• Friday-What'sUP December 15 - 07:31 am

If you're a long-time Pasty Camwatcher, you know this daily feature is a team effort. Folks like Joyce Tormala take shots highlighting the beauty, history and culture of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Then Mary Drew selects and renders the picture of the day (often the night before) and passes it along to me with relevant comments. Finally, I get up each morning and publish it to the rest of the world.

Several times this week Mary's postings have referred to Winter being here, Winter's grip on the Copper Country, etc. It occurred to me this morning that it is still Fall, at least until next Saturday. But as you know, across the midwest and out east in the last couple of days we've been treated to something that sure looks like Winter.

Joyce Tormala is one of our regular contributors whose shots appear in the big, beautiful new Pasty Cam 2008 Color Calendar. In case you hadn't heard, registered Cam Notes visitors are entitled to receive an extra calendar at no extra cost when you purchase one or more, just put your Cam Notes username in the 'priority code' box. Order yours today to receive them in time for Christmas. It's a nice gift for anyone missing the U.P. :o)

From the 2008 January page

Great shots! Reminds me of when I was growing up in the Copper Country.

I love the woods picture; not sure I could watch someone going in on a "breezy morning dip."

Hi
Actually, some northern European cultures, including my ancestral Celts, considered the solstice the middle of winter not the beginning. Hence the Christmas carol "In the Bleak Midwinter". Instead, they considered October 31 the start of winter. Seems to me those designations make more sense in a northern climate.

Nice swan dive. I'll bet he's wearing thermal underwear.

Love the first picture! The second one, not so sure.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BET WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE WATER HE COULD SING SOPRANO.....

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BET WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE WATER HE COULD SING SOPRANO.....

What do you want to bet when he came out of the water he was speechless!

Being from a northern climate adds meaning to the carol.

1. In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2. Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain; heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

3. Angels and archangels may have gathered here, cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; but his mother only, in her maiden bliss, worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

4. What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

The Madrigal Group I sing with has a beautiful arrangement of "In the Bleak Mid-Winter" and we love to sing it. I have always loved the poems by Christina Rosetti.

I wood like to have the top picture of the woods in a wallpaper to cover the whole wall that has no window in it just for this time of year to look out into the woods from my easy chair. That wood be so comforting. I do have window's to look out into the woods but see no snow. My grass is still green.

Ray Dahl;
The apartments your Uncle and Farther turned John Kuss old IGA store into had wallpaper of a woods scene on a wall.When I saw your post on top today made me think of this. Good to see you on here Ray. I still have the picture my Mother had you make for me of Deanna in my scrapbook.

My spell check tells me I do not have any misspelled words.

David, I wood love to have more woods and I wood also like more snow.
No words misspelled her either.

David and Snowy quit trying to bait Frank with your msispelled words and pore grammer.

Sew sorrie, shore dident meen to caws no prooblemz.

Hay Frank, ewe gott sum wirk ta due on dis cite, good boddy.

mclachlan==nolliag shona dhuit

Nope, I'm not takin' da bait!

How much would cood a wouldchuck chuck if a wouldchuck cood chuck would? (OMG...dis gotta make his head trob, eh kuys?)

Twas knot my in-tent shun to be frank.

Ata boy Frank.

Accurassy is our watchwerd, we never make misteaks, 'eh?