Giant Ginkgo

A couple of days ago Lake Michigan was covered in ice from horizon to horizon. The ice by the shore was comprised of thin sheets that had been completely shattered into countless pieces. The lake looked like it was made out of broken glass instead of water; I'm guessing that the winds were strong enough to blow the larger icebergs into the shore to create the fragments.

   

I discovered the ice while I was walking home at night, I came back the next morning hoping to have some direct sunlight so that it would glow. That didn't happen, but I did get some moody pictures of a sullen and mean looking lake. At the end of the breakwater somebody had hauled a large and heavy old television out, and apparently smashed it in some sort of ritual fashion. It wasn't there when I checked it out the night before.

This morning the sun was out so I returned to take some more pictures. Unfortunately most of the ice had drifted away during the last 24 hours, leaving a much smaller area to see. The ice glittered like diamonds from some angles, the shards provided a much richer range of contrast in the bright light. I've added the photos to my Chicago Winter album if you want to check them out.