As you can see from the weather radar, a powerful summer storm has been rocking & rolling its way across the state this morning leaving cooler temps in its wake. Hoping you’re staying safe & dry!
Ethan got this double stroke of lightning on Sunday just before a storm dumped buckets of rain. Follow him on Facebook at Captures By Ethan and view & purchase his work on his website.
Back in the day, I used to feature excerpts by Linda S. Godfrey from the definitive book of Michigan mysteries: Weird Michigan. A good story to share when you’re floating around this weekend is the tale of the Lake Leelanau Monster.
The story of an early 20th Century sea monster sighting was sent to The Shadowlands Web site by a reader whose great-grandfather was the witness. The boy was fishing for perch one day in 1910 in the shallows of Lake Leelanau in Leelanau County. The lake had been dammed in the late 1800’s to provide water power for the local mill and to enable logging. The dam also flooded much surrounding area, turning it into swamps and bogs punctuated by dead, standing trees.
On that particular day, the young great-grandfather, William Gauthier, rowed out to a new fishing spot near the town of Lake Leelanau. Looking for good perch habitat, he paddled up close to a tree that he estimated to stand about five feet tall above the water, with a six-inch trunk. He was in about seven feet of water, and after deciding this would be a good place to stop and cast a line, began tying the boat to the tree.
That’s when young William discovered the tree had eyes. They were staring him dead in the face at about four feet above water level. The boy and serpent exchanged a long gaze, then the creature went, “Bloop” into the water. Gauthier said later that the creature’s head passed one end of the boat while the tail was still at the other end, though it was undulating very quickly through the water. The writer noted that Gauthier always admitted to having been thoroughly frightened by his encounter, and that the event caused him to stay off that lake for many years.
The writer added that his great-grandfather came from a prominent area family and was very well-educated, and that he knew others who would admit privately but not publicly that they, too, had seen the creature. No sightings have been reported in recent times, but who knows how many people have believed they were passing by a rotting old cedar when in fact they had just grazed the Leelanau lake monster?
Linda has regrettably passed on, but you can buy the awesome Weird Michigan right here.
Get more Michigan weirdness on Michigan in Pictures.
John says that eventually this boathouse will slide into the Lake Leelanau Narrows. See more in his huge Leelanau gallery on Flickr!
Crazy Fast Times on Torch Lake by Drew Shaffer
This morning I saw this fantastic pic shared without attribution for probably the 100th time. I knew the attribution because I had shared it from Instagram back in 2017.
I know that a million bots building social media using AI will only make things worse, so I really (really) want to make a plea to all of you to FOLLOW THE PHOTOGRAPHER. Every time you do, even if you don’t purchase their work, you build their following which makes it more likely that their work is credited and profitable because making pretty pictures is hard and takes lots of glass & gas!!
Drew Shaffer is a photographer/filmmaker from Ohio with a whole lot of fun stuff going on including some awesome eclipse shots & a very cool looking documentary called The Long Way Forward. You can follow him on Instagram or YouTube!
PS: Yes, dear skeptic. This photo is real and Torch Lake is really that clear some days. Michigan is lovely 😻
Here’s a sweet shot I shared 5 years ago on June 3rd of a boat in the mist on Lake Leelanau in the northwestern Lower Peninsula. See more in Francios’ Michigan Journey’s gallery on Flickr and have a great weekend everyone!
More fog & mist on Michigan in Pictures!
You could definitely do worse than floating in one of Michigan’s lakes this weekend – here’s hoping it’s a great one!
Cheryl took this last August. See more in her massive SUMMER gallery on Flickr.
Riding the Waves by David Juckett
It’s been a while since I added to the world famous Michigan in Pictures Duckie Gallery, so cowabunga everyone!!
David shares that although these little guys were only hatched last week, they seemed to be holding their own in the waves. See more in his Birds gallery on Flickr.
Bird House by Charles Hildebrandt
Charles got this awesome shot of a birdhouse last week. Head over to “morning” on his Flickr for more including a sweet pic of a pair of birds hanging out on the roof!
Sunrise on Magician Lake by Joyce Cole
WKFR Kalamazoo had a feature on some of Michigan’s oddly named lakes that links to my post on Lake Fanny Hooe on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Another lake on their list was Magician Lake near Dowagiac. This is Magician Lake says in part:
The lake covers approximately 524 acres, is spring fed, has three islands (two accessible only by boat) and an outlet called Silver Creek. For the most part, it is a shallow lake (10-12 feet) with deep holes up to 60 feet deep. The lake is considered to be an “all sports lake” and is in the “excellent” category when it stands up to CLMP standards.
Magician Lake has a rich history that began in the late 1800s. People settled on the north and east shores and on one of the islands, starting up resorts known as Gregory Beach, Happyland, and Maple Island Resort Association. In even earlier days, it was inhabited by the Pokagon Potawatomi who gave it one version of its original name of Silver Lake. Because of its marl bottom that turned white every spring, as well as having springs which made it treacherous to cross with the winter ice, Native Americans also thought the lake to be superstitious or “magical”. Thus, the name evolved into Magician Lake. As with all names, there is also another theory that a group of “magicians” (probably vaudevillians) once lived at Happyland, an old-time resort, and entertained people in the area. Since this was the lake where magicians resided, it became known as Magician Lake.
Joyce took this photo back in August of 2012 and shares the set’s called “Where my feet take me”…….. ok, my arms actually took me out on the lake, but isn’t this a beautiful sunrise?! I just had to stop and soak it all in. See more in her Where my feet take me… gallery on Flickr.
I can’t think of a better pic for 2-22-22 than this shot from Tate that I featured 14 years ago. Check out this & others of his most popular photos on Flickr and have a great day!
Icy Sunset on Torch Lake by T P Mann
“Even the most terrible days eventually have their sunsets.”
-Andrew McFarlane
Since a Google search finds exactly ZERO results for “Even the most terrible days eventually have their sunsets” I am low key happy to close the year with an original quotation that I think is perfect for the end of 2021. Here’s hoping that the unfolding of 2022 will be miles better & that you are all happy, healthy, and with the ones you love in the coming year!
TP took this back in March of 2021. See more in his Torch Lake gallery on Flickr.
Michigan in Pictures 