Waiting For The Traveler
December 31, 2011
Waiting For The Traveler, photo by J.M.Barclay.
The secret for success in life is to be ready for opportunity when it comes.
~Benjamin Disraeli
The New Year is an occasion that many of us look to for improvement in our lives or the lives of those around us. Part of making that happen is no doubt the changing of our habits, but equally important is having the perception to see those opportunities for improvement and having the will to seize them when they come.
Here’s hoping that the New Year brings you (and all of us) opportunities for success.
Check this out on black and see more of his best (and order prints if you want) at his website, 810photo.com.
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Michigan in Pictures turns six
December 30, 2011
NC0B8495-Edit-Edit-2-1, photo by [DennisT].
On December 30, 2005 Michigan in Pictures posted its first photo, a pond on Bald Mountain. 1881 posts later, Michigan in Pictures is still one of the highlights of my day.
I simply love this blog. The experience of looking through the photos shared in the Absolute Michigan pool and learning about Michigan’s waterfalls and lighthouses, points of interest like the Eben Ice Caves or Big Boy Graveyard, and everything from the history of our state to the mysteries of the northern lights is one of the most enriching and rewarding pursuits in my life.
Thanks for sharing it with me.
Dennis took this shot in Saugatuck. See it background bigtacular or in his slideshow.
Much more Michigan wallpaper can be found on Michigan in Pictures!
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The Hiawatha National Forest
December 29, 2011
Hiawatha National Forest, photo by Sean Depuydt.
Ever thicker, thicker, thicker
Froze the ice on lake and river,
Ever deeper, deeper, deeper
Fell the snow o’er all the landscape,
Fell the covering snow, and drifted
Through the forest, round the village.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Song of Hiawatha
The Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula is known as “the Great Lakes National Forest” because nearly 1 million acre forest touches three Great Lakes: Superior, Huron and Michigan.
The landscape of sandstone and limestone includes the watersheds of the three Great Lakes, five National Wild & Scenic Rivers – the Carp, Indian, Sturgeon, Tahquamenon, and Whitefish.
Northern hardwood and mixed forest types are common on the Hiawatha National Forest. Tree species include sugar maple, red maple, American Beech, white pine, red pine, northern white cedar, eastern larch/tamarack, and balsam fir. Jackpine savannahs are also common in some areas. Much of the Hiawatha is covered in wetlands, and as a result there are many wetland plants.
Spring wildflowers bloom in May and June.
The Forest contains habitat for northwoods species like whitetail deer, gray wolf, and lynx. Kirtland’s warbler, an endangered species, relies on young jackpine stands for its nesting grounds, and piping plover nest along our pebbly Great Lakes beaches. Trout are native to coldwater streams, and our inland lakes support strong, diverse fisheries
In short, a wonderful place. Here’s hoping you get a chance to have fun as the covering snow piles deeper this winter.
Check the photo out on black and in Sean’s Upper Michigan slideshow.
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Frankfort North Breakwater Light
December 28, 2011
Frankfort Lights, photo by lomeranger.
The Detroit Free Press reports that Coast Guard has given the Frankfort Lighthouse to the City of Frankfort under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. It’s one of 15 historic light stations in Michigan that have been transferred at no cost to nonprofits and government agencies.
The Frankfort North Breakwater Light entry at Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light details the long history of the lights at Frankfort Harbor and says that:
By 1924, the total car ferry tonnage through Frankfort Harbor was twenty five times greater than that prior to the establishment of the ferries. To better serve this vital commerce, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction of a pair of reinforced concrete arrowhead-type breakwaters at the harbor entrance in order to create a large stilling basin to protect the opening into the harbor. With the completion of these breakwaters in the early 1930’s, the twin piers at the entry into Lake Betsie no longer served any purpose. With plans in place to shorten them into short stub piers, the North Pierhead Light was lifted from the pier onto the deck of a barge and carried out to the end of the North Breakwater. A square steel base 25 feet in height had been erected on the end of the breakwater to receive it, and the tower was lifted onto the new base. After being bolted into position, the new tower stood 67 feet in height from the upper level of the pier to the top of the lantern ventilator ball. By virtue of its location on the concrete pier, the light stood at a focal plane of 72 feet, and the 17,000 candlepower incandescent electric light within the Fourth Order Fresnel was visible for a distance of 16 miles in clear weather.
Be sure to click for much more including some very cool old photo of the South Pier fog bells and the story of captain George Tifft, who more or less founded Frankfort when his schooner was driven into Lake Betsie.
See this photo bigger and in Jason’s fantastic ice slideshow.
Michigan in Pictures has a great vintage postcard of the Frankfort Light in winter and you can see the tower in this shot by jimflix from the Absolute Michigan pool.
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The Lake in Winter
December 27, 2011
It changes every day, every hour. It is a thousand lakes, changing faces with every shift in wind and light – flurried by offshore wind, whitecapped in squalls, colored flannel gray or pearl-white or stormy black beneath the winter clouds, a dozen blues when the sky is blue.
~Jerry Dennis on Lake Michigan
Over on Absolute Michigan today we have an excerpt from The Windward Shore, the new book from Michigan outdoor writer Jerry Dennis. It’s titled The Lake in Winter and you should definitely take the time to read it!
Check this out background big and see more shots of the Lakeshore in winter in Jim’s slideshow.
More winter wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
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New Moon
December 26, 2011
New Moon, photo by eyesontheskies.
Today was a family day, and I almost forgot to post Michigan in Pictures.
Glad I did as I first saw the gorgeous crescent moon tonight along with Venus and then found this beautiful shot in the Absolute Michigan pool.
See it on black and in eyesontheskies’ incredible Astro slideshow. In addition to some great moon shots and includes Northern Lights so don’t miss it!!
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Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
December 24, 2011
December 17 – Holly Jolly Christmas, photo by Holly Jolly Christmas by Michael Koole – Vision Three Images
Here’s hoping that all of you have a great Christmas if that’s your thing and a wonderful weekend in any case!
See it bigger on black and in Michael’s great snow slideshow.
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The Perfect Christmas Tree (some assembly required)
December 23, 2011
Roll 1 FILM Snowy Pine SOOC, photo by Carolyn Gallo
The History of Christmas Trees from the History Channel notes that ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows, many in the belief that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness. A popular belief is that Martin Luther was walking one winter evening, and was overcome by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
They note that as as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans:
It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims’s second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against “the heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.” In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
…By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
See this gorgeous tree on black and in Carolyn’s snow slideshow.
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Help the National Audubon Society with their Christmas Bird Count
December 22, 2011
Out On A Limb, photo by Beth Crawford 65.
The Great Lakes Echo tipped us off to the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. :
Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations – and to help guide conservation action.
From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition — and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.
In years past, the Christmas Bird Count has helped the Society document species health and develop plans. Click to learn how to get involved!
See Beth’s photo of a pine siskin, a common finch, bigger and in her beautiful winter slideshow.
Many more Michigan birds on Michigan in Pictures.
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Christmas in Old Detroit
December 21, 2011
Untitled, photo by BareBonesDetroit
The Detroit News has a fantastic feature titled Christmas traditions in Old Detroit: Pigeon pie, horse racing, tapers on trees that is a wonderful look at the history of the Christmas holiday in Detroit. They begin:
Although Protestant churches in Detroit did not embrace the Christmas holiday until the 1840s, it was long celebrated in the French Catholic Churches such as Detroit’s oldest parish, St. Anne’s. (pictured above)
Before Christmas trees became the rage, the French holiday tradition in Detroit was represented by yule logs, reveillon feasting, and horse races. Yule logs were enormous logs or sometimes entire tree stumps that filled the hearth along with a half cord of wood to get it started. Holiday feasting began on Christmas Eve in a tradition called reveillon (pronounced Ray-veh-yon), which is still celebrated in Quebec and New Orleans (at least for the tourists).
In Detroit, families would carry a lantern to midnight mass and leave it with a beggar at the church door. When the Christmas mass was over, they would pick up their lantern and give a Christmas tip to the beggar. They then would go home for the feast that would last until 8 a.m.
The reveillon supper was a sumptuous menu that included la tourtiere — a meat pie made with pigeons in the 19th century and later with pork, veal or other game. Other dishes might include a stew of meat balls and pork, minced pork pie, turkey, pumpkin pie, mince pie and new cider.
There’s a whole lot more including holiday menus, toys, the hazards of decoration and even holiday horse racing through the streets of the city by the French and Ulysses S. Grant! Definitely read the rest and check out the photo gallery which includes some great old photos! About this photo from December 2010, BareBonesDetroit wrote:
Day Six: During the holidays, many of us end up donning our Sunday best and heading over to our local place of worship. Lucky for us here in Metro Detroit, the city overflows with churches, and even has a synagogue. Ste. Anne’s is the oldest church in Detroit. It’s massive structure is a beacon from both sides of the International border we share with Canada. For the season, it’s facade becomes even merrier. If you’ve never visited, for the history lesson and stained glass alone, it’s worth a visit.
View this photo bigger and see more in his Twelve Days of Christmas slideshow. Also be sure to check out barebonesdetroit.com for a cool photographic tour of the D!
More Christmas traditions on Michigan in Pictures…
