Exposure.Detroit: September Show

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Bridge Again

The Bridge Again, photo by mi_kirk.

Kirk says that the trees have grown some since the first time he shot this. You can check out other photos from the Exposure .Detroit Safari to Cranbrook on 08/26/07 (slideshow).

Kirk is one of 5 photographers (tEdGuY49, mi_kirk, radiospike, paulhitz & Bobby Alcott) who will be displaying their work at The Bean & Leaf Cafe in Royal Oak next Friday (Sept 21) from 7-10 PM. Theatre of the Absurd and Liz Larin will provide musical entertainment.

If you’re a person in the metro area who enjoys photography, definitely check out Exposure.Detroit.

Fisherman’s Island State Park

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Fishermans Island SP Michigan

Fishermans Island SP Michigan, photo by F3_power_user.

The DNR page on Fisherman’s Island State Park (view a Wikimap) explains that…

Fisherman’s Island State Park is not actually an island, but a 2,678-acre park with five miles of unspoiled Lake Michigan shoreline. The park encompasses a tiny island, Fisherman’s Island, located a short distance offshore from the picnic area. Located just south of Charlevoix, it features a rustic campground with some of the sites nestled in the dunes along the lakeshore. The park road travels through the campground to the picnic area with access to the beach and miles of hiking trails. The interior terrain consists of rolling dunes covered with maple, birch and aspen broken up by bogs of cedar and black spruce.

Keith House says that this was scanned from an older 35mm chrome.

warren polka boosters

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

warren polka boosters

warren polka boosters, photo by monitorpop.

If this isn’t Michigan, then I don’t know what is.

(from the Frankenmuth Summer Music Festival, held mid-August every year and featuring that heavy Barvarian sound)

Mike has a site for his photography/new media work called monitor pop! that I think you might enjoy.

Ludington from the SS Badger Car Ferry

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Ludington, MI from the Bow of SS Badger

Ludington, MI from the Bow of SS Badger, photo by Wigwam Jones.

Yesterday on Absolute Michigan we took a look at the S.S. City of Milwaukee, a permanently moored rail car ferry museum (website).

It seems only fitting that we give a nod to the S.S. Badger with a cool set of SS Badger photos from Wigwam Jones (slideshow).

The S.S. Badger web site gives the history of the ship which begins:

She is the largest car ferry ever to sail Lake Michigan, and has provided a safe, fun, and reliable shortcut across the huge inland sea for more than fifty years. The S.S. Badger is a national treasure, offering a cruise experience that links us to an earlier time when a sea voyage was the ultimate travel and vacation adventure.

The 410′ S.S. Badger entered service in 1953, designed specifically to handle the rough conditions that it would likely encounter during year ’round sailing on Lake Michigan. Built primarily to transport railroad freight cars, but with superior passenger accommodations, the Badger reigned as Queen of the Lakes during the car ferries’ Golden Era in the late Fifties, with Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Kewaunee as her Wisconsin ports of call.

Unlike most of her fellow ferries, the Badger escaped the scrapyard and makes the daily journey from Ludington to Manitowoc, WI May – October. Be sure to take the tour of the Badger!

A sensible start for Michigan’s school year

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Reflection

Reflection, photo by rckrawczykjr.

It’s the day after Labor Day and most school districts in Michigan are (quite sensibly) holding their first day of classes today thanks to a mighty fine bit of legislating that has Connecticut lamenting that there’s “something unnatural about sending children to school in August” and Ohio looking to follow suit.

The The Michigan Hotel, Motel & Resort Association found that hotel occupancy for the last two weeks of August was way up as well – kudos to our much-battered elected officials.

The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Raw00340

Raw00340, photo by ktpupp.

Sometimes I make a note to post about something at a later date, lose the note and then when the later date rolls around, realize that I’ve become a party to one of my pet peeves: telling folks about something when it’s too late to make any plans for it. That’s what happened with my plan to post something about the 2007 Detroit Grand Prix. Ah well, such is life…

The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix official site says that the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix returns after a 6 year absence and features the cars of the American Le Mans Series (Detroit Sports Car Challenge on Saturday at 3:15) and the IndyCar Series (Detroit Indy Grand Prix on Sunday at 3:30 on ABC). Net proceeds raised by the Grand Prix will fund measures to preserve and improve Belle Isle, and the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix has earmarked $100,000 in cash for the improvement and preservation of Belle Isle (Belle Isle park page).

Here’s a map of the course, which is also available in the Detroit News interactive tour of the course. Over at Jalopnik they’ll be covering the race all weekend (check the Detroit Grand Prix tag) and they have a video of the pace car navigating the course (there’s also some historical footage from past Detroit Grand Prix in the menu at the end of the video).

Wikipedia’s Detroit Indy Grand Prix entry has a bit about the history of the race and there’s some more in the US Grand Prix history pages.

The photo above is part of Kate’s Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix 2007 set (slideshow). She has a photo from the qualifying of pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe of hometown Penske Motorsports.

There’s some more pics available from yesterday including this massive set of
Detroit Grand Prix 2007 photos and I’m guessing that the detroitgrandprix tag might be the best place to find pics as the event unfolds.

There’s also this cool set of Formula One pics that includes a lot from the old Detroit Grand Prix.

Summer 2007 … Almost Gone

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Skimboard Boogie

Skimboard Boogie, photo by eaanderson.

Hope everyone enjoys that last weekend of the summer … and that summery weather continues for a few more weeks!

This photo is part of a nice set of photos from late summer on the Muskegon shore.

Lost on vacation

Posted on by farlane

Lost by Terrapin Dawg

Lost, photo by Terrapin Dawg

One of the great things about being on vacation is getting lost. Not the kind of lost where everyone’s hot and cranky, but rather the kind of lost where you see things you never expected and aren’t even sure you could find your way back.

This photo from Cheboygan County, Michigan is part of a great set of photos of Northern Michigan, which Matt says is his favorite place in the world. (slideshow).

cornhole sunset

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

cornhole sunset by bingo_todd

cornhole sunset, photo by bingo_todd

Winner of this month’s most interesting title…

The Cornhole Game Association says:

There are many people who have varying views of how to play cornhole or what the actual name is, cornhole, bean bag game, softshoes, etc. We have discovered the most popular way to play and have standardized the rules and dimensions so people from all over the country can play the same way.

Their forum looks at the conflicting accounts of the origins and evolution of the game. A Cincinnati native who recently moved to michigan noted …the trend is getting hot up here. They are all calling it ” Polish Horseshoes”. I just laugh and tell them that we call it Cornhole. Oh well they will get it soon enough.

The Cincinatti Enquirer says that Cincinnatian Ryan Whetstone started the Cornhole Game Association, so you Polish horseshoers may be in the wrong.

A Pictured Rocks Vacation

Posted on by farlane

Mosquito Beach 1 - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Mosquito Beach 1 – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, photo by mandj98

So, I’m taking a brief vacation* but I’ve cued up some vacation themed photos to run while I’m gone. I hope you enjoy them.

For the first time in several years, my vacation plans don’t include the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (aka my 2nd favorite place in the world). The Mosquito Beach trail loop is probably the best trail I’ve ever hiked. Long enough to feel challenging, but short enough that you don’t have to carry the kids … too far.

James Phelps really loves the Pictured Rocks too, and he has created a great Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore set (slideshow) about which he writes:

Wild Beauty on the Lake Superior Shore Sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, lakes, forest, and shoreline beckon you to visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Hiking, camping, sightseeing, and four season outdoor opportunities abound. The Lakeshore hugs the Lake Superior shoreline for more than 40 miles. Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, coldest, and most pristine of all the Great Lakes. From the NPS Pictured Rocks site.

He has uploaded all the pictures at wallpaper/screensaver and he also has many for sale as prints from his photography web site.

*I do have a rather large house-sitter, so all you prowlers can prowl elsewhere! ;)