barn

Michigan at 300k

Posted on March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by farlane

Last Friday, my Absolute Michigan photo group on Flickr crossed a major milestone when Mark Smith added the 300,000th photo to the group! I created the group 20 years ago to support my Absolute Michigan supersite which was regrettably demolished by the Pure Michigan campaign. Regrets aside, the group remains an incredible place for seeing images from every corner of the Great Lakes State taken by nearly 4000 members (3,930 to be exact). From Alanson to Midland to Zeeland you can find photos of parks, parties, & people enjoying everything Michigan has to offer.

If you’re a photographer on Flickr & would like to share your photos, check out this group topic for the details! Also consider joining our Michigan in Pictures Group on Facebook!

Here are a few more shots from Mark’s excellent Barn gallery on Flickr . For sure click through to see them all & head over to Leelanau Landscapes view & purchase his work!

Thundersnow Season

Posted on February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by farlane

thundersnow aftermath by Christian Collins

A reader commented that they had seen lightning & heard the rumble of thunder yesterday, an observation shared by numerous folks around the state. Although a lot of the online articles are hyping up thunder snow as a dangerous or abnormal phenomenon, it’s not.

The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory’s Severe Weather 101 explains that although thunderstorms are less common in the winter, sometimes lightning does occur within a snowstorms and is called thundersnow. Thundersnow can be found where there is relatively strong instability and abundant moisture above the surface, such as above a warm front. Thundersnow is sometimes observed downstream of the Great Salt Lake and the Great Lakes during lake-effect snowstorms too.

Christian took this back in February if 2017. See more in his barns – graneros gallery on Flickr.

PS: If anyone in the Upper Peninsula captured yesterday’s thundersnow on video, the National Weather Service Marquette Office would love to see it!

Falling Skies: October 2025 Meteor Showers

Posted on October 6, 2025October 6, 2025 by farlane

Thumb Barn Milky Way & Meteor by Charles Bonham

In addition to being the season of cider, changing leaves, and Halloween, October also comes with two meteor showers. Our friends at EarthSky give you all you need to know to see the Draconid & Orionid meteor showers:

The Draconids, October 6-10 / peak October 8

The best time to watch the Draconid Meteor Shower in 2025 is as darkness falls on the evening of October 8 through the wee hours of the morning on October 9. A waning gibbous will light up the sky that night, so try to block out the moon when watching for meteors. The radiant point for the Draconids is highest in the sky right when darkness falls so this is a great one for the early to bed crowd!

The Orionids, September 26 – November 22 / peak October 21st

The best time to watch for these meteors is on the morning of October 21, starting after midnight through the hours before dawn. In 2025 conditions are perfect with a dark sky and new moon. The Orionids produce a maximum of about 10-20 meteors per hour, some of them bright fireballs. They are known as the Orionids because they appear to radiate from the Club of the well-known constellation Orion the Hunter.

Charles shares that he found a Draconid meteor in this photo of a barn in Pinnebog from last October after reviewing many different frames. You can see it right next to the left side of barn roof along with a hint of Northern Lights on the right side! See more in his Barns gallery on Flickr including some truly spectacular ones of this barn under the aurora!

Sunflower Barn

Posted on August 13, 2025August 13, 2025 by farlane

Sunflower Barn by Charles Bonham

Sunflowers & barns – together at last! ;)

Charles took this last week near Bay City. See more in his Barns gallery on Flickr.

Cool Foggy Morning

Posted on October 6, 2021October 6, 2021 by farlane

Cool Foggy Morning by T P Mann

I shared another view of this barn last week, but since lots of Michigan is in a misty mood this morning, I had to go back! Check out TP’s Sunsets/Sunrises gallery for more.

Morning Barn Silhouette

Posted on September 30, 2021 by farlane

Morning Barn Silhouette by T P Mann

T P got a gorgeous morning view near East Jordan. See more in his Sites Along the Breezeway gallery.

Corn Days

Posted on July 29, 2021 by farlane

Corn Days by Mark Smith

Mark got this gorgeous shot on the Leelanau Peninsula. Here’s hoping you get a chance to bite into some delicious Michigan sweet corn! Head over to Downstreamer on Flickr for his latest!

Field, Flowers, Farm

Posted on July 16, 2021July 16, 2021 by farlane

Field of Flowers at the Farm by Robert F Carter

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”
– Ansel Adams

Robert took this back in August of 2015. He shared this perfectly apt quotation from Ansel Adams on his profile & about this photo he writes:

While visiting a local farm market in Petoskey, Michigan, I was drawn to their crop of flowers next to their driveway. The flowers in the foreground are Bachelor’s Buttons. The road that curves through the hilly terrain can be seen near the barn in the distance.

See more in his My Petoskey gallery on Flickr & for sure check out his website.

Blizzard Waves

Posted on February 5, 2021August 26, 2025 by farlane

Michigan Blizzard Creates Ocean Waves – 1972 by Steve Brown

As Michigan gets popped by a winter storm, here’s a look back to 1972. Steve writes:

Quite amazing what a wintry wind can do to fallen snow across an open field. I took this photo in February, 1972 after the winds of a modest blizzard had reshaped the fallen snow on the front yard of the home where I lived near Manchester, Michigan.

See more in Steve’s great Michigan Winter gallery on Flickr & stay safe everyone!