The bubblegum Prince, photo by SolsticeSol.
Solstice Sol says that she hadn’t had any luck finding these cuties during the day lately so she took a flashlight out the other night. She found this charmer in mid song on the pool ladder.
See it larger in her My Pets & Nature’s Pets slideshow.
Absolute Michigan is excited to be covering the 2009 Rothbury Music Festival held July 2nd – 5th in Rothbury, MI (near Muskegon). They still have tickets available so think about making the trip!
At absolutemichigan.com/Rothbury we’ll have extensive coverage of the music with a focus on the Think Tanks and all the Michigan angles to the festival that we can dig up. In addition to our Absolute Michigan: On Location blog, we’ll be teaming up with Traverse City based Porterhouse Productions to bring you some of the most in-depth and engaging festival coverage anywhere!
Check out this and other photos from Rothbury 2008 by Anne in her Rothbury Slideshow. Last year Anne created some amazing Rothbury panoramas and she’ll be back at it again this year!
If you’re headed to the festival, consider sharing your photos with Absolute Michigan and other online media outlets through the Rothbury 2009 group!
For more photos from Rothbury check out Photos from the 2008 Rothbury Music Festival on Michigan in Pictures.
Afton…now and then, photo by smartee_martee.
Marty writes:
21 September 2008; Afton, Michigan.
The postcard is postmarked Sept 2, 1920.
Patrick O’Connor opened a lumber camp in Ellis Township in 1887. Ellisville was the name given to its first post office in 1905. It was asked to be renamed Afton, for that it was thought to resemble Afton in Scotland because of the Pigeon River flowing nearby. It was officially Afton on Feb. 12, 1906.
This photo is part of Marty’s amazing Overnight Photo Trip September 2008 (slideshow). He drove nearly 2000 miles through northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, chronicling small towns, hamlets and crossings.
Sunset Silhouette, photo by GR58.
Wikipedia says that Lookout Hill in Grand Rapids is officially Belknap Hill:
…a prominent river bluff directly northeast of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The hill is a distinct topographical feature when viewed from the Western approach to the downtown area. Its two hillside city parks have been favored by evening romancers and view seekers throughout the history of Grand Rapids.
Belknap Hill holds a nostalgic place in the sentiments of Grand Rapidians in that it has long been a popular place to propose marriage. Hidden in the backwaters of the semi-isolated Belknap Lookout neighborhood atop this hill remain some of the simple nineteenth century framed homes from days when Belknap Hill bordered small farms and apple orchards. A cherished historic feature of the hill is the steeply inclined Trowbridge Street which is one of the city’s two remaining true fieldstone cobblestoned streets.
Be sure to check it out bigger and also to have a great weekend!
Traverse City Cherry Capital Postcard, photo by Seeking Michigan.
The annual National Cherry Festival kicks off on July 4th, 2009. The first festival was held in 1926 and it has grown into an $26 million dollar powerhouse. Many of the concerts and events are free, and in addition to a number of parades, there’s music (headlined by Kenny Wayne Shepherd), food & wine tasting and an air show.
Check it out bigger and also in their Tourism set (slideshow).
I think the woman above barely missed the cut for this amazing travelogue from the 1940s.
Sweet Corn, photo by PepOmint
Although the spring & summer were colder than usual, it looks like PepOmint’s corn is on track to be “knee high by the Fourth of July.”
While I couldn’t find anything specifically Michigan about that phrase, it did lead me to a social studies lesson on Growing Corn from Michigan History, Arts & Libraries which in turn led me to an Excerpt from Charles Estep’s Farm Diary, August 1884.
The annual Michigan Challenge Balloonfest takes place this weekend – June 26-28, 2009. It’s the state championship of hot-air ballooning and in addition to a sky full of balloons, offerings include three entertainment venues, a carnival, classic car show, medieval village and skydiving shows. 2009 is the 25th anniversary:
“Twenty-five years ago, the Michigan Challenge started with a whimper and a little burner noise,” said Competition Director Dick Rudlaff. “There were only a couple handfuls of balloons that first year, all good friends who flew together often. But we managed to elbow our way into the Howell community with the help of the chamber of commerce and all their volunteers who make this a true community event to be proud of.”
Of course, the highlight of the Michigan Challenge weekend is the five scheduled balloon launches Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 6 and 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday mornings between 6 and 8 a.m. Site host is Howell Public Schools.
Here’s more of m7k7k7’s Howell Balloonfest photos (slideshow). For more, check out the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest slideshow on Flickr and also this set and this one.
Wikipedia’s Book Tower entry says that:
The Book Tower is an Italian Renaissance styled tower in Detroit, Michigan. Construction began in 1916 as an addition to the original Book Building and finished a decade later. Designed in the Academic Classicism style, it is 475 feet (145 m) and 38 stories tall (not including two basement levels), with two mechanical floors at the top encasing the green copper roof, a roofing style shared by the nearby Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel. Retail and gallery floors used to reside on the first and second floors, with businesses previously occupying the rest. Sadly, as of 2009, the building is unoccupied.
Named after the famous Book Brothers of Detroit, it was briefly the tallest building in the city until the completion of the Penobscot Building in 1928. A taller Book Tower of 81 stories was to be built at the opposite end of the Book Building, but the Great Depression cancelled those plans.
The Book Building and Book Tower are now completely vacant. You can get a map to the Book Tower from Wikimapia. Emporis has more about the Book Tower and also more of the buildings designed by architect Louis Kamper. If you’re wondering about the Penobscot Building, Michigan in Pictures has that covered.
See it bigger in Christian’s About Detroit set (slideshow).
Day & Night Diptych, photo by jrde3.
Here’s a few more views of this sculpture and also check out Jonathan’s Port Huron, MI set (slideshow).
The sculptures are located at McMorran Place in Port Huron where they explain that noted sculptor Marshall Fredericks:
…designed these over-life sized figures for the NIGHT AND DAY FOUNTAIN outside of the McMorran Auditorium in Port Huron. The fountain is beneath the 22 ft. diameter sculptural clock, which was also designed by Fredericks. He chose time as the theme of the auditoriums exterior ornamentation because the donors of the building put great value in punctuality. In keeping with the long tradition on western art, the sculptor personified time with figures representing night and day.
Check out more work by Marshall Fredericks on Michigan in Pictures.
Michigan in Pictures 