Chris Zimmer

Clouds in Time Lapse

2012-01-23T16:55:00.000-05:00

It was very windy and a little over 50 degrees today – warm for this date in January. Thunderstorms with heavy rain moved through in the morning and after the rain stopped, the winds continued. The clouds were moving quickly and also moving in two different directions, which made it a great time for a short cloud time lapse video. Enjoy! All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and

A Fox Squirrel Meditates

2012-01-18T14:05:00.003-05:00

With a heavy lake effect snow hitting northeast Ohio last weekend, it was hard to find any color in the landscape. But one fox squirrel braved the bad weather, sitting quietly in a low branch in our oak tree and seemed to meditate over the whiteness all around. The squirrel’s coloring looked warm in contrast to the white snow and the grayness of the tree. Here’s a photo. All Content ©

Northern Cardinal Blurred by Snow

2012-01-05T14:10:00.001-05:00

During a heavy snow over the holiday weekend, a male northern cardinal was taking shelter on a tree branch. I managed to get a picture before he flew away, but sadly the snow was so heavy at the time, the bird looked a little fuzzy in the photo. Still, with a little help from Photoshop, a blurry bird looks much better as a colored sketch-like image. The color of the bird was not altered in

December Snow

2011-12-30T14:35:00.003-05:00

Here’s a short video I took of a December snowfall in Northeast Ohio. The snow was wet and heavy, and it was falling fast! All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.

Advancing Snow Brings Halo Around Moon

2011-12-08T18:17:00.001-05:00

A small snow storm (with possible lake effect) is approaching northeast Ohio, and the leading clouds from the front began to obscure the moon. The clouds were thin enough to create a huge, pale colored halo around the moon. Here are photos taken of the moon, only minutes apart. The sky went from clear to high clouds quickly. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com

Downtown Cleveland Christmas Holiday Lights

2011-12-05T16:31:00.001-05:00

With decent weather on Saturday night (meaning no rain or snow), we decided to head to downtown Cleveland to check out the Christmas holiday lights at Public Square, in Tower City (at Terminal Tower) and at The Arcade. Here are a few photos plus a short video. Enjoy! (Sorry for the windy noise in the video – it was a little breezy that night.) All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and

This Smiling Horse Is Not Camera Shy

2011-11-28T15:17:00.001-05:00

My husband took a short cut to avoid the heavy (shopping) traffic on Mentor Avenue, and we drove past a home with a large open field. There were two horses grazing so we decided to stop so I could take a photo. One of the horses looked at me indifferently, but the other was clearly accustomed to being photographed. It walked to the fence, posed while I took a few photos, and once the camera

Beaty Landing – Painesville, Ohio

2011-11-14T14:57:00.001-05:00

Here are a few photos I took on Sunday while visiting Beaty Landing in Painesville, Ohio, which is part of the Lake Metroparks system. Most of the trees had lost their leaves so the color of the area was rather dull. I was still able to find some interesting colors and patterns in small puddles and in the shale-like rock on one side of the trail. The area makes for an invigorating walk.

Mohican State Park Fall Color

2011-10-10T14:18:00.000-04:00

The weather was beautiful this past weekend so we decided to visit Mohican State Park & State Forest in Ashland County Ohio to enjoy the fall color. (My husband also wanted to get in a little fly fishing in the Clear Fork River.) The Clear Fork Gorge (a designated National Natural Landmark) is gorgeous in the fall. It was a little foggy in the morning when we arrived so the Gorge color

A Great Blue Heron Goes Fishing

2011-09-26T07:44:00.000-04:00

We took a stroll in Mentor’s Veterans Park this weekend and were rewarded by seeing a great blue heron (I believe it is a juvenile) standing on the dock, along with several people who were fishing. I assume the heron was doing some fishing of its own. It stood very still and allowed me to get very close and seemed completely unfazed by the others fishing (who were also making a lot of noise).

Thunderstorm Clouds Over Lake Erie

2011-09-12T14:34:00.000-04:00

A thunderstorm popped up on Lake Erie just north of Mentor, and the billowing cloud tops were very visible from nearby higher elevations. After getting a photo of the clouds that were quickly rising in the sky, I decided to stop by Mentor Headlands Beach State Park to see if I could get a better view from the lake shore. Sadly, the cloud tops weren’t very visible from that vantage point, but I

A Pair of Lightning Bolts

2011-09-01T09:02:00.000-04:00

Storms moved in off Lake Erie starting at about 2:00 AM and caused lightning, thunder, and rain to develop in spurts over the next few hours. I was able to grab some lightning photos as one of the storm cells passed through at about 5:30 AM – here’s one of the better photos. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information,

Gully Brook Park, Lake Metroparks

2011-08-21T14:32:00.000-04:00

Gully Brook Park, a new member of the Lake Metroparks system and located in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, was opened last week. Despite the rainy weather here today, we decided to go for a stroll and for some photos. It’s a lovely walk, heavy with trees, and in the fall, I think it will be even more beautiful. Here are a few photos. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and

Rainbow at Ground Level And The Missing Pot of Gold

2011-08-16T06:53:00.000-04:00

After a few days of drenching rain, the weather cleared up during the latter part of the day. But, as the storm system pulled away, it triggered another brief and very localized burst of “lake effect” rain showers. The short line of heavy rain moved through as the sun was getting lower in the sky, and while the rainbow in the sky itself was very faint, one appeared brightly at ground level.

Harpersfield Covered Bridge, Ashtabula County Ohio

2011-08-01T15:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took a drive out to Harpersfield Ohio, in neighboring Ashtabula County, to see one of the covered bridges in the area. The bridge spans the Grand River. Here are a few photos. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.

Storm Clouds & Lightning

2011-07-29T14:39:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, we had a severe thunderstorm move through, and as it approached, we saw some very ominous cloud formations. Here are two photos of the clouds, plus one photo of lighting that I grabbed from a short video I took of the storm as it rolled through. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information,

A Fawn Tries to Beat The Heat

2011-07-21T16:38:00.000-04:00

This fawn has been coming around the yard for a few days with its mother, but this morning I found it sleeping in the back yard in a shady spot. It let me take a few pictures and then left about a half hour later. Or so I thought. At about 8:30 AM, I found it lounging near my front door. We’re in the middle of a heat wave and the temperature was already in the upper 80s by that time, and the

Cumulonimbus Cloud Drapes Over Headlands Beach

2011-07-07T15:29:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we visited Mentor Headlands Beach State Park to watch the sun set over Lake Erie. When we got there, we were surprised to see the setting sun being obscured by some clouds. A large string of thunderstorms had formed across the Lake and were heading for the eastern half of the Lake Erie shore. The clouds we were seeing were from the top of the cumulonimbus clouds that were many miles

Damselfly and Dragonfly

2011-07-07T12:17:00.000-04:00

The sight of insects usually sends me fleeing in the opposite direction. I put my dislike of insects aside when I saw this pair of black winged damselflies (a male and female) in the front yard. While I snapped photos of the damselflies, a dragonfly also stopped by and paused for a photo. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the

Mohican State Park Clear Fork River and Gorge

2011-07-01T12:13:00.000-04:00

Here is a short video I took at Mohican State Park and the Clear Fork River and Gorge when we visited the area a few weeks ago. The sound of the flowing water is very calming. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.

Visiting the Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve

2011-06-27T14:07:00.001-04:00

We visited the Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve in Munson Township, Ohio, which is located just a little over a mile from the Chardon town square. The preserve is part of the Geauga Park District. The water in the pond was so clear that it was easy to spot the fish. Here are a few photos. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page

Fast Drive In Ashland County Ohio (Time Lapse)

2011-06-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

We were out this weekend driving a hilly stretch of road in Ashland County, Ohio and I thought it would make for an interesting time lapse video. Enjoy! All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.

Lightning!

2011-06-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

Every now and then a storm comes through in the early hours of the morning when it’s still very dark and when the lightning is very active. Perfect conditions for lightning photos! A storm moved in off Lake Erie this morning and while most people were sleeping, I was taking photos. (Don’t worry, I never stand outside or in the open to get lightning photos.) I took about 300 photos, and here

Lake Metroparks Children’s Schoolhouse

2011-06-01T08:47:00.000-04:00

We were out for a drive on Monday and stopped by the Lake Metroparks Children’s Schoolhouse on Baldwin Road in Kirtland Hills, Ohio. I thought I would share the photos! All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.

Dandelion Seed Head Close Up

2011-06-01T06:48:00.000-04:00

Some people get annoyed when they see dandelions in their yard. But one has to admit that when it gets its seed head, it looks rather pretty close up. All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.