Sailing, photo by gh patriot.

I thought it was pretty neat that this photo showed up in the Absolute Michigan pool after yesterday’s post. Be sure to check it bigger. It’s part of Kevin’s pier/sunset set (slideshow)

As 2009 dawns, I feel some trepidation. While things have been bad for us here in Michigan, there seems to be little doubt that our national economy has even further to fall. What that might mean to us is anybody’s guess.

One thing I do know is that after years of being in a “single state recession,” we now have company. That will undoubtedly mean less assistance in some cases, but it will also open up more opportunities and solutions as other states and nations begin to grapple with the issues we have been wrestling with.

I expect that in the year to come we in Michigan will make decisions that will have profound effects on our state’s educational system, our infrastructure and our amazing natural resources.

My most profound hope is that our decisions take into account the truth that Gov. Milliken referred to below.

The truth is that the quality of life in Michigan depends on nature. The natural beauty of our state is much more than a source of pleasure and recreation. It shapes our values, molds our attitudes, and feeds our spirit … in Michigan, our soul is not to be found in steel and concrete, or sprawling new housing developments or strip malls. Rather it is found in the soft petals of a trillium, the gentle whisper of a headwater stream, the vista of a Great Lakes shoreline, and the wonder in children’s eyes upon seeing their first bald eagle. It is that soul that we must preserve.

-Michigan Governor William G. Milliken
from William G. Milliken: Michigan’s Passionate Moderate

Happy New Year folks!