NOVEMBER COLORS IN MICHIGAN
Thanks to Jack Frost, the leaves on the dogwood in the center of our backyard have turned a brilliant red.
These photos were snapped about 9:20 p.m., July 4th. Here you can actually
see how rapidly the flowers open. On the right are three buds which are definitely
not ready to open. You can always tell which ones are
going to pop, because the sheaths start to split
some time after supper and reveal the yellow
petals they've been hiding. If you count the
number of buds which look like this one,
you can tell how many blossoms
will open at twilight.
In almost no time, there is a wide open flower. You will note
that the petals' edges are still slightly bent. These will
straighten out in a few minutes after the rather
moist blossom has a chance to dry. It
takes between 45 seconds to about
three minutes for a blossom to go
from the way it appears in the
3rd photo until the flower is
in full bloom. Watching
the performance is
much like viewing
a live, slow
motion
movie.
After passing through the Soo Locks, the CORT headed downstream, made a turn at Mission Point, and is shown here opposite Rotary Island on its way south toward Lake Huron via The Saint Marys River.
The bow and the stern of the CORT were built in Pascagoula, Mississippi for Bethleham Steel. The two sections were welded together, nicknamed "STUBBY", and then headed toward Erie, Pennsylvania by way of the Gulf of Mexico and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was a 2600 mile journey.
The CORT enters the Poe Lock on June 12, 2005. As you can see, after 33 years of service, it is still very much a working ship.