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Up close with the Tawas Point Lighthouse

Posted on January 6, 2007January 6, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

This photo is one of a set of lighthouse photos. According to Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light (which also has a stunning photo of the Tawas light in the 1800s) nothing came easy for those who sought to establish an aid to navigation of Ottawa Point at one end of Tawas Bay on Lake Huron. By the 1870s, scant years after construction of the first light on the point:

By virtue of the prevailing Northeast wind, Ottawa Point had forever been in a state of evolution. Driven by wave and wind, sand from the lake-bed and the shoreline was continually deposited onto the end of the Point, changing its configuration. Over the years since the construction of the Light, this natural reshaping had continued unabated, lengthening the Point by almost a mile, and leaving the old lighthouse “high and dry,” three quarters of a mile from the end of the point it was designed to mark. Additionally, the light had a reputation among mariners as being extremely dim and difficult to see from out in the Lake. The combination of the dimness of the light and its distance from the Point represented a disaster waiting to happen.

Read on for the rest of the story. You can get directions to the light and information about nearby attractions from Michigan.gov and information about Tawas State Park from the DNR. You might also want to check this map of the location of the Tawas Point Lighthouse (and see some other pics taken there).

Winter seeks snow, purpose: fun

Posted on January 5, 2007January 5, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

New years at The Homestead, photo by plounsbury.

The Homestead is one of many places where (in better times) they have practiced this sliding down the hill thing called “skiing” (and also snowboarding).

A Michigan Sunset, a Michigan President

Posted on January 4, 2007January 4, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

DSC_0486, photo by nee_Morpheus.

I actually found this photo while looking for pictures of President Gerald Ford’s funeral in Grand Rapids. The thought struck me as I looked at it that we in Michigan have probably seen enough photos of that sort, and that a more fitting farewell would be a scene that he no doubt would have appreciated along with best wishes for his family and hopes that all of us can work as hard as he did on the behalf of Michigan.

.exposure.detroit.people mover safari

Posted on January 3, 2007January 3, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by tEdGuY49.

On December 30th, members of the Exposure.Detroit group took a photo safari on the People Mover in Detroit. Ted has a whole set of photos from the outing that you will want to check out and you can also click for a slideshow of a bunch of photos from the People Mover safari. (and you should – there are some really excellent photos there!)

The concept of a real-world photo outing ties in very nicely with an article about online communities extending to the offline world today on Absolute Michigan. It would be great to hear from folks about what they think of this.

One year of Michigan in Pictures, much more to come

Posted on December 31, 2006 by Michigan in Pictures

Venturing for Fish, photo by Rideout Imagery

When we started Michigan in Pictures one year ago, I’m not quite sure what we expected. Looking back, I have to say that of everything we’ve done through Absolute Michigan, it is of this site that I am most proud. We have to give a huge bucket of thanks to the fine folks at WordPress.com, who provide free and fantastic blog service for this and half a million other blogs and also make their amazing blog software available for free at WordPress.org. An equally large container of thanks is due to Flickr, the equally free and equally fantastic photo sharing site. These two companies demonstrate what people who care about what they are building can accomplish.

But beyond either of those are all of you who take and share and appreciate all kinds of photographs of this beautiful land we love called Michigan. We are so grateful to all of you.

This is the time of year when it is customary to make great promises. I’m tempted to make some about how we’ll figure out a way to tie in photos from many more places – professional photographers, other photo services, photography clubs, libraries and museums. Or to say that we will do a lot more photographer profiles like the the ones of Matt Callow and Marjorie O’Brien. Or to announce a massive Michigan photography exhibition. I hope we will do all of these and more but can’t promise anything more than that we will do our very best to honor what you have given us and to show Michigan in all its beauty to all of you.

Happy New Year, hope it’s a good one for everyone.

On the Wing

Posted on December 30, 2006December 30, 2006 by Michigan in Pictures

On the Wing, photo by Apocaplops.

Apocaplops writes A lone Bald Eagle flies over Huron National Forest, in northern Michigan. He adds that it is better viewed large and also has two more photos of this very big bird (click below). He also (also) has, by admission, too darn many cameras.

Saying Goodbye to President Ford

Posted on December 29, 2006January 20, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Museum line, photo by Hilarywho.

This picture shows people waiting in line to sign the President Ford condolence book at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids (Dec 28, 2006). Below are some more photos that you can click to view. Also see President Gerald R. Ford – 1913 – 2006 on Absolute Michigan and the Gerald R. Ford photo pool.

I remember that hat