Michigan Schooner Festival – September 11-13, 2009
June 6, 2009
Last light of day…, photo by Doug Langham.
The inaugural Michigan Schooner Festival will take place September 11-13, 2009 in Traverse City. It will bring together six tall ships in West Grand Traverse Bay for rides aboard the ships, evening cruises, kids activities and more. “Song of the Lakes” will headline the entertainment with a performance on Saturday evening during a progressive-style party on the ships. Get all the details from MichiganSchoonerFestival.org.
The Friends Good Will out of South Haven won’t be there (at least this year) but the image was just too tasty to pass up! Be sure to check this photo out background bigalicious and also in Doug’s Friends Good Will slideshow.
Strawberry Season, 1940
June 5, 2009
Migrant girl, strawberry picker, Berrien County, Mich., photo by John Vachon
Today’s photo from summer of 1940 is courtesy the Library of Congress. Be sure to check it out bigger and try a search for Michigan Strawberries to see more shots from Berrien County’s strawberry farms.
Ann Arbor blogger (and certified Michiganhead) Edward Vielmetti notes that strawberry season in underway in southern Michigan. He’ll post a field report when he goes! You can get all kinds of information and recipes about these tasty treats at Michigan Strawberries Are Ready to Pick on Absolute Michigan.
The Painted Turtle in Michigan
June 4, 2009
-3, photo by Emery Co Photo.
When I saw this photo in the Absolute Michigan group, I wondered it it was the right day to talk about painted turtles (I have to be careful after last summer’s TurtleGate incident as you may recall). When I saw the siskokid’s shot of a painted turtle basking in the sun just a few photos later, I figured it was a sign of some sort.
The painted turtle is one of the most common turtles in the US. It’s Michigan’s state reptile and the Michigan DNR’s Painted Turtle page has a map that shows where you can find them in the state. Wikipedia’s Painted Turtle entry notes that turtle nests are the snack bar of the animal world, vulnerable to predation by raccoons, squirrels, chipmunk, woodchucks, skunk, badger, foxes, fish crows, garter snakes, deer, ants, beavers and humans. The UM Animal Diversity web has pictures and information about Chrysemys picta (the painted turtle) and says that:
Painted turtles prefer living in freshwater that is quiet, shallow, and has a thick layer of mud.
Painted turtles are brightly marked. They have a smooth shell about 90 to 250 mm long. Their shell acts as protection, but since the ribs are fused to the shell, the turtle cannot expand its chest to breathe but must force air in and out of the lungs by alternately contracting the flank and shoulder muscles. The painted turtle has a relatively flat upper shell with red and yellow markings on a black or greenish brown background.
See some more photos of this little guy in Emery Co’s slideshow and check out even more in the turtle slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool!
Wire Watching!
June 3, 2009
The New “New” GM
June 2, 2009
Dave’s take on the “new” GM. Be sure to check it out bigger.
Check out Chapter & Verse on the General Motors Bankruptcy on Absolute Michigan for much more.
Swan Origami
June 1, 2009
Swan Oragamy, photo by MudPhish.
…it’s apparently all the rage these days.
Be sure to check it out bigger.
