The smooth waters of Schrock Lake sit in a blue glow after sunset with the thin ice warning sign that might be more of a weather forecast and a statement of conditions as a series of polar storms are forecast to bring Arctic temperatures and winds to the Midwest. My Final Photo for December 30, 2024.

Three fishermen compare notes on the roiling waters below the Alum Creek North lo head dam after rains increased flow over the dam, increasing the opportunity for better fishing as all anglers hope for after a winter rainstorm. My Final Photo for December 29, 2024.

A family of five fishes and plays on the widened shoreline of Hoover Reservoir at Red Bank Park, enjoying a warm winter day on the lake with low water levels. My Final Photo for December 28, 2024.

A Columbia Gas work crew attaches a steel plate covering the hole that contained an old gas pipeline leading to a house demolished about twenty years ago. Originally capped at the house, the line needed to be capped in the street at the main pipeline. My Final Photo for December 27, 2024.

A photographer displays the IV to restore his fluids after a Christmas Day fight against pneumonia. My Final Photo for December 26, 2024.

Spending Christmas with the promise of a Beyonce halftime show with a small tree decoration to make the occasion. My Final Photo for December 25, 2024.