan.

Joan, in silhouette, at Agate Falls on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River. Agate--near Bruce Crossing on M-28--is an exceptionally pretty fall, dropping 80 feet within a few yards and tossing up a lot of spray. Parking is across the highway at a roadside park, then a hike past a gift shop and along a short but unimproved trail; while the falls are by no means inaccessible, the walk's a little demanding. The DSS&A built an ugly trestle above the falls, which now hosts a snowmobile trail and offers a fine overhead view of the falls. (Though I'm quite enamoured of the South Shore in general, I despise this bridge. I do recognize that many people like it better than I do. Oh, well.) Joan and I visited the falls in 2000; the excursion started from McLain State Park and also included Bond Falls (just a few miles up the Ontonagon from Agate) and (unexpectedly) O-Kun-De-Kun Falls, on the Baltimore River, which we'd not previously known. I'll write that hike up some other time.... Camera: Nikon N90s

Joan, looking at all the ice....

Joan's a little obscured by the soon-to-blossom Baby's Breath, but I really like how this picture came together.

Joan and I define "long ride" differently. This barn is at the far corner of a fourteen-mile loop from our house; she considers it a long ride, while I consider it a short one. So it's pretty common for me to follow a joint ride with a second, more stressful, jaunt. This is a potential problem, but we'll work something out. That pretty jersey's something I picked up on eBay; the design's from the eighties and the tag inside says its size is XL. Tag's wrong; the jersey fits Joan a lot better than it fits me. Looks good on her, so I'm satisfied, but I'd really prefer that it fit me. Oh, well. Apologies for the sloppy work in PhotoShop Elements; I'm still experimenting and may repost.....

Joan, on the Escarpment Trail above Lake of the Clouds in Michigan's Porcupine Mountains State Park. J.W. Foster and Josiah Whitney, who surveyed the Lake Superior mineral deposits for Congress in the middle of the nineteenth century, included an engraving of this lake, which was then called "Carp Lake" (the river remains the Big Carp-- see msprague's comment , below ). It seems that the Porkies were already a tourist destination at that time. Lake of the Clouds is clearly a preferable denomination....

This came out nicely, I think. Taken during last weekend's Door County trip.

Joan and Taffy, having a little chat through the door.

Joan on the deck at Mom's house a couple years ago. We were repainting that deck in preparation for selling the place. Since I mentioned the changes to the house in a caption a couple days ago, I thought I'd show 'em. It's a great house; I trust the new owners appreciate it.

Joan, and our shadows. Mount Hope Highway, a few miles from home.

With her binoculars up to identify some bird. Escarpment Trail in Michigan's Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The drop is nearly as dramatic as it looks.

Rest area on US-2, west of St. Ignace.

Every evening Joan borrows the PC to transfer--and interpret--data from her weather station. As I've mentioned elsewhere , that weather station's a whole lot less "wireless" than I expected; seems like we could access it through my Airport. Guess not.... Yesterday presented a good opportunity for an available-light portrait.

Joan's just picked some Lilacs, and is preparing them for display. Taffy wants to participate.

Joan at Jolli-Lodge, near Leland, Michigan. Lake Michigan in the background. Camera: Nikon N90s. Labor Day weekend, 1999.

Minolta SR-T 101.

Joan, at Port Huron.