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2011 Perseid Meteor Shower

Posted on August 8, 2011August 8, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Aug 13 2010 Perseid Meteor ( 02:12 AM), photo by mizzachita.

There was so much interest in last weekend’s Northern Lights post that I figured I should probably feature August’s by astronomical event, the Perseid Meteor Shower. Unfortunately, this big moon thing has decided to get full at the wrong time. EarthSky gives some recommendations form making the best of a bad situation in their 2011 meteor shower guide:

We are getting very near the peak of August’s famous Perseid meteor shower. Meanwhile, the moon is waxing quite large and bright in the sky. In 2011, full moon will come on August 13, a peak morning for the Perseids. …EarthSky recommends watching before dawn until the morning of August 10 to have moonless skies. Before dawn is the best time of night for watching meteors, anyway, since that is when the radiant point for the Perseids is highest in the sky.

For much more information about the Perseids, be sure to check out Star Trails, the Perseid Meteor Shower and the Tears of St. Lawrence from Michigan in Pictures.

mizzachita took this photo last year during the Perseids. Check it out on black and in her night sky slideshow.

August Nights

Posted on August 6, 2011August 6, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

August Nights, photo by False Verdict Photo.

Quincy, Michigan in Branch County. Such a classic Michigan scene. Here’s hoping the August evenings are treating you well.

Check this out background big and in Lauren’s Michigan slideshow.

More Michigan barns on Michigan in Pictures.

Make it a Michigan brew for International Beer Day!

Posted on August 5, 2011August 5, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Oberon, photo by RLHyde.

The good folks at Drink Michigan alerted me that today is International Beer Day.

mLive notes that Michigan has over 80 craft breweries, ranking 5th in the US. Of these, the oldest and largest is Bell’s Brewery of Kalamazoo, who opened in 1985, is also the oldest craft-brewer east of Boulder! They are also one of the biggest, weighing in at #8 on the Brewers Association list of the Top 50 US Breweries. Oberon (their most most popular beer) comes out at the beginning of summer every year and is a wheat ale fermented with Bell’s house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mildly fruity aromas.

Also check out Absolute Michigan’s Michigan beer listings for articles and tons of beer-related links including some of our favorites like the Michigan Brewer’s Guild and Rex Halfpenny’s Michigan Beer Guide!

See this photo bigger than a beer and in Ryan’s Alcohol slideshow.

It ain’t easy being a frog…

Posted on August 4, 2011April 30, 2016 by Michigan in Pictures

It ain’t easy…, photo by stevedontsurf.

Steven writes that: Actually, on this day, it seemed pretty easy being green. This guy was eating fly after fly as I snapped away. Must’ve had 5-6 flies in about as many minutes. He looked like lack of food was not an issue. Check it out background big and in his slideshow.

Coincidentally, I came across an article this morning about a nasty fungus called chytrid that has been the culprit of 94 out of 122 frog extinctions since 1980 and that can also affect some toads and salamanders. Brian Gratwicke of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo says:

“There’s frogs all around the world being affected. There’s amphibians that have gone extinct in Australia, in the Caribbean, in North America, in South America, in Central America.”

…There is also a real cost to humans from the frog extinctions. Frogs’ skins are anti-microbial factories. They’ve produced compounds that kill superbugs in hospitals.

“There’s a species of frog in Australia that produces a chemical called caerin, which blocks HIV transmission to T-cells,” Gratwicke says. “The untapped resources of our amphibian biodiversity are virtually unknown.”

Click through to read much more and also check out the Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor) on Michigan in Pictures.

Michigan Blueberries are ready for market!

Posted on July 30, 2011July 30, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Michigan Blueberries, photo by Mi Bob.

Taste the Local Difference has a nice feature on Michigan Blueberries that says (in part):

Native Americans gathered blueberries for centuries, and much folklore developed around them, as they were considered a highly valuable food source. The elders of a tribe would tell the story of how the Great Spirit sent “star berries” to relieve the children’s hunger during a famine. The star refers to the perfect five-pointed star on the blossom end of each berry. Blueberry juice and tea were used as medicines, and as an excellent dye for baskets and clothing. They were also used in soups and stews and in a beef jerky that was eaten year round.

The Wampanoag Indians taught the early colonists how to gather blueberries, dry them, and preserve them, which helped people survive the long winters. It is believed that dried, crushed blueberries were used in a simple corn pudding that was served at the first Thanksgiving feast.

A beverage made with blueberries was an important staple for Civil War soldiers.

Much more including health benefits from Taste the Local Difference. Also see Eat Local: Michigan Blueberries on Absolute Michigan and find more blueberry info from Real Time Farms.

See this on black and in his slideshow.

More yummy Michigan Food on Michigan in Pictures!

Summery Sunset bokeh

Posted on July 29, 2011July 29, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Summery Sunset bokeh, photo by Spring Noel.

Sometimes, it’s just the photo.

Check this out on black and see lots more in Spring’s Summer slideshow.

Traverse City Film Festival: Be Your Dreams

Posted on July 28, 2011July 28, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Traverse City Film Festival Opening Night 2011 – 6 by Mark O’Shaughnessy, photo by tcfilmfest.

All week I’m working on the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) through Absolute Michigan. One of the neat features of the festival is nightly free movies on the BIG screen along Grand Traverse Bay. On Tuesday night and thanks to George Lucas, TCFF had an unprecedented showing of The Empire Strikes Back. I say unprecedented because this just doesn’t happen with Star Wars. However, festival co-founder Michael Moore asked, and Lucas said OK. That’s kind of been how TCFF has gone over 7 years. Nothing about it, from convincing the community that a festival celebrating film would fly in Traverse City to producing an almost 100% volunteer run festival, has been likely or easy. It has been fun & exciting though!

You can get a flavor of the action in Traverse City’s thank you to Lucas.

Mark O’Shaughnessy is one of the many photographers working the Traverse City Film Festival. Check out the epic battle that ensued and more shots in the July 26: Opening slideshow.

Yippee!

Posted on July 27, 2011July 27, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Yippee!, photo by jimmb1.

Hope you get a chance to have this much fun sometime soon!

Check it out background big and see the likely cause of this photo in Jim’s slideshow.

More fun stuff on Michigan in Pictures…

USCGC Mackinaw at the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival

Posted on July 26, 2011July 26, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

USCGC Mackinaw, photo by loomisman.

The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival (July 29 – August 7, 2011) has been held every year in Grand Haven. It features a parade of ships and a couple street parades, music, carnival, fireworks and all kinds of events and exhibits about the history of the United States Coast Guard. They explain:

The festival unofficially began in 1924 as a Coast Guard personnel only picnic when the local Coast Guard station held rowing competitions for those service members stationed in Grand Haven. Today the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival has become a premier event with attendance of over 350,000 people including the nations highest ranking Coast Guard dignitaries from Washington, D.C.

The focus of the annual Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival is the National Coast Guard Memorial Service honoring those who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country while fulfilling their motto “SEMPER PARATUS” (“Always Ready”). Each year since the first picnic in 1924 and the first festival in 1937, we have celebrated our heroes, the men and women of the United States Coast Guard with fun filled family events at the annual Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival. Grand Haven is honored by its designation as “Coast Guard City, USA” by an Act of Congress and signed by the President of the United States on November 13th, 1998.

Check this out bigger in in Drew’s Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival slideshow.

Michigan in Pictures has more about the US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw.