Lake Michigan in Winter

Dead of winter in Michigan " lots of snow, gusty winds, metallic sky, temperature in mid teens. It’s cold, the roads are treacherous, not pleasant to walk outside.

Still, I love to walk, especially along Lake Michigan. I find the lake beautiful at any time of year but in wintertime the character of the water becomes vastly different from what it is in more temperate seasons. It becomes transformed and magical, like something out of a fairy tale.

The sand and the snow embrace in tall drifts blown by fierce and unyielding wind. The tenacious wild lake grasses are holding on for dear life, and the sea gulls and sand pipers are nowhere to be seen. The water is frozen into silent, white ice sculptures for miles along the beach, but the sound of cold, angry waves beyond still make their presence preeminent.

I am wearing a sweater, a fleece jacket and a heavy winter coat. I have a woolen scarf wrapped around my neck and a warm hat on my head. My hands are hiding in heavy mittens. Still, the wind gets through all those layers and I feel it’s freezing breath on my skin. I am cold, but also energized and happy. To share this moment with the lake, the wind, the wide blue sky is a privilege and a gift.

Reviews

[Hugh]

Sometimes we, as writers, feel the need to express simple moments like this. You do so very evocatively. But to be a writer one must also have the "outgoing guts" as Sylvia Plath would say, to let our imaginations fill up the gaps in descriptive writing. Why not take this lovely piece of descriptive writing and use it in a story. Or build a story around it, using metaphor? Hope you bring this piece further as it is very well-written. Nice work.