Author: Gary Wilson

Living in such close proximity to Lake Michigan and spending countless hours at or near the lakeshore, one is constantly amazed at the changing , fluid dynamics of the concert of tides, winds, waves, currents, and the nuances that seem to sculpt the meeting of land and water.

In this picture, taken in August 2008, we see so many things at play that come together to give us this image. It’s a windy day that, among other, perhaps unknown, undetectable forces, has built up the sand on the beach. And, as the waves wash up over this rise on the lakeshore, the water forms a thin sheet, looking almost molten and reflective, showing a faint image of the clouds and sky.

Unseen in this picture is the other side of the buildup of sand and a small, riverlike flow where the water returns to the lake only, perhaps to become part of the next wave that washes over the top, once again. What can be seen in this picture is the Chicago skyline on the right side of the horizon.

One other picture, of the nearly one hundred taken that day, that appears in our Etsy Shop is Untitled #64.

This bench has immense personal significance to me. To share all the details with you would take a book. This picture was taken as the sun was setting in October 2008. This bench faces Lake Michigan in my hometown. I spent many wonderful hours looking, thinking, meditating, reading, and praying here. I love the way the sun colors this green bench in golden hues.

A year prior to this picture, I had an incredible spiritual experience there that changed my life, purpose, and trajectory. Four and a half years later I would propose to my wife there.

Beautiful history, beautiful colors, beautiful memories.

It was late spring, May 2008 to be exact, and I was walking along the shores of Lake Michigan within the boundaries of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

There have certainly been times where I set out, camera in hand, with the purpose of taking a picture of some certain thing or view. But, mostly, even within those purpose-filled times, I journey with the expectation that I am, in a way, led, guided, drawn to a “place” or “thing” that reveals itself to my senses, and it becomes the object of the moment that I “capture” or “record” as a witness to that moment.

On that 26th of May 2008, as I was walking, enjoying the sights and the slight breeze off the lake, I looked down and saw, what seemed to me, this single blade of beach grass etching its message in the sand.

As always, I want this to be your image, your message. Did I get an impression of what the message meant to me in that moment, all those years ago? Indeed, I did! I remember. But as the years go by and I reflect upon that day and time, the message has evolved, changed, even as my capacity to receive has expanded.

May you receive, from this picture, a beautiful message, perhaps one that will change you.

It’s October 2008 and it had been raining. As I did so often over the years, I has out by Lake Michigan and the nearby dunes. And it’s one of those recurring moments where I’m not really looking “for” something to take a picture of but looking “forward to what may reveal itself” to me. So, having said that, I “happened” to look down and saw the raindrops still evident on the beach grass.

I loved those strolls along the miles of lakeshore and the many adventures in the adjacent dunes; my frequent habitat for all those many years. I haven’t been back for over a decade but hope to return soon with an even fresher perspective yet older eye.

One other picture taken that day that appears in our Etsy Shop is Untitled #11.

I’ve seen this view, or something very similar, countless numbers of times. The sun setting beyond the horizon framing Lake Michigan and the ever-present lighthouse and pier in Michigan City, Indiana.

Taken in June 2008 this picture is one of many that I have taken of the sunsets, the waves, the lighthouse; from different angles, in different days and seasons of the year. There are times when I have gone to the lake to enjoy and, perhaps, photograph a sunset, that I have found, often, especially during the Spring and Summer months, that silent crowds will gather, enjoying the event in their own, unique ways.

Like most moments, but, for me, especially the grandeur of the sunsets, there are never two quite the same. I could be at exactly the same spot at any other given day and invariably something changes; the motion of the lake, the clouds. So many subtleties or greater changes, taken together, can give a completely different look, feel, impression, story than what seemed so evident before, is now so different.

It is such a beautiful, unfolding tale being told. We get to witness that moment, all those years ago, together.

Another picture taken that same evening that you can find in our Etsy Shop is Untitled #81.

Paths like this crisscross the sand dunes that lie in close proximity to Lake Michigan, the area I call home; the place I’ve spent so many hours traversing both as a child and an adult.

I love this picture, from June 2008, for two multifaceted reasons. First, I love the geographical composition. The clouds, the sky, the sand, the grass, the lake, the shadows, all blending in a beautiful harmony but each element commanding its own unique attention. But then, secondly, I love the emotional, transcendent elements.

I could remain in that exact spot and ponder the physical elements of color, texture, the breeze blowing off the lake, the lengthening shadows, the feeling of the warm sand squishing between my toes. And yet, there is the sense of adventure and discovery as I consider what the next few steps to the top will reveal. What beauty? What color? What will the larger view of the lake, and perhaps beyond, reveal to me?

For me, it is like a picture of life. Embracing the moments, but reveling in the hope and expectation of the goodness of what lies ahead.