Taking a break…

Sunrise Greilickville Harbor Park by Jeff Hudson

Good morning everyone. Regrettably, I need to take a break which (fingers crossed) won’t be too terribly long to deal with some health issues. In the meantime, I hope all of you are able to enjoy the bounteous offerings of Michigan summertime!

Jeff took this photo two years ago at sunrise on June 29th (my birthday) in Traverse City (where I currently live), so I thought it would be a perfect placeholder while I’m gone. See more from Jeff in his Most Faved (Best of) gallery on Flickr.

Stormy September

September Storm by Watermark Photography

Jeff got an incredible shot of a roll cloud from a recent severe storm in Traverse City. Follow Watermark Photography on Facebook & view and purchase canvas and other prints on his website!

Bear Lake Sunrise

Sunrise Reflection Bear Lake Michigan by Mike Carey

Good morning Michigan! Here’s a gorgeous shot Mike took a week ago at Bear Lake! See more in his Bear Lake 2021 gallery & have an awesome weekend!

Blossoms & Blue

Sweet Cherry Blossoms by Andrew McFarlane

Here’s a photo of mine from yesterday afternoon of cherry blossoms on the Leelanau Peninsula. You can follow my @mileelanau Instagram for more shots from northwest lower Michigan!

Kirkbride’s beliefs became his buildings

2 Doors Down by Carolyn Gallo

CMU’s Clarke Historical Library says that on Nov 30, 1885, the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane opened in Traverse City. It’s now known as the The Village at Grand Traverse Commons and 10 years ago I worked there and was able to lead and was able to lead a group of photographers including Carolyn on a tour of the then un-renovated parts of what was known as Building 50. FYI, the section we toured is now the luxurious Cordia senior residential club. 

The facility was a Kirkbride Institution, designed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride. Kirkbride was a Pennsylvania Quaker and founding member of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane who developed a concept of treatment known as the Kirkbride Plan. This plan proposed a particular way of housing patients that included segregating by severity of mental illness and fresh air and natural light where possible:

It was believed crucial to place patients in a more natural environment away from the pollutants and hectic energy of urban centers. Abundant fresh air and natural light not only contributed to a healthy environment, but also served to promote a more cheerful atmosphere. Extensive grounds with cultivated parks and farmland were also beneficial to the success of an asylum. Landscaped parks served to both stimulate and calm patients’ minds with natural beauty (enhanced by rational order) while improving the overall aspect of the asylum. Farmland served to make the asylum more self-sufficient by providing readily available food and other farm products at a minimal cost to the state.

Patients were encouraged to help work the farms and keep the grounds, as well as participate in other chores. Such structured occupation was meant to provide a sense of purpose and responsibility which, it was believed, would help regulate the mind as well as improve physical fitness. Patients were also encouraged to take part in recreations, games, and entertainments which would also engage their minds, make their stay more pleasant, and perhaps help foster and maintain social skills.

There’s lots more from Kirkbride Buildings where the author has done some spectacular scholarship and created an excellent resource for these amazing structures. The Kirkbride System produced a photographic environment of uncommon richness that is evident in the photos from the group A little trip up north… It’s also reflected in the grounds and the shops, restaurants & businesses that are part of the Commons today.

See this photo bigger in Carolyn’s Photogs Up North gallery. You can learn more about her on her website or Facebook page!

Big Sky Days

Big Sky Days by Mark Smith

Here’s a stunning sweep of Michigan fall color by Mark Smith. Head over to Downstreamer on Flickr or follow him @downstreamer7 on Instagram for more!

Autumn Mosaic on the Leelanau Peninsula

via Leelanau.com…

Autumn Mosaic by Lisa Flaska Erickson

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”
~Stanley Horowitz

Lisa captured this beautiful canvas of fall color near Maple City on the Leelanau Peninsula. Follow Lisa at supqueen on Instagram for lots more including some more gorgeous autumn 2020 photos!!

Pride

Traverse City Pride March, photo by Michael Poehlman

Communities across Michigan have been celebrating Pride Month during the month of June, and I thought I would share one of my favorite photos ever. It was taken by my friend Michael at the annual Traverse City Pride Parade sponsored by Up North Pride. I’ll be joining thousands of others to march this Sunday (June 25) at noon – you can click that link for all the details.

I have no doubt that some may find this post controversial and ask me to “stick to pictures and not politics.” To any with that viewpoint, I would like to point out that this picture is NOT politics, this is personal. In addition to honoring the many photographers I feature on Michigan in Pictures who are lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, questioning or otherwise, I have many dear friends who are happily married to the love of their lives, and I believe at the very core of my being that they deserve every benefit of marriage & society that anyone else has.

Please feel free to enjoy my personal blog as I see fit to share it. If it offends you, suffer whatever slight this is for you in silence or simply stop following me. Whatever you do, don’t post anything hateful because I will ban you so fast and probably say mean things to you on the way out just to make it perfectly clear that I support the civil rights of every American.

OK, that’s more than enough justifying myself for posting whatever I feel like on my blog. Let’s hear what the Library of Congress has to say about Pride Month:

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events.

You can view the photo bigger on the Up North Pride Facebook page, follow Michael on Instagram, and if you’re looking for one of the finest portrait photographers I know, definitely consider Michael Poehlman Photography!

PS: His Personal Work gallery is really cool!

 

Blue Skies & Blossoms in Michigan

Blue Skies, Blossoms & Bokeh, photo by Andrew McFarlane

Cherry blossoms, along with apple & other fruit tree blooms are out across Michigan. If you’re near a fruit growing region, take a drive and see what’s to be seen!

I definitely miss my Olympus dSLR. View the photo background bigilicious and see more in my Cherry Blossoms slideshow.

PS: Here’s a little Facebook Live video I did this week with Nikki Rothwell, head of MSU’s Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station about cherries, blossoms, and the work of the Station. I can’t seem to size the video here so you might want to click to view it on the Leelanau.com Facebook.

Sunset & cloud shadows over West Bay

26 April 2017 West Bay Leelanau County, photo by John Robert Williams Photography

Here’s a ridiculous sunset that my friend John captured on Wednesday night over West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City. The Rays & Shadows page from our friends at Atmospheric Optics identifies these as “cloud shadows” and says that they are basically the reverse of crepuscular rays, the beams of light that stream through gaps in clouds.

View it bigger and see more on John’s Facebook.