When Octopi Fly

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Octopi

Octopi, photo by GH Patriot.

Last night the Red Wings managed to beat the Blackhawks 2-1 in an overtime thriller and return to the Stanley Cup. For those unfamiliar with the traditions of Hockeytown, I give you The Legend of the Octopus:

The Legend of the Octopus is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games in which an octopus is thrown onto the ice surface for good luck. The origins of the activity go back to the 1952 playoffs, when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup. The octopus, having eight arms, symbolized the number of playoff wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. The tradition was first started on April 15, 1952 by Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers and storeowners in Detroit’s Eastern Market. The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens en route to winning the championship, as well as winning two of the next three championships.

Since 1952, because the tossing of octopuses is generally viewed as a successful symbol of good luck, the practice has persisted each year; in one 1995 game, fans threw 36 octopuses, including a 30-pounder. The Red Wings’ unofficial mascot is a purple octopus named Al, and during playoff runs two of these mascots are also hung from the rafters of the Joe Louis Arena, symbolizing the 16 wins now needed to win the Stanley Cup. It has become such an accepted part of the team’s lore, that fans have developed what is considered proper etiquette and technique for throwing an octopus onto the ice.

Those octopi also flew a few weeks ago at the Grand Haven Kite Festival (click that link for a slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool).

See this photo bigger in GH Patriot’s Other slideshow.

Beating the Blackhawks

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

beating the Blackhawks

beating the Blackhawks, photo by dnj_Brian.

The Detroit Red Wings have a chance to put the Chicago Blackhawks on ice tonight, where a win will give them a chance to defend the Stanley Cup vs the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Be sure to check this out bigger or in Brian’s massive All Detroit slideshow. Here’s the Flickr slideshow of the most recent Detroit Red Wings photos and the Red Wings on Absolute Michigan.

Go Wings!

South Manitou Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

KAScott_20081011_8056_trailsb

KAScott_20081011_8056_trailsb, photo by Ken Scott, Photography.

via Leelanau.com

This Saturday (May 30) the National Park Service invites you to officially celebrate the relighting of the South Manitou Island Lighthouse. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore installed a replica third-order Fresnel lens in the completely refurbished lantern room of the lighthouse last fall, a historic event was made possible by a partnership between the park service, Manitou Islands Memorial Society, Manitou Island Transit, and Electro-Optics Technology, Inc. The light was tested then, but it was too late in the season for the a formal ceremony.

Starting at 9:00 PM at the Maritime Museum in Glen Haven, a National Park Service ranger will present a half-hour interpretive program about the history of the Manitou Passage and the shipwrecks that made it necessary to install a lighthouse to guide mariners through its hazardous waters. Following the program, Superintendent Dusty Shultz and representatives from the partner groups will provide brief remarks and recognize the numerous donors who made this project a reality. Light refreshments will be served and when it’s dark enough, the light will be illuminated.

Ken’s photo of the South Manitou Island Light features a collection of 350, 30 second still images stacked to create startrails. Check it out bigger in Ken’s sky stuff slideshow.

This image is available for purchase as a fundraiser to help pay off the relighting renovation bills. Contact Ken at Ken Scott Photography for more information.

More about the relighting of the South Manitou Light…

In Memorium

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

In Memorium

In Memorium, photo by powerbooktrance.

I hope you all have a chance to remember today.Here’s some more Michigan Memorial Day posts from Michigan in Pictures.

Jumping into summertime

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Camping - P.J. Hoffmaster State Park

Camping – P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, photo by plounsbury.

Summer is here – jump off!

Memorial Day, Michigan Style on Absolute Michigan has lots of Memorial weekend fun.

Check it out bigger and on the P. J. Hoffmaster State Park entry on the Absolute Michigan map.

bubble d

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

bubble d
bubble d, photo by mlephotos.

Meghan found a crystal ball. I predict she’s not finished with it yet.

It’s Surprising Anything Gets Done Around Here

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

It's Surprising Anything Gets Done Around Here

It’s Surprising Anything Gets Done Around Here, photo by MightyBoyBrian.

You can take a look bigger (The Urban slideshow) and see this in context right here.

Bleeding Heart

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart, photo by The Toad.

Be sure to check it out bigger and also all the Michigan flowers that are popping up in the Absolute Michigan pool.

Founder’s Day Sunrise, Marquette Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

foundersboatsrise_autolv

foundersboatsrise_autolv, photo by TheDailies.

Kim has a great set of photos from Founder’s Day (slideshow).

On her blog, she relates the story of the Marquette’s first Founder’s Day (May 18, 2009):

While researching Marquette history, particularly the lower harbor and Founders Landing, Joe Constance, a partner with the Landing Development Group, ran across an address Peter White gave to Marquette’s YMCA in 1889. “On May 18, 1849, Peter White and Robert Graveraet first arrived in what would become Marquette,” says Constance. “Reading about their arrival at sunrise and meeting with Chief Kawbawgam, I started thinking about what that friendship meant for our community,” adds Constance. “The 160th anniversary of that date and event in our city’s history needs to be recognized.”

…According to White’s story, the party expected the trip to take three hours, but, “the seven oarsmen were pulling with a will-long strong, deep, regular strokes, that, made the boat show what the sailors call a bore in her teeth for these boys had been told that morning when breaking camp at 4 o’clock at Shot Point, that their destination was in sigh, and if they did as well as they sometimes did that a landing would be made inside of two hours, that the long trip–nine days of coasting would be ended, and the new Eldorado would be reached–and it was accomplished.”

Be sure to check this out bigger too!

Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures
Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork
Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork Elizabeth Park Trenton, Michigan

Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork, photo by mandj98.

emerald-ash-borerThe Emerald Ash Borer information site says:

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients.

Since its discovery, EAB has killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Missouri, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ontario, and Quebec. The Michigan Department of Agriculture page on the Emerald Ash Borer explains that the best way to stop the spread of EAB (and to avoid fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years) is to not transport firewood. All types of firewood can transport invasive pests other than EAB including Beech Bark Disease, Asian Longhorned Beetle, Sirex Woodwasp, and Gypsy Moth.

This photo is part of James’ massive Michigan photo set (slideshow).