Whitefish Bay

I arrived at Whitefish Point shortly after a storm passed.  The air was hot and it was muggy.  Additionally, the mosquitoes were the worst I can remember encountering.  But I braved it all for these images.  I met fellow photographer Ken there and we headed to the beach to get some pictures.


 

This cumulonimbus cloud was catching the setting sun.


 

In the opposite direction the sun was setting.  I caught this ship sailing off into Lake Superior.  Some sharp-eyed boatnerds told me it was the Algoma Montrealis.

I turned back and saw this.  I'd moved down the beach a little and these pilings served to create some foreground interest.

This is essentially the same shot with a little different work done in post. 

The short boardwalk behind the lighthouse provided this view. 

Just a quick shot of some of the branches of the trees at the raised platform at the end of the boardwalk.

After that, we headed out to Whitefish Point.  The actual point.  In all the times I've been to Whitefish Point Lighthouse, I've never actually gone out to the point.  We couldn't get to the waters edge because the area is the nesting ground for an endangered bird.  We didn't linger too long because the mosquitoes were incredibly bad and even though we'd put on bug spray, and reapplied it after taking the boardwalk behind the complex, it seemed to be losing its effectiveness rapidly.

Heading back towards the lighthouse I stopped for this shot.

The Shoe Tree

A while back I went to the Upper Pennisula.  I was heading for Bayview National Forest Campground on Whitefish Bay when I missed a turn.  I ended up doing a little backtracking and came across this.  The pictures aren't that great...pretty poor actually...but I included them because, well, I thought this was odd.

There were dozens of shoes in the tree.

And I have no idea why.

While I've been away

Alright, I'm back.  Sort of.  I've been away for a number of small reasons and one larger one. 

The reason is this.  I am trying to actually sell some of my work.  Photography has been a simmering passion of mine since high school and I've always toyed with the idea of actually selling stuff.  My friend Jason showed me this website and got me motivated to get some of my stuff up for sale.


If you see something you like, even if you don't purchase it, a comment would be great if you're so inclined.  If you think it is worth sharing with your friends, would appreciate that too.

What you see there, you will probably see here.  What you see here, you may not see there.  This will be for things like the next post where the quality may not be the best.  That site will only contain my best work.  For a while, my focus is going to be on getting new material ready for that site and this blog will take a back seat to that.


I may even change the focus of this a bit.  We'll see.

In any event, I'm excited about the new steps and hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed capturing the images.

The State Park Project update

After a great start on my planned State Park Project, things ground to a halt.  There are a number of reasons why.  Bascially, life has happened.

My two remaining grandparents died within two months of each other this past winter and spring.  

I have used more vacation time than I planned and I am not sure if I am going to be able to reach some parks I had hoped to.  I have two weeks scheduled off at the beginning of September with the goal of hitting Fayette, Porcupine Mountain and Fort Wilkins, but in an unusual situation for me, I am not sure if I will have the vacation time to make this trip. 

Finally, finances have contributed to the slow pace.  Money has been very tight and will likely be for the foreseeable future.  Although taking the pictures is virtually free, getting to and from the parks costs money, and to do the project the way I envisioned it a couple of days requiring overnight stays.

This is not to say I am abandoning the project, but I am trying to work out how to do what I want to do given the limitations I currently have.  One thing is certain, although I'd hoped to have the list of parks I gave previously done by the end of the year, that will not happen.  Most likely this will go from being a one year project to an ongoing one.

Rifle River Recreation Area

The Rifle River Recreation Area is located near West Branch, Michigan. It encompasses 4,449 acres.  The land was originally private land.  It was purchased by the Department of Conservation in 1945 and was turned over to the Parks Department in 1963.

Grousehaven Lake is one of the three large lakes in the park. It appears pretty shallow and the shore appears to be sandy along the whole perimeter.

There are a number of different types of orchids in the area.  I think these are Lady Slippers.

Pintail Pond is a fen.   A fen is a type of wetland characterized by neutral to alkaline water.

There is a trail around the pond.  There were some Canada Geese there, but the highlight was the orchids and the pitcher plants.

The flower of the pitcher plant.  The plants get some of their nutrients from insects that get trapped.

A closeup of the flower.  Although not as colorful as other flowers, this is still a pretty plant.

This is part of the fen with a number of pitcher plants.  Unfortunately, the beauty of the area didn't translate well in my image.

A peaceful waterway running through the area.

Looking off the trail into the woods.

After hiking around Pintail Pond and taking a break for lunch, we took another hike.  This is part of the trail.  It was incredibly peaceful.

Grebe Lake from the observation tower.  There are no motors allowed and there is a cabin along the shore you can rent.

I thought this butterfly had been hit by a car and was dead.  I snapped a couple of pictures and a moment later it took to the air and flew off.

Loons!  I love loons.  I love the sound of the loon.  Here a pair of adults with their two young.  One is hitching a ride on it's parent.  I could have watched them for much longer than I did, but I did have a time deadline.

The Rifle River.

I'm not sure what kind of flower this is, but it was very pretty.

Grand Haven

A friend of mine is involved in French-Indian War reenacting. He told me of an event they were going to be attending in Grand Haven so I grabbed Ken and we headed out.

This was the twelfth Feast of the Strawberry Moon.  Eighteenth century reenactors gather and create a living experience.  This guy was a trader.  He worked for the historical society in Lansing, I think, and was very knowledgeable about the period and the trade.

One of the big events is a battle between French and American forces.  Here the French fire on American troops.

Another volley as the French advance across the field.

Taking aim.

FIRE!

Unfortunately, most of the pictures turned out poorly.  It was a valuable learning experience and next time I think I'll end up with better images.

This was a small Indian village.  Fish were being smoked over the fire.

A blacksmith plies his trade.

Afterwards, we headed out to the lighthouse.  On the way we passed this old Pere Marequette engine.  It looks like it is open at times, but wasn't at when we were there.

The Grand Haven lighthouse.

I wish I had shot this just a little lower so I wouldn't have cut off the woman's feet.

The reminds me of the bow of a great ship.

The Swans of North Bay Park

North Bay Park is a frequent subject of my photos.  I like to walk through the park and it has a nice loop that makes for nice scenery despite the proximity of the I-94 and Ypsilanti.

For the past couple of years I've watched the swans.  A couple of years ago, they had one young.  Last year they had two.  This years, the next was right next to the trail and there were six eggs on the nest.  Five of them hatched.

The parent.

A couple of the chicks.

I shot a bunch of pictures and trying to narrow them down was tough.

Mom and the babies.

The adult.

The young.

These guys were falling asleep.  Watching them was fun and I spent quite a bit of time doing it.

Under the boardwalk are the nests of sparrows.  You can often see them sitting on the supports just resting.

Some turtles.  Last year, I didn't see a single turtle all year.  It is good to see them again.

Another sparrow.

A family of ducks.