Under Air Force One, photo by foteck.
President Obama came to Michigan yesterday to talk about education, retraining and jobs.
While Michigan does make lovely backdrop for such speeches, it would be nice if the President would consider Michigan’s offerings as a summer vacation destination. That’s what folks in the Facebook group Mr. President! Come to Michigan for Your Summer Vacation! think.
See this bigger in fotek’s various slideshow.
must be exterminated, photo by Kasey Carroll.
Kasey writes:
About ten seconds after I caught this, my fiancee’s uncle beat it repeatedly against the side of the boat. He said that it was an “intruder from outer waters and it must be exterminated because it eats all the perch eggs in Lake Eerie.” I’m sorry Peta. I didn’t do it.
See this bigger in her Things slideshow. The USGS Invasive Species Center page on the round goby says:
The round goby, Neogobius melanstomus, is a small, bottom – dwelling fish that was first found in the Great Lakes region in 1990. Originally from the Black and Caspian Sea areas of Eastern Europe, it is believed that this exotic species arrived in the ballast water of vessels coming into the Great Lakes. Since the first sighting in the St. Clair River, round gobies have spread to all of the Great Lakes and are working their way inland through the rivers and canal systems.
…Round gobies are found in all of the Great Lakes with the greatest numbers in Lake Erie, Lake St. Claire and southern Lake Michigan. Many of the areas with round goby populations are best described as infested. Once round gobies arrive they can become the dominant fish species. Round gobies prefer rocky, shallow areas, but have flourished in a variety of habitat types. Regardless of the habitat, round gobies are very aggressive fish that compete with native fishes for food and space. Anglers who fish in areas with round gobies often find that the gobies steal their bait and appear to be the only type of fish in the area.
Round gobies can eat zebra mussels in addition to fish eggs, plankton, fish, and benthic invertebrates. Because zebra mussels are filter feeders that accumulate contaminants in their body tissues, round gobies that eat zebra mussels may be consuming a high level of contaminants. When a predatory fish such as a walleye eats a round go by that has fed primarily on zebra mussels, they may be getting a much larger load of contaminants than they would from eating other types of prey fish. This could put dangerous concentrations of contaminants into sport-fish at a much faster rate.
According to the MLive, there are now an estimated 10 million pounds of gobies in Lake Michigan alone! More information at round goby on Wikipedia and from the round goby page on Protect Your Waters. How do we stop their spread? Always follow the procedure to Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!
Stony Creek Sunset, photo by NnYSeb.
Summer in Michigan – dive in!
Be sure to check this photo out bigger or in Sebastian’s still in process July 2009 slideshow.
Bliss 07, photo by katherine lynn.
This weekend the 29th annual Blissfest Music Festival takes place in Cross Village (July 10-12). It’s one of the best celebrations of folk music and features a lot of Michigan talent (and a lot from elsewhere). In addition to great performances, Bliss offers music and dance workshops, amazing food & vendors and plenty of kids activities – and it’s plenty affordable!
This photo shows May Erlewine & Seth Bernard, who will be there this year along with others from Earthwork Music.
katherine lynn has a Blissfest photo set (slideshow) and you may also enjoy Flickr’s Blissfest slideshow (which for some reason has a lot of surfing shots in it but what can you do?)
Werwin15 sugests that you view it on black (or view it bigger).
The Sunrise Side Wine & Food Festival takes place next Saturday (July 18) at the Harrisville Harbor. It’s Northeast Michigan’s largest wine and food festival and features Michigan wines and culinary delights from area chefs.
I’ve never been but my vintner friends tell me it’s a really cool festival. Here’s a writeup from a few years ago:
Harrisville is the “almost” undiscovered jewel of the Sunrise Side. This friendly small town, halfway between Tawas and Alpena and be easily reached from both US-23 and M-72, offers a tree-lined Main Street filled with shops offering antiques, gifts, jewelry, fudge, ice cream and chocolates. Several restaurants provide everything from a casual outdoor lunch to fine dining.
In the past few years, the area has grown into a small artist colony, a favorite vacation spot for numerous artists and authors. Novelists Judith Guest’s and Fred Wolverton have each each used Harrisville as their book’s setting.
The best of Harrisville and its surrounding area, however, is absolutely free. A brief stroll through town will take you from the 100-year-old stone railroad depot past the mill pond with its working waterwheel , around the courthouse lawn lined with huge old maple trees, and – if your legs are up to it –through one of Michigan’s prettiest State Parks. Three historic bed and breakfasts are available, each with lake views, and a five-minute drive brings you to Sturgeon Point Lighthouse and the beautifully preserved 1800’s Bailey School House.
The Wine and Food Tasting weekend kicks off on Friday night, with a 50’s dance beneath the big tent. A real family event, the dance brings together everyone from small children to senior citizens, many in 1950’s costumes.
…As winter takes its sweet time shoving off, it’s nice to dream of relaxing with a glass of Michigan wine, a taste of London broil, brie or pate, and a relaxing view of Lake Huron. The Harrisville Wine and Food Tasting is one of those rare things that’s even better in reality.
Check out Harrisville Michigan in Wikipedia.
Au Sable HDR *, photo by brionline.
Over on Absolute Michigan we have a great video feature by Scott Allman about the planting of Michigan white cedar trees along the banks of the Au Sable river by the group Cedars for the Au Sable. One of the group members explains that although cedar trees can live hundreds of years, they are so vulnerable in the first 15 to deer browsing that they can’t be re-established without human help.
Brian says that you better view this HDR image bigger and that he took it while standing in the river.
One of Many, photo by mickey-finn.
Mickey Finn says that this picture is from an awesome night of fly fishing for bass and bluegills in Michigan in which he landed over 30 of these hand-sized beauties. The Michigan DNR’s Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) page says:
The bluegill is a native to eastern and central North America, including the lower Great Lakes. This fish enjoys a well-deserved popularity with anglers. Many a young angler boasts the delicious bluegill as a first catch, while seasoned anglers using light tackle find it a valiant fighter. Bluegills favor warm waters (64 to 70 degrees F) with plenty of cover such as weed beds, submerged logs, or drop-offs. They usually stay in relatively shallow water, but as temperatures rise in the summer, large bluegills will head for deeper water. This fish also provides good winter sport since it remains active all winter long.
The bluegill spawns in the shallows in the late spring or early summer when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees F. Males build nesting colonies in gravel, sand or mud and will guard the eggs and newly hatched fry until they reach the swimming stage.
Wikipedia’s bluegill entry has lots more about this common sunfish.
Turn the freedom up to eleven, photo by farlane.
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and that freedom rings loud for all of you.
(if it’s too loud, you can try the above!)
Fireworks on the 4th over Grand Haven, MI, photo by ER Post.
Get a full list of fireworks displays at MichiganFireworks.com or light up your monitor with this fireworks slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool.
PS: If you’re in Detroit this weekend, you might want to check out the FREE Comerica Cityfest!
Michigan in Pictures 