Green Hornet, Black Beauty

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Green Hornet Black Beuaty

Green Hornet Black Beuaty, photo by burnlab.

The Green Hornet opens tonight. You might be interested in the Michigan roots of the Green Hornet and the buzz on the Green Hornet via Absolute Michigan.

Michael took this photo at the 2011 North American International Auto Show which opens tomorrow. Collider got to take the Black Beauty for a spin – no word if he used the missiles. The Beauty is a mid 60s Chrysler Imperial – get the specs from Autoblog.

Check this out background bigtastic and get up close and personal with Black Beauty in Michael’s 2011 NAIAS slideshow.

North American International Auto Show: Yesterday and Today

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures
Traffic at the 1960 Auto Show by Hugo90

 Traffic at the 1960 Auto Show by Hugo90

“You know what? We’re going to prove one thing. That this is the Motor City, the motor capital of the world. And we’re going to bring it back, in the esteem of the world, to where it should be.”
~Ken Meade, International Auto Show, 1989

It’s time again for the North American International Auto Show aka the Detroit Auto Show. The world’s premier celebration of cars and car culture has lost some of its luster but is still an amazing event.

The NAIAS runs from January 15-25 at the Cobo Center in Detroit and you can get all the details including photos and video at 2011 Detroit Auto Show on Absolute Michigan. An article we link to from the Detroit News is the source of the quotation above and says that 1960 was the first year at Cobo Hall.

Check this out bigger and in Hugo’s THE OTHER CAR PICTURES slideshow.

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Point Betsie Lighthouse, in ice and HDR

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Point Betsie Lighthouse Winter

Point Betsie Lighthouse, photo by lomeranger.

The Point Betsie Light Station entry at Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light says that although the lighthouse on the southern tip of South Manitou Island was in 1840, it wasn’t until 1853 that the decision was made to construct a lighthouse to mark the passage’s eastern side and to let ships know when to turn south.

The plan for the Point Betsey Light called for a cylindrical single-walled tower constructed of Cream City brick, standing 37 feet in height from the foundation to the top of the ventilator ball. Five concentric brick rings encircling the tower beneath the lantern, each successively larger in diameter than the lower ring, formed a support for the gallery on which an decagonal cast iron lantern was installed. The lantern was outfitted with a white Fourth Order Fresnel lens equipped with bulls eyes, which was rotated around the lamp by a clockwork drive at a precisely monitored speed to impart the station’s characteristic fixed white light with a flash every 90 seconds. By virtue of the tower’s location on the dune, the lens was located at a focal plane of 52 feet above lake level with a range of visibility of ten miles. The small two story dwelling, also of Cream City brick was located on an excavated cellar immediately inshore of the tower, to which it was connected by a short covered passageway. This passageway was outfitted with a cast iron door at the tower end in order to stop the spread of any possible fire between the two structures.

The exact date on which the Point Betsey Light was exhibited has been lost to history. While Lighthouse Board annual reports and Light Lists report the station as being completed in 1858, it was not until February 1, 1859 that David Flury, the first keeper to be assigned to the station, appears in District payroll. Thus, it may well be that while construction was completed in 1858, the Light was not activated until the opening of the 1859 navigation season.

Read on to learn much more about this gorgeous lighthouse including the steps they had to take to unsure that the pounding surf you see here didn’t destroy the light.

Check it out bigger in Jason’s Ice slideshow. And don’t miss this shot Jason took of Point Betsie’s neighbor, the Frankfort Pier Light being BLASTED by the big storm of October 2010!

Friends of Point Betsie note that the light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the US. See the evidence in the Point Betsie slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool!

Gabbro Falls

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Gabbro Falls

Gabbro Falls, photo by siskokid.

The Go Waterfalling page on Gabbro Falls (located in the western UP near Blackjack Mountain) begins:

Gabbro Falls is on the Black River and is as impressive, if not more impressive, than its more celebrated neighbors downstream along the Black River Scenic Byway. This is a largely wild waterfall with no fences or barriers of any kind. It consists of three separate drops. When the water is high there is a fourth drop that is the height of the other three combined. The main drop falls into a narrow crevice between two large rock formations.

Gabbro Falls is relatively easy to find but there is some confusing information out there. The waterfall is also known as Baker’s Falls, and it is often mistakenly called Garbo Falls (gabbro is a type of rock). There is also a Neepikon Falls upstream, but it is just an unremarkable rapid. (read on for detailed directions)

Jim says that he grew up in this area, but only found out this waterfall existed last week! Check it out background big and in his Da UP slideshow.

Many more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!

Short Eared Owl

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

P1090935

P1090935, photo by Sherri & Dan.

The Short-eared Owl – Asio flammeus entry at Owl Pages says:

A Danish bishop and amateur naturalist, Erich Ludvigsen Pontoppidan, published the first description of this Owl in 1763. In Latin, the word “flammeus” means fiery, flaming, or the colour of fire. Local names for the Short-eared Owl include the Evening Owl, Marsh Owl Bog or Swamp Owl, Grass Owl, Meadow Owl, Mouse-hawk, and Flat-faced Owl.

The Short-eared Owl is a medium-sized Owl. The plumage is buffy brown with dark streaks on the chest, belly, and back. Males tend to be lighter in colour than females. This colouring provides good camouflage, but if this fails, a Short-eared Owl will feign death to avoid detection. The wings and tail are strongly barred. The yellow eyes are circled with black and set in whitish or buffy-white facial disks, which are suffused with a ring of brown. The bill is black. The head appears round without ear tufts, but at very close range small ear tufts are visible. In flight, the dark “wrist” on the underwing is the key field mark.

Check it out background big and in see more great shots of this bird in Sherri & Dan’s Animals slideshow.

Woodward Avenue: Mile by Mile | Exposure.Detroit January Show

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

A Hundred Views of Woodward

A Hundred Views of Woodward, photo by Terri Light Photo – Detroit.

The January Exposure Detroit Show is a group project titled Woodward Avenue: Mile by Mile. The show explores the architecture, people and energy on Woodward Avenue from its start at Michigan Avenue to where it ends in Pontiac through the lenses of a number of photographers in the Exposure.Detroit group on Flickr. The show will be on January 15, 2011 at the Bean and Leaf Cafe in Royal Oak.

All photos in the show are black & white, and you can see many of them at the edwoodwardproject tag on Flickr. Of course, the way to see them all is to check out the show from January 15 – February 3!

Michigan in Pictures has a great view from Detroit’s Golden Age Looking up Woodward Avenue, takes you cruisin’ Woodward in 1951 and many more photos from Woodward Avenue to explore. You might also enjoy the Woodward Avenue, Detroit’s grand old ‘Main Street’ from the Detroit News’ Michigan History section and M-1 Woodward Avenue at Wikipedia.

Check this photo out bigger and in Terri’s massive Belle Isle and Detroit slideshow. More of her work at terrilightphoto.com.

The Bird Girl

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Bird Girl Angie

The Bird Girl Angie, photo by sharona 315 사론아.

Michigan in Pictures has a lot of Michigan birds but nothing quite like Angie!!

Check this out bigger in Sharon’s Winter slideshow.

the speed of life

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

the speed of life

the speed of life, photo by .brianday..

How fast is your life moving? Fast enough to stay warm?

Check it out bigger and in Brian’s Street Photography slideshow.

January 2011 Michigan Events!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Ludington Michigan New Year's Day Sunset

Ludington Michigan New Year’s Day Sunset, photo by ShaneWyatt.

Our January Event Calendar is posted on Absolute Michigan. Check it out for all kinds of January fun!

Shane took this photo as the sun was setting and the winds were whipping along at 40 MPH at the end of the first day of the 2011 in Ludington. Check it out bigger in his Michigan slideshow.

More sunsets on Michigan in Pictures.

Banished Words: Epic Viral Fail

Posted on by farlane

Face Plant

Face Plant photo by Rudy Malmquist

Every year, Lake Superior State University puts together their list of Banished Words. Before we get to the current list, here’s a little back story:

In 1977, one year after Lake Superior State University Public Relations Director W.T. (Bill) Rabe released the first “banished words list,” he said that the international reaction from news media and the public told him “it would go on forever.”

Forever may be stretching it, but the annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness has been going strong since New Year’s Day 1976 and shows no signs of stopping. People from around the world have nominated hundreds of words and phrases such as “you know,” “user friendly,” “at this point in time,” and “have a nice day,” to be purged from the language.

Here’s a few choice words from their 2011 Banished Words List:

“Standards for using ‘epic’ are so low, even ‘awesome’ is embarrassed.” Mike of Kettering, Ohio.

It may have been word of the year in some wheelhouses, but “refudiate” wasn’t looked upon favorably by many who sent in nominations.

“Aren’t all Americans people? Every political speech refers to the ‘American’ people as if simply saying ‘Americans’ (or ‘people’) is not enough.” Deb of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

But words and phrases related to technology and the way we communicate dominated the list for 2011, including “viral,” “epic,” “fail,” and the use of websites “Facebook” and “Google” as verbs. “Viral” received the most nominations.

“Facebook is a great, addicting website. Google is a great search engine. However, their use as verbs causes some deep problems. As bad as they are, the trend can only get worse, i.e. ‘I’m going to Twitter a few people, then Yahoo the movie listings and maybe Amazon a book or two.” Jordan of Waterloo, Ont.

Lake Superior State University accepts nominations all year, and you can post comments about this year’s words (or any other words that you wish to refudiate) on the LSSU Banished Words Facebook.

Check this photo out too big to fail or in Rudy’s slideshow.