Windy Point, Grand Lake, Montezuma, Ohio

A rare Sunday post this day before Independence Day 2011.....

Crawling out of the sack at 5am this morning, it appeared the sky and conditions might be OK for another round of Sunrise Photos over Grand Lake.  So I brushed my teeth, put on t-shirt, jeans, and a ball cap, and drove out into the nearly dark and moonless morning, just as the sun was starting to brighten the northeast skyline.  This mornings destination was Windy Point State Park on the south side of the lake.  Just outside the Montezuma town limits, Windy Point is where, during my high school years, I spent hours either, swimming, fishing, and doing some illegal camping with the Jones boys....you were not allowed to camp overnight at this state park, but we did so on occasions anyway.  After my Air Force days, Windy Point is where I would bring the Airedales, Rag and Max, to swim in the channels that jetted off into the park grounds.

Windy Point itself is a rocky jetty that runs from the southeast side of Grand Lake some distance, perhaps a half mile, and reaches towards Safety Island...the largest of a dozen or so islands in the lake, mostly on the west side, that at one time were used as oil well platforms in the 13,000 acre reservoir.  These days Windy Point is no longer a fishing hot spot, the beaches are gone, except a small strip of sand near the "point" itself.  There are boat docks in the channels, but frankly Windy Point is seldom used by locals are the lake visitors these days...and with the Alga and other pollution problems, and  the lack of quality fishing, I don't expect to see Windy Point back where it used to be in my lifetime.

The Canada Geese and Great Herons were out this morning when I arrived about 5:45...I parked the van and got out a lawn chair.  Over the next hour, I would shoot about 60 photos, and set and or stand taking in the sights and sounds of the morning...except for one pick-up truck, and a solo fisherman, who arrived later, the morning was left for me and the birds...along with a few fish that would slash just off the long ago abandoned beach.  I managed to get some quality photos, but found myself regretting that I did not bring along a tripod....with no picnic tables in shooting range, I had to adjust and that doesn't always work out...I final took some shots while I rested the Nikon on the passenger door rolled down window ledge of the Montana.

The photos are a few that I worked with this morning...as the sun filtered through the partly cloudy skies toward the rising sun, which comes up over the northeast part of the lake this time of year.

Have a Happy 4th, back later>>>>

Photos-I am getting used to the point and shoot Nikon, but still am not steady enough at is as to realize when taking these type shots, I do need a tripod, especially when zooming in....the top photo is me, taken with camera resting on the tail of the Montana Van, after I was done shooting, and finishing up my large coffee.  The daylight photo is Windy Point from last summer during the August "Bar Stool Open"...and all the sunrise photos were taken this morning from varsious point near and on Windy Point, looking northeast towards the rising sun.