A Memorial Day Idea
May 31, 2010
Idea, photo by docksidepress.
The tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.
~Henry Fosdick
As oil spews into the Gulf of Mexico, is is racking up an incalculable debt, one that all of us will have to pay. Place it on top of the barely calculable debt for the stimulus package, add it to the still growing debt for the ongoing wars in Afganistan and the Middle East and fold it into our apparently untameable national debt. Feel that number, and everything else those dollars could have been spent on.
Now pile on the cost of the life that will be lost in the Gulf of Mexico as rampant oil invades teeming fisheries, vibrant beaches and lush and renewing marshes. Add the toll to the lives and livelihoods of the residents of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico and the Caribbean. Don’t forget the people whose medical and other assistance monies have probably been spent on a bank that was too big to fail either.
And on Memorial Day and every day, don’t ever, ever forget the men and women whose lives have been cut short by war, who never came home and made the unknowable differences in their communities and families that their unbroken lives would undoubtedly have made.
When I weigh all that in my heart, it seems obvious to me that war is a cancer on our world. We can’t afford its cost if we are to have any hope of saving our fragile Earth, our families and friends and fellow citizens, and our brothers and sisters in all nations.
View this bigger in Matt’s slideshow.
More Michigan Memorial Day at Absolute Michigan.
Silver Lake Dunes and the Silver Lake State Park
May 29, 2010
Silver Lake Dunes State Park, photo by Dale Fisher, US Army Corps of Engineers
Unlike the Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Silver Lake Sand Dunes allow private motorized vehicles. The Think Dunes area info site says that in fact, they’re the only dunes East of Utah that allow you to drive a private motorized vehicle (April 1st through October 31st). There are fees and restrictions that you’ll probably want to read about. You can also have Mac Woods Dune Rides drive you through the dunes! Driving not your cup of tea? Fear not – in the middle of the Silver Lake State Park there is a non-vehicle area they call the Walking Dunes.
The State of Michigan’s Dunes Information Page says that the Silver Lake Dunes are a type known as:
Parallel dunes are series of low, linear dunes formed parallel to the shores of large shallow bays. The parallel dunes along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan were formed about 4,000 years ago during the Lake Nipissing stage of Lake Michigan, when water levels were 25 to 30 feet higher than present day Lake Michigan water levels. Rivers entering the bays carried abundant sand, which was then moved along the shore by lake currents.
On shore winds formed these sands into low lying dunes. As the water level of ancient Lake Nipissing dropped, a series of parallel dunes were created. They occurred in areas that were formerly wide bays in Lake Nipissing.
Today, some examples of parallel dune complexes can be seen at the mouth of rivers, including the Muskegon, Kalamazoo, and Grand. Remnants of several ancient bays now are coastal lakes, such as Hamlin Lake in Mason County, Silver Lake in Oceana County, and White Lake in Muskegon County.
Check the photo above out bigger. Dale also had this great shot of the Sliver Lake Dunes from high above Lake Michigan.
More about Michigan dunes on Michigan in Pictures!
M is for Michigan (and Memorial Day Weekend)
May 28, 2010
M is for Michigan, photo by David Belo.
Absolute Michigan reports that 1.1 million Michiganians will hit the roads over Memorial Day Weekend 2010. I hope a good number of them get to hold hands and take in one of our stunning make that magical sunsets, and that some of them are you!!
David writes that this shot (and sunset) from the last stop of a wonderful 4th of July weekend getaway through Northern Michigan was most definitely worth the 3 am arrival back home in Ann Arbor. Be sure to check it out bigger in his Interesting slideshow and have and awesome make that marvelous weekend!
The Place of the Torches: Torch Lake
May 27, 2010
Untitled, photo by ( Jennifer ).
Wikipedia’s Torch Lake (Antrim County, Michigan) entry says:
Torch Lake at 19 miles (31 km) long is Michigan’s longest inland lake and at approximately 18,770 acres (76 km²) is Michigan’s second largest inland lake … It has a maximum depth of 330 feet (100 m) just off the east end of Campbell Rd. (Milton Twp.) and an average depth of 111 feet (34 m), making it Michigan’s deepest inland lake. It is a popular lake for fishing, featuring lake trout, rock bass, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, ciscoes, brown trout, rainbow trout, and whitefish.
The name of the lake is not due to its shape, rather, is derived from translation from the Ojibwa name Was-wa-gon-ong meaning “Place of the Torches”, referring to the practice of the local native American population who once used torches at night to attract fish for harvesting with spears and nets. For a time it was referred to by local European settlers as “Torch Light Lake”, which eventually was shortened to its current name.
You can see Torch Lake on the Absolute Michigan Map of Michigan and fly around it in Google Earth!
See this bigger in Jennifer’s Torch Lake Spring slideshow and see many more pics in the Torch Lake group on Flickr!
Enter the Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest!
May 26, 2010
Crashing Wave, photo by James Marvin Phelps (mandj98).
When I was posting information about the Absolute Michigan Summer Photo Celebration to some Flickr photo groups, I came across another cool contest. Rebecca Dill from Great Lakes Forever writes:
With summer vacations to the Lakes just around the corner, the sixth annual Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest is accepting submissions from May 20 – July 18, 2010. Through the 2010 Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest, photographers can help defend the Great Lakes with their cameras – and get noticed throughout the Great Lakes region.
Biodiversity Project’s Great Lakes Forever program has again partnered with Budweiser to sponsor a photography contest that celebrates the beauty of the Great Lakes through the incredible talent of local photographers. Great Lakes Forever is a non-profit education and activism campaign designed to raise awareness about our vulnerable and valuable Lakes.
The grand prize winner in both the professional and amateur categories will be featured on the 2010 Great Lakes Forever/Budweiser beer coasters. These coasters will be distributed to bars and restaurants throughout the Great Lakes region…
Interested photographers can visit the Great Lakes Forever website for contest rules and submission details. The submission deadline is July 18, 2010.
The Grand Prize is a kayak and portable navigation system and you can get all the details on their 6th Annual Photo Contest page!
Check this out bigger and in James’ Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore set (slideshow). You can also purchase it if you like!
The Bus Stops Here, photo by Mike Darga.
Mike writes:
Located at Michigan and Cass Avenues, the Rosa Parks Transit Center is a 25,000-square-foot indoor facility with over two acres of exterior transit access. It enables customers to make connections to 21 DDOT bus routes, the SMART suburban bus system, Transit Windsor for international connections, and taxi access in a single downtown transportation hub. It also provides pedestrian connectivity to the Detroit People Mover stations at Michigan and Times Square, and was planned to eventually connect to the city’s future light rail transit system.
You can learn how the Transit Center fits into a wider plan for transforming Detroit’s transportation system from Tushar Advani of Parsons Brinkerhoff — one of the architects behind the Rosa Parks Transit Center.
See this bigger in Mike’s Structures/Buildings slideshow.
100,000 photos in the Absolute Michigan Pool
May 24, 2010
Can You See Me Now…?(.142/365), photo by Sydney Marie Photography.
Sometime over the weekend, the 100,000th photo was added to the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr.
One hundred thousand.
What an amazing gift you nearly 2400 photographers have shared with Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures over the last four and a half years. Whether it’s dandelions or Detroit Lions, hill sides or mud slides, if it’s Michigan, chances are we have a photo of it.
This is something so big that we really need more than a simple blog post to celebrate it, so we’re announcing the Absolute Michigan Summer Photo Celebration in which we’ll try and give you Absolute Michigan pool photographers as much recognition and as many prizes as we can. Follow us all summer long for themed photo contests, special offers from Michigan businesses and lots of photographic fun!
We’re opening with the Michigan Business Photo Contest for photos that promote Michigan businesses or buying from Michigan businesses.
Check this out bigger and in Sydney’s 365 slideshow.
Bop (till you drop) with Bop (harvey)
May 22, 2010
bop (harvey), photo courtesy Bop (harvey) Fan Club
Today’s post comes to you under the heading of “What good is your own blog if you can’t feature your favorite band from college when they play a reunion show?”
Bop (Harvey) returns to the East Lansing Art Festival for a 4:45 – 6 PM show today on the main stage. Michigan’s premiere worldbeat band, Bop (harvey), reunites for East Lansing fest on Absolute Michigan quotes longtime Tonight Show & Bruce Springsteen E‐Street Band drummer Max Weinberg:
“Bop (harvey) was the first American band that I had heard successfully integrate American pop, R&B and funk with island and African grooves and form. I flew out to Seattle and was blown away by the power coming off of the stage.” In no time the band was in the studio finishing up “Gitchee Gumee To Me”, their 1992 studio release.
And then the president called. Or to be more accurate, the Clinton campaign team, who were seeking an act to fire up crowds attending various Midwest rallies. The band ended up playing a string of Clinton events, including an election day airport rally, concluding with substantial face‐time with the candidate, who returned the favor by inviting the band to play not one by two events during his inaugural festivities.
Nobody ever said the music industry was kind or predictable, however, and within a few years, Bop decided to hang up their goofy hats and dance groove. Last winter, they played a pair of shows at Rick’s and have launched a mini-tour this summer that takes them to East Lansing, the Kalamazoo Island Fest and maybe one more location.
Great Horned Owl
May 21, 2010
gh4282010-3, photo by Sherri & Dan.
Wikipedia says that the Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus is also known as the tiger owl, or cat owl because of its catlike ears, eyes, shape of head, and appearance when huddled up on its nest. The UM Animal Diversity Web Bubo virginianus page notes that while the owl can see during the day, it has even better vision at night and does its most effective hunting then. They also warn that when the great horned owl has young in its nest, it can be very hostile.
Here’s some fun facts on Great Horned Owls from All About Birds:
- The Great Horned Owl is the only animal that regularly eats skunks.
- The Great Horned Owl will take large prey, even other raptorial birds. It regularly kills and eats other owls, and is an important predator on nestling Ospreys. The reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons has been hampered in some areas by owls killing both adult and nestling falcons.
- The Great Horned Owl is a regular victim of harassment from flocks of American Crows. Crows congregate from long distances to mob owls, and may continue yelling at them for hours. The enmity of the crows is well earned, however, as the owl is probably the most important predator on adult crows and nestlings.
- Even though the female Great Horned Owl is larger than her mate, the male has a deeper voice. Pairs often call together, with audible differences in pitch.
All three of the sites above have cool photos and owl calls and you might also enjoy this video of a great horned owl being harassed by crows in Mt. Clemens.
Check this out bigger in Sherri & Dan’s slideshow!
Lots more Michigan birds from Michigan in Pictures!
spring is green & unfolding
May 20, 2010
You have to check this out bigger in Laura’s .ypsilanti. slideshow. See more work on her web site.
