New Year’s Eve Magic

Dance Magic Dance, photo by MightyBoyBrian.

“To leave the old with a burst of song,
To recall the right and forgive the wrong;
To forget the thing that blinds you fast
To the vain regrets of the year that’s past.”
~Robert B. Beattie

Please accept the warmest wishes of the crew at Absolute Michigan for a safe, happy and magical New Years Eve! Here’s our listing of Michigan New Year’s Eve Happenings!

Brian writes that he kept the shutter open for 1.3 seconds after the two flashes fired so that he could get a streaking of ambient light. The final effect blew his mind (and mine). Check it out background bigalicious and in his People slideshow.

3-2-1…

Michigan in Pictures Birthday Wake up!

Banier: Wake up!, photo by Matt Callow.

Good morning, Michigan in Pictures faithful, and I hope you’re getting a little break as 2010 winds to a close.

Five years ago post #001 on Michigan in Pictures was A Pond on Bald Mountain. Since then, I find that I have learned a staggering amount of the lore and lands of this amazing state I call home.

The really cool thing is that I already have ideas of many more topics to explore.

And the really, really cool thing is that lots of the posts on Michigan in Pictures are a result of a story from one Michigan’s talented storytellers or of looking at a photo and wondering about the story behind it.

And the really, really (really) cool thing is that there’s all of you out there. So many of you have stories, observations and photos about the photos and the stories that appear on Michigan in Pictures. Some of you share them in the comments. I’d encourage more of you to do the same. Thanks for being a part of Michigan in Pictures.

Check Matt’s photo out bigger and in his diana set. There’s lot’s of great photos and thoughts on photography from Matt Callow on Michigan in Pictures including a three part interview with him. For a real treat, check out his Flickriver.

A micro-lesson in tectonophysics

A micro-lesson in tectonophysics (a word I just learned from the Wiki)., photo by Elizabeth Glass.

Elizabeth says the just learned tectonophysics from the Wiki and writes:

Plate tectonics, right? A process that took (sorry, I mean “is taking”) millions of years, and yet if you get outside every day and watch your lake freeze you can see the whole drama unfold over the course of one winter. Sections of surface are continually pushed until they begin to overlap and rise up into mountains. Geysers and volcanos are formed, because sometimes what’s underneath needs to be able to get out. Geologic layers develop that rival the beauty of any canyon you’ve ever seen, and they change from day to day! Is it winter where you are? Lucky you! GO OUTSIDE!!!

Check it out along with many others in her Ice slideshow.

Want more ice? How about Great Lakes Ice: A Play in Four Acts from Absolute Michigan?

Complete Streets could change the look of Michigan cities

SCW bike lane Front St, photo by TART Trails.

Today’s post comes courtesy of the Grand Vision in northwest Michigan…

The Detroit Free Press has a report on a law passed this year that could have a big impact on the future design of Michigan’s cities. The Complete Streets act directs transportation planners in the state to plan for streets that accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists along with cars and trucks.

It means that Michigan is now on the record acknowledging that it is a mistake to build roadways just to move high volumes of vehicle traffic as fast as possible. Designing healthy cities means considering all potential users of a street, regardless of their age or ability.

Ultimately, complete streets could produce road designs that accommodate sidewalk restaurants and the like, and intersection designs that allow pedestrians to cross in safety, not in fear of their lives.

A complete street, in other words, would be designed to handle pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, families pushing strollers and bicyclists. It also would meet the needs of retail and commercial users for wider sidewalks or slower traffic speeds.

See this photo by John Robert Williams bigger in the Smart Commute Week set.

Ore Dock

Ore Dock, photo by I am Jacques Strappe.

Here’s an early addition to the Absolute Michigan pool from Jorie O’Brien. See it bigger in her massive Marquette slideshow.

We profiled her way back when on Michigan in Pictures. Check them all out at the links below:

Day I: Michigan Photographers: Michpics Talks with Marjorie O’Brien

Day II: Michigan Photographers: Marjorie O’Brien Answers Reader Questions

Day III: Michigan Photographers: Marjorie’s Favorite

A Very Happy Holiday Season, Michigan!

Ada Michigan Winter 2010, photo by RichardDemingPhotography.

Here’s hoping that all of you enjoy all of the season, in whatever flavor it comes in.

See this bigger in Richard’s Winter in Michigan 2009/2010 slideshow.

Santa says “Better be good!”

“Better be good!”, photo by ETCphoto (on the road).

If you can grow beard like that, I bet you don’t have any trouble finding work in December.

Happy Holidays to everyone, any and all that they may be!

See it bigger and in Terry’s Wintry Scenes slideshow.

Shaytown

Shaytown, photo by joeldinda.

A few years ago we ran an old photo of a Shay Locomotive on Michigan in Pictures. The other day, I came across this photo in our Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. Joel writes:

I was wandering around the local backroads a few days ago when I spotted this sprawling barn and these tall grasses; seemed like a possible photograph….

Further research about the location turned up an unexpected gem. Seems that Shaytown was named for Ephraim Shay, inventor of the classic narrow-gauge lumbering locomotive, who became famous after bestowing his name on this corner. Recovering railfan that I am, I knew who he was, but hadn’t recognized the local connection.

Near as I can tell, Shay owned this property for four years or so shortly after the Civil War, where he ran a sawmill and (probably) a general store. Those are gone, and to all appearances the existing barn and house were built by later owners.

Nonetheless, a delightful surprise. Unfortunately, and despite the truck parked in the yard, both the house and barn seem to be abandoned.

Check this out nearly lifesize and also in his The Showcase slideshow.

The Legend of Sleeping Bear and the Sleeping Bear

Sleeping Bear Dunes, 1940, photo by Fred Dickinson/Dickinson Photography

As we know, my laziness knows no bounds, so here’s the story behind “the Bear” on the Sleeping Bear Dunes that I wrote for Leelanau.com this morning!

The other day we posted the Legend of the Sleeping Bear to Leelanau.com. After thinking about it, I wondered if folks knew that “the Bear” was also an actual formation atop a dune about a mile north of the Pierce Stocking Overlook. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore says that the formation pictured above known as “the Bear”…

…hardly looks like a bear now, for it has been changing rapidly in recent years. At the turn of the century, it was a round knob completely covered with trees and shrubs. You can still see some of the thick vegetation that gave it a dark shaggy appearance.

…For a long time, the sleeping Bear Dune stood at about 234 feet high with a dense plant cover. However, trough most of the twentieth century, erosion has prevailed. By 1961, the dune was only 132 feet high, and by 1980, it was down to 103 feet. The process is a continuing one. The major cause of the dune’s erosion was wave action wearing away the base of the plateau on which the dune rests. As the west side of the dune loses its support, it cascades down the hill. The wind, too, is a major agent of erosion, removing sand and destroying the dune’s plant cover.

The photo above was taken by Leelanau photographer Fred Dickinson. You can see a closer view right here and definitely check out the Dickinson Photo Gallery to view & purchase great photography of the dunes and other Leelanau spots by Fred and his daughter Grace. On Michigan in Pictures there’s a photo of Fishtown in 1940 that explains Dickinson’s hand coloration technique and another shot by Fred of some folks taking a break from a Sleeping Bear Dune ride.

You can see a couple more photos of the Bear from MSU and don’t forget to click over to Leelanau.com for the Legend of the Sleeping Bear!

rolling fog at the mackinac bridge

rolling fog, photo by Through My Eyes. [nicole wamsley]. astra_amara.

Much more of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures.

Check this out bigger in Nicole’s if by sea… slideshow.