Billy Strings & Don Julin at Earthwork Harvest Gathering by Andrew McFarlane
Billy Strings has become one of the greatest guitarists in the world (#16 of the 21st century according to Paste Magazine), but when I first met him he was busking on the street in Traverse City. His meteoric rise is something that all of us who have followed him know is well deserved. The New York Times has a fantastic interview with him that explores how he rose to fame & how he escaped the darkness. I hope you get a chance to learn more about this thoughtful & community-minded virtuoso.
I took this photo back in 2013 at the Earthwork Harvest Gathering. Billy was incredible then and he somehow keeps getting better.
The Perseid Meteor Shower that peaks this week is often Michigan’s best meteor display, and it might be part of the best 24 hours of the year for sky watching! Star Walk is the app I use to determine what I’m looking at in the night sky, and they are touting Wednesday, August 12 as the biggest skywatching day of 2026. In less than 24 hours, the sky will put on three major shows — a six-planet alignment before sunrise, a total solar eclipse during the day or evening, and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower after dark. While we will only see a slight partial eclipse in Michigan, it is definitely a good time to be looking up!
The American Lighthouse Foundation reminds us that it was on this day in 1789 that Congress approved an Act for the establishment and support of lighthouse, beacons, buoys and public piers. 200 years later, they established August 7, 1989 as National Lighthouse Day. Pure Michigan shares that Michigan has more lighthouses than any state, so hopefully we’ll be celebrating harder with donations & visits to some of Michigan’s 129 lighthouses!
Peter took the photo above in September of 2017 & wrote that the mood of the lake can change from day to day and even hour to hour. I included one from an October storm where you can really see the sweet paint job on the Light’s iconic red brick tower plus a photo of the “Schoolhouse Light” on Grand Island off Munising. Head over to Flickr for his highlighted photos & hug a lighthouse today!!
Friends of the Rouge River share that the Hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) aka “hummingbird” moth resembles a hummingbird in looks and flight habits. To complete the mimicry, it makes a humming sound with wingbeats that sound similar to a hummingbird and even looks similar olive green and rust colored back with lighter colored abdomen. Adults have wingspans of 1.5 to 2.2 inches – about half the size of a ruby-throated hummingbird. The caterpillar of Hemaris thysbe is light green with a bluish “horn” on its terminal end and a light-colored stripe that resembles a leaf vein.
FUN FACT: Tiny hummingbird moths strongly resemble real hummingbirds. The hummingbird moth beats its wings 30 – 40 times per second in a figure eight pattern that is similar to the pattern a of a real hummingbird. (However, actual hummingbirds beat their wings 50 – 60 times per second.) The figure eight pattern made by the wings allows both hummingbirds and hummingbird moths to hover in mid-air and to fly briefly backwards.
Space.com has an interesting story about how the upcoming Perseid Meteor shower (peak August 11-13) came to be known as “The Tears of St. Lawrence” and also some of the science behind this annual August sky show:
Laurentius, a Christian deacon, is said to have been martyred by the Romans in 258 AD on an iron outdoor stove. It was in the midst of this torture that Laurentius cried out: “I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked, it is time to turn me on the other.”
The saint’s death was commemorated on his feast day, Aug. 10. King Phillip II of Spain built his monastery place the “Escorial,” on the plan of the holy gridiron. And the abundance of shooting stars seen annually between approximately Aug. 8 and 14 have come to be known as St. Lawrence’s “fiery tears.”
…We know today that these meteors are actually the dross of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Discovered back in 1862, this comet takes approximately 130 years to circle the Sun. With each pass, it leaves fresh debris — mostly the size of sand grains with a few peas and marbles tossed in. Every year during mid-August, when the Earth passes close to the orbit of Swift-Tuttle, the bits and pieces ram into our atmosphere at approximately 37 miles per second (60 kps) and create bright streaks of light.
Ken captured these Perseid meteors eleven Augusts ago over a 2 1/2 hour period at the D.H. Day Farm in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. He relates that the barn was being lit periodically by rogue lightning and that this is a composite of many meteor images, where each photo is rotated around the north star so that the ‘point of origin’ of the shower can be seen better.
“Yesterday, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that state regulators failed to fully consider the environmental impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel. This was a landmark victory for Tribal nations across the area thanks to the hard work of Earthjustice and the Native American Rights Fund along with the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.
“The Sault Tribe firmly believes that culturally and environmentally, there should be no oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac. We applaud our sister tribes for challenging the state’s permitting system.” -Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Chairman Austin Lowes
I would like to applaud all five Tribal nations for standing up on behalf of the waters & people of Michigan. You can read about the details of the 58-page ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court to vacate a key permit for the Line 5 pipeline across the Straits of Mackinac on environmental grounds in Bridge Magazine. I’ve also included some informative images & a simulation of a spill from the good people at Oil & Water Don’t Mix who have been fighting this extremely risky pipeline.
Today’s photo is one that I took of my daughter on Pyramid Point in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore back in 2005. You can see Lake Michigan & North Manitou Island in the background. I decided to use my own photo because this issue is intensely personal for me given how much of my life has revolved around the Lake Michigan half of the world’s greatest lake. Relaxation, wonder, income, peace – I love this mighty lake and feel so blessed to have the Native people of this land standing strong to fight for it. Feel free to share a photo in the comments below of why you love Lake Michigan/Huron!
I was going to write some commentary about US News & World Report’s latest ranking US States that has Michigan as #46 of the 50 states. Then I read the writeup on Michigan & looked at the facts. It wasn’t easy for a lifelong cheerleader for Michigan like me, but it’s pretty clear that while we have an utterly incredible foundation that includes the manufacturing might that powered the rise of modern America, one of the strongest presence of major universities in the nation, more varied produce & farm products than any state but California, and a globally unique concentration of freshwater that gives us more shoreline than any state but Alaska, we’ve done a terrible job preserving what we have & investing in our future over the last several decades. I remain unshakeable in my feeling that there’s no place I’d rather live than right here, but I love this place enough to see that they have cause to rank our state near the bottom. What do you think?
Kevin’s photo captured my feeling about this ranking perfectly. He shares that he & his wife spent last weekend with good friends in Charlevoix for the Venetian Festival then headed to Mackinac Island for a couple nights, staying on their boat, consuming ice cream, and enjoying what the area provides. Follow Kevin on on Flickr or at Kevin Povenz Photos for his latest!
“I want to live in the moment. There’s a lot of stuff going on around me that I have no control in. I try to be pretty present all the time. And when the fans get on their feet like that and give you a pretty good ovation, it’s special. It’ll never not be special, and it’s something I’ve always appreciated. And hopefully they feel the same way. Hopefully they feel like I’ve given everything to the team, to the city, because I truly have.” -Tarik Skubal, after his 1000th strikeout
I am one of the many fans who thinks that back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal has pitched his last game for the Detroit Tigers, and I am going to process by disappointment by telling you all of the accomplishments of one of the greatest left hand pitchers in Tiger history.
2-time Cy Young Winner (2024 & 2025) – fun fact: 3 of the 12 back-to-back winners in history are Tigers – Skubal, Max Scherzer & Denny McClain!
John shared a shot of the sunflowers that are currently painting Send Brother’s farm in Acme Township a brilliant yellow. He reminds you to be respectful of the fields (and trespassing laws) if you do stop here or anywhere for a photo! See the latest from John at TCPhoto on Facebook.
The 2000-mile+ Iron Belle Trail from Detroit to Ironwood, Michigan is the longest state-designated trail in the United States. The trail winds through over half of Michigan’s counties and is unique in that it has two routes: a biking route that travels along the eastern side of the state using existing bike paths, lanes, and designated routes; and a hiking route that follows the western side of the Lower Peninsula, incorporating sidewalks, trails and a significant portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail. If you click the link to the State of Michigan, they have a map of both sections of the Iron Bell Trail trail and their status!
FF Journal shares the sculpture stands on Belle Isle as the southern gateway of the Iron Belle Trail and is called One World Under Michigan Stars. The 25′ diameter sculpture steel sculpture weighs 8 tons and was created at Detroit Design Center by Erik & Israel Nordin.
