New Moon, photo by eyesontheskies.
Today was a family day, and I almost forgot to post Michigan in Pictures.
Glad I did as I first saw the gorgeous crescent moon tonight along with Venus and then found this beautiful shot in the Absolute Michigan pool.
See it on black and in eyesontheskies’ incredible Astro slideshow. In addition to some great moon shots and includes Northern Lights so don’t miss it!!
December 17 – Holly Jolly Christmas, photo by Holly Jolly Christmas by Michael Koole – Vision Three Images
Here’s hoping that all of you have a great Christmas if that’s your thing and a wonderful weekend in any case!
See it bigger on black and in Michael’s great snow slideshow.
Roll 1 FILM Snowy Pine SOOC, photo by Carolyn Gallo
The History of Christmas Trees from the History Channel notes that ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows, many in the belief that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness. A popular belief is that Martin Luther was walking one winter evening, and was overcome by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
They note that as as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans:
It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims’s second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against “the heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.” In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
…By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
See this gorgeous tree on black and in Carolyn’s snow slideshow.
Out On A Limb, photo by Beth Crawford 65.
The Great Lakes Echo tipped us off to the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. :
Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations – and to help guide conservation action.
From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition — and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.
In years past, the Christmas Bird Count has helped the Society document species health and develop plans. Click to learn how to get involved!
See Beth’s photo of a pine siskin, a common finch, bigger and in her beautiful winter slideshow.
Many more Michigan birds on Michigan in Pictures.
Untitled, photo by BareBonesDetroit
The Detroit News has a fantastic feature titled Christmas traditions in Old Detroit: Pigeon pie, horse racing, tapers on trees that is a wonderful look at the history of the Christmas holiday in Detroit. They begin:
Although Protestant churches in Detroit did not embrace the Christmas holiday until the 1840s, it was long celebrated in the French Catholic Churches such as Detroit’s oldest parish, St. Anne’s. (pictured above)
Before Christmas trees became the rage, the French holiday tradition in Detroit was represented by yule logs, reveillon feasting, and horse races. Yule logs were enormous logs or sometimes entire tree stumps that filled the hearth along with a half cord of wood to get it started. Holiday feasting began on Christmas Eve in a tradition called reveillon (pronounced Ray-veh-yon), which is still celebrated in Quebec and New Orleans (at least for the tourists).
In Detroit, families would carry a lantern to midnight mass and leave it with a beggar at the church door. When the Christmas mass was over, they would pick up their lantern and give a Christmas tip to the beggar. They then would go home for the feast that would last until 8 a.m.
The reveillon supper was a sumptuous menu that included la tourtiere — a meat pie made with pigeons in the 19th century and later with pork, veal or other game. Other dishes might include a stew of meat balls and pork, minced pork pie, turkey, pumpkin pie, mince pie and new cider.
There’s a whole lot more including holiday menus, toys, the hazards of decoration and even holiday horse racing through the streets of the city by the French and Ulysses S. Grant! Definitely read the rest and check out the photo gallery which includes some great old photos! About this photo from December 2010, BareBonesDetroit wrote:
Day Six: During the holidays, many of us end up donning our Sunday best and heading over to our local place of worship. Lucky for us here in Metro Detroit, the city overflows with churches, and even has a synagogue. Ste. Anne’s is the oldest church in Detroit. It’s massive structure is a beacon from both sides of the International border we share with Canada. For the season, it’s facade becomes even merrier. If you’ve never visited, for the history lesson and stained glass alone, it’s worth a visit.
View this photo bigger and see more in his Twelve Days of Christmas slideshow. Also be sure to check out barebonesdetroit.com for a cool photographic tour of the D!
More Christmas traditions on Michigan in Pictures…
mighty maple, photo by aimeeern.
“Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root.”
– Malay proverb
A couple of weeks ago we reported on the threat to Michigan Eastern Black Walnut trees from Thousand Cankers Disease, but apparently they’re not the only significant Michigan tree in peril. Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that scientists are warning that acid rain will damage Great Lakes maples in the coming decades:
Sugar maple abundance already has dropped in parts of the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada over the past 40 years, primarily because of high acid levels in soils. The upper Great Lakes have mostly escaped the damage because the area’s soils are rich in calcium, which provides a buffer against acid.
But in an article published this month in the Journal of Applied Ecology, scientists said they had discovered another way that acid rain harms sugar maple seedlings in upper Great Lakes forests.
It causes excessive nitrogen buildups that prevent dead maple leaves from decaying after falling to the ground, hampering growth of new trees, said Donald Zak, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan.
“The thickening of the forest floor has become a physical barrier for seedlings to reach mineral soil or to emerge from the extra litter,” Zak said. “What we’ve uncovered is a totally different and indirect mechanism by which atmospheric nitrogen deposition can negatively impact sugar maples.”
If you’re into plant biology, you might enjoy Simulated N deposition negatively impacts sugar maple regeneration in a northern hardwood ecosystem from the Journal of Applied Ecology. If you’re into fall color or maple syrup, you might enjoy encouraging your elected representatives to take action to protect the future of these glorious trees.
Check this out big as a maple tree and in Amy’s autumn slideshow.
More beautiful maples can be found in our fall wallpaper archives.
Pt. Betsie Lighthouse , photo by GLASman1.
Point Betsie Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. The Friends of Point Betsie website notes that the point was originally known by the French as “Point Aux Bec Scies,” meaning “sawed beak point” and that it was was built in 1858 at a cost of $5000. If you want to get a taste of life at a lighthouse, you can rent the Assistant Keeper’s apartment in the summertime.
Check it out bigger and in Mark’s slideshow.
Much more about Point Betsie Lighthouse on Michigan in Pictures!
DSC00824_tonemapped, photo by ansonredford.
While Petit Portal – also called Petit Arch and Arch Rock by some – is often confused with the partially caved in Grand Portal, it’s a smaller and as yet intact formation. You can read about some of these from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore website. The two arches (and many cave structures) are formed by the powerful action of Lake Superior waves on the soft sandstone that underlies the harder layers above.
You can read more about the geology of Pictured Rocks from Oh Ranger! (a cool site I just found today) and also this PDF on geology from the Lakeshore. If you want to see them up close, the boat tours from Munising are worth every penny.
Donald took this 5 years ago. Check it out background bigtacular and in his stunning Pictured Rocks Nat’l Lakeshore slideshow which includes some jaw-dropping shots of Chapel Rock and even a look from inside Petit Portal.
Much more on the Pictured Rocks on Michigan in Pictures.
Iraqi child won’t let go of Mich. Guardsman, photo by The National Guard.
The Iraq War began on March 20, 2003 and was formally ended yesterday, December 15, 2011. At 8 years, 9 months it was longer than Vietnam, longer than World War II. This Detroit Free Press article on the costs of the war in Iraq says they include 4,487 dead and 32,226 wounded Americans and over 100,000 Iraqi dead. Michigan’s contribution was at least 159 dead and 1,000 wounded, according to Pentagon records. Military Times has the number at 216, and you can see the list of Michiganders who gave their lives in the Iraq War.
Retired Marine and Iraq vet Steve Maddox says that veteran’s challenges are just beginning and cannot be answered by yellow ribbons or catchy sloganeering. In addition to combat injuries and frightening suicide rates he writes:
I see post-Iraq War challenges that are as big, if not bigger than those we faced as a nation for the past eight years. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans face higher unemployment rates than their contemporaries. In Michigan, with an overall unemployment rate hovering around 10%, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ unemployment rate is over 29%, by far the highest in the country.
One of the articles I read noted that we’re not leaving Iraq in very good shape. The Iraqi Hope Foundation was founded by Michigan Tech alum and Iraq veteran Major Don Makay. The foundation seeks to honor the sacrifices of veterans by building stability and prosperity of Iraq through investment in small and mid-level businesses. Read more about it right here.
About this photo, the National Guard says:
U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas Loyd, assigned to Foxtrot Company, 425th Infantry (Long Range Surveillance), Michigan National Guard, based in Selfridge, Mich., holds hands with an Iraqi child in Sununi, Iraq, Oct. 29, 2009. Loyd was standing outside the mayor’s office while a meeting was taking place when the child attached himself to Loyd and would not let go. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Carmichael Yepez/Released)
See it background big and see a few more in their Michigan slideshow.
Sunset on Ice, photo by Happyhiker4
While we wait and wonder when winter will wander in, many folks including Mark are digging through their archives for helpful pictures to remind Old Man Winter to get busy. About this photo from last January Mark writes:
I had traveled to the icy shores looking for a chance to see the sunset from an icy shoreline. Little did I know I would be blessed in incredible beauty. I wanted to feel the ice and the textures were just incredible. I ran my fingers over the smooth solid ice. The ice held such a deep color as the sun put on an incredible show. Blessed in Nature. What a Life!
Check it out on black and see more of Mark’s amazing work in his Ice slideshow.
Michigan in Pictures 