A Michigan Osprey Pair at Wildwing Lake

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Osprey Pair at Wildwing Lake 1

Osprey Pair at Wildwing Lake 1, photo by C.A. Mullhaupt.

C.A. Mullhaupt took this incredible photo (view it bigger) of a pair of osprey at Wildwing Lake in Kensington Metropark near Milford, Michigan.

The Michigan DNR’s Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) page says:

The “fish hawk” (length of 22-25 inches, wingspan of 4.5-6 feet) is brown above and white below, and flies with a distinct bend in its wing at the “wrist.” Their feet are equipped with spiny scales and long talons that give them a firm grip on slippery fish, their only prey. Ospreys usually select tall trees in marshes along streams, lakes or man made floodings. They will adapt to artificial nesting platforms. This help from humans, along with the restriction of certain harmful pesticides, has helped ospreys recover from the drastic population reductions seen in the 1950s and ’60s…

The Department of Natural Resources requests help from wildlife observers to report any sightings of osprey in southern Michigan, particularly in the Maple River area (north of St. Johns,) and in southeast Michigan (Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Livingston counties.)

Osprey Watch of Southeast Michigan (OWSEM) is a non-profit volunteer organization based at Kensington Metropark. Their goal are to help the Michigan DNR in their efforts to restore the osprey to Southern Michigan and to educate the public about this very special raptor. On their very extensive web site they have a cool osprey sighting map, lots of reports and photos and there’s even information about osprey hacking.

You can learn more about the osprey from Wikipedia’s osprey entry and the get photos, calls and other info from
Pandion haliaetus (osprey) at the University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web

The Triumphal March: Detroit Red Wings 2008 Victory Celebration

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Triumphal March

The Triumphal March, photo by Airplane Lane.

Airplane Lane took this photo of the throngs cheering Detroit Red Wings Captain Nicklas Lidstrom holding the Stanley Cup aloft in celebration as he rode down Woodward Ave during the Red Wings victory parade.

You can check out a ton more photos in this Flickr slideshow of Detroit Red Wings victory parade (just the photos).

Michigan Drive-ins and the 75th anniversary of the drive-in

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Wayne Drive-In Theatre Marquee - Wayne, Michigan

Wayne Drive-In Theatre Marquee – Wayne, Michigan, photo by michigandriveins.

In recognition of yesterday’s 75th anniversary of the drive-in, WIRED Magazine featured June 6, 1933: A Car, a Movie, Some Popcorn and Thou. You have to check it out, if only for the photo of the reverse side of the world’s first drive-in movie screen (Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr’s Camden NJ theater) advertising the opportunity to SIT IN YOUR CAR – SEE AND HEAR MOVIES for 25¢ per car, 25¢ per person and $1 for 3 or more people.

About the above photo of the marquee of the Wayne Drive-In Theatre, michigandriveins writes:

What an amazing display this must have been to pass through. This giant neon masterpiece was apparently built by the Long Sign Company. Detroit-based Long also constructed the still-standing Commerce Drive-In Marquee, and the long-gone Waterford Drive-In Marquee.

Amazingly, the top portion of this marquee was saved during demolition. A Ford plant now stands on the grave of the Wayne Drive-In. When the Wayne went down in 1990, speakers, projectors, and three of it’s four screens went to the Ford-Wyoming 6-9 Drive-In in Dearborn, they are still in use today.

I’d like to hear from anyone connected with the Long Sign Co.

Much (much) more about Michigan’s drive-ins and drive in history at michigandriveins.com (also see Drive-in theater on Wikipedia).

You can get even more cool old photos, posters and history about drive-ins in general and in Michigan from the Drive-in Theater History page at WaterWinterWonderland.com.

It was in the period of the late 1930’s that the state of Michigan was introduced to the drive-in, with the opening of the so-called “Drive-In”, later known as the Eastside, on May 26, 1938 with the film “The Big Broadcast of 1938.” A Mr. John H. Flancher filed a petition in court in July of that year on behalf of the residents of 3 Detroit suburbs. His contention was that the new Theater could be heard from two miles away and should be deemed a public nuisance. Although the petition contained over 500 signatures, the case was dropped when the Theater agreed to take steps to alleviate the problem which seemed to satisfy the petitioners and the court. This would not be the last time a drive-in Theater operator would run afoul of the local community however.

I’ll leave you with the Michigan Drive-in Theater slideshow on Flickr (just the photos) and say I hope you and yours get a chance to take in a film or three at a Michigan drive-in this summer! (There are 10 open in Michigan today!

GM Flyby at the Red Bull Air Race in Detroit

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

GM Flyby

GM Flyby, photo by (Andrew).

Last weekend’s air race in in Detroit produced some pretty cool photos. Andrew says to be sure to view this one Large on Black.

You can see a whole lot more in this slideshow of Detroit Red Bull Air Race photos (or the photo thumbnails).

Welcome Back, Stanley! Detroit Red Wings win Stanley Cup!!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Welcome Back, Stanley! (2008)

Welcome Back, Stanley!, photo by radiospike photography

Spike writes that this photo of Red Wings captain Nik Lidstrom was taken after the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to secure their 11th Stanley Cup. He has a ton of great Wings shots and says that his complete gallery of Red Wings photos will be on sale within hours.

For a while it looked to Wingnuts like the Red Wings were going to take fans to the edge of heaven and leave them there after a crushing game 5 loss. Last night fans gathered around their TVs, in the Joe Louis Arena and (lucky few) at Mellon Arena where their beloved Wings:

…played a perfect road game Wednesday night at Mellon Arena, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2, in Game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final to go wire-to-wire as the best team in the National Hockey League this season.

“It’s never easy,” Wings goalie Chris Osgood said. “Toughest trophy in sports to win; it lives for that name every year, that nickname. It was difficult, again. Pittsburgh is a great young team … gave us all we could handle. Probably one of the most difficult series I’ve played in a while. They have a talented team. They held on right to the end again. They kept pushing us still.”

Detroit Red Wings’ players, coaches and staff will participate in a parade to celebrate the 2008 Stanley Cup championship tomorrow (Friday, June 6) starting at 11 AM. The parade will end with a celebration rally at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit. Click for all the details!

You can check Wikipedia’s 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs entry for the Wings route to Lord Stanley’s Cup. Here’s a slideshow of photos from the Detroit Red Wings 2008 playoff run on Flickr (just the photos) and you’ll also want check out the Detroit Red Wings group, and this slideshow of Game 6 photos from the Red Wings site.

Get Local with Michigan Farmer’s Markets!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

DSC_0208

DSC_0208, photo by kamerakara.

Kara says that farmer’s markets are what she does on Sundays. This photo is part of her Birmingham Farmers Market set (slideshow).

Over on Absolute Michigan we’re trying to help you put more Michigan on your table. One of the cool features we’ve added is our Absolute Michigan Map, and one of the first things we’ve added to that are a whole bunch of Michigan farmers markets – check it out!!

PS: I added the Birmingham Farmer’s Market to the map and you can get details on the market from enjoybirmingham.com.

Exposure Detroit in Ann Arbor – June – July 2008

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Fly by

Fly by, photo by blind lemon larry.

The Exposure.Detroit in Ann Arbor show opens this Friday (June 6) from 7-9 PM at Sweetwaters Cafe in Ann Arbor and continues through July and the Ann Arbor Art Fair. The theme of the show is “Michigan means ______ to me” and you can see the photos submitted right here.

Selected photographers for the show are: vonhaupt, rhonda marie, mike glinski, joejoesmoe , orlowski photography, kevin ridge , buckshotjones, tedguy49, paulhitz, radiospike, bobby alcott, maya fardoun, caterpillars, A2 Kathy , ledio/shqipo, ryan southen, bashas04, david sr. – lapeer photography, 1manwithacamera , keith burgess photography, kathy4, blind lemon larry , urban picasso , living in red, Rich S , Katthor , amy palomar, senecacreek/, ralph ckrawczyk jr/, alanna st laurent.

This photo is part of Larry’s Michigan set (slideshow).

to the center of floral delight

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

to the center of floral delight

to the center of floral delight, photo by mfophotos.

Mark says that the irises in his yard are looking great this year.

If you’re in the Royal Oak area today, the Iris Club of Southeast Michigan is holding an AIS sanctioned iris show. Viewing is from noon to 4 PM, and I assume all the good looking irises will be there.

If you’re not in the area, well, zoom into this photo, explore the 200+ varieties of irises on Wikipedia and sit back and watch this Michigan Iris show from Flickr.

Pasties: A UP Tradition

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Pasties

Pasties, photo by G0Da.

Lehto’s Famous Pasties are located 7 1/2 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge and the town of St. Ignace. I was pretty shocked to find that I didn’t have a post about pasties on Michigan in Pictures. As the official food of the Upper Peninsula, it definitely merits one, so here goes!

Real Michigan Food: The Pasty on Absolute Michigan says that the pasty came to the Upper Peninsula with tin miners from Cornwall England in the 1800s. Along with a lot of mining knowledge, the Cornish brought advanced lunch technology: the small, portable, and oh-so-filling pasty.

The Cultural Context of the Pasty – yes, we take our meals seriously in Michigan – has even more history and some recipes. If cooking isn’t your thing, head over to Pasty.com’s Pasty Central to buy pasties online. Pasty Central is an employee-owned company in Calumet that has shipped over 300,000 pasties.

You can find other places to purchase pasties (and more articles) at Absolute Michigan keyword pasty and the Absolute Michigan pool has a number of Michigan pasty photos including a perplexingly popular pasty picture and this pasty packed postcard (includes history and recipe). As with just about anything, there’s a Wikipedia entry for the pasty and pasties (not to be confused with other uses of pasties).

I should add that the photo above is part of Dan’s Michigan slideshow, something you should definitely check out if you are a fan of photography with 110% of the Michigan RDA for Awesome.

Michigan Jumpology

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by LedaVL.

Leda writes that the trampoline was purchased for the kids … YEAH RIGHT! Check out this slideshow of Michigan jumping from The Jumping Project.

The Jumping Project group says they draw their vision from the pioneer of the jumping portrait, Philippe Halsman. Halsman was one of the most famous portrait photographers of the 20th Century and his work graced the covers and insides of Look, Esquire, the Saturday Evening Post, Paris Match, and especially Life.

He once explained his “jumpology” by saying that “When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears.“. I was pretty surprised to learn from this Smithsonian article on Halsman that:

This odd idiom was born in 1952, Halsman said, after an arduous session photographing the Ford automobile family to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. As he relaxed with a drink offered by Mrs. Edsel Ford, the photographer was shocked to hear himself asking one of the grandest of Grosse Pointe’s grande dames if she would jump for his camera. “With my high heels?” she asked. But she gave it a try, unshod – after which her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Henry Ford II, wanted to jump too.

For the next six years, Halsman ended his portrait sessions by asking sitters to jump. It is a tribute to his powers of persuasion that Richard Nixon, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Judge Learned Hand (in his mid-80s at the time) and other figures not known for spontaneity could be talked into rising to the challenge of…well, rising to the challenge.

Might as well JUMP!