Cornfield near Northport by jeff lamb
On mornings like this when fall is touching the tips of the leaves, I like to remember photographer & friend Jeff Lamb who passed on fourteen years ago. Here is a collection of photos that he shared from the Leelanau Peninsula back in the day.
See more in his Leelanau gallery and view photos from elsewhere in Michigan & the world on his Flickr.
PS: The pup is Sonny Boy, pictured on his fourth birthday, and he loved Leelanau too ;)
Starry Night at Frankfort Lighthouse by Watermark Photography
Such a gorgeous shot of the Frankfort Lighthouse! Head over to Jeff’s A Little Night Music gallery on Smugmug to view & purchase this and other work & also follow Watermark Photography on Facebook.
PS: You can help protect this light through the Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project!
Vineyard with a View by Mark Smith
National Public Radio shares that Pure Michigan has a new partnership to develop fragrances inspired by some of the signature scents of Michigan including its beaches, flowers and vineyards. You can listen to the NPR feature below & learn more about the fragrances at the Aroma Labs.
You can also tell us what you think some great Michigan fragrances are to inspire tourism. I’m gonna go with Leelanau Cherry Blossom!
Mark took the photo above in 2019 overlooking Lake Michigan near Northport and the one below from St. Wenceslaus Church in the middle of Leelanau County. Head over to Flickr for his latest and for sure visit Leelanau Landscapes to view & purchase his work!
FBI Twin Flames Raid in Suttons Bay by Glen Arbor Sun
The Glen Arbor Sun shares that yesterday morning (July 1) federal, state and local law enforcement officers raided the Leelanau County home of Jeff and Shaleia Divine, leaders of the Twin Flames Universe organization, which critics and multiple documentaries have described as a cult that manipulates its online followers:
…Early in the afternoon on July 1, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a press release that announced an ongoing investigation into the Twin Flames Universe as well as a second raid against people associated with the coercive group. According to Nessel’s office, the search warrants were carried out by special agents from the Department of Attorney General, along with the U.S. Department of Labor—Office of Inspector General, and law enforcement officers from Michigan State Police, the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office.
A blue Michigan State Police vehicle was seen outside the Divine residence, as well as several unmarked vehicles. A Leelanau County Sheriff’s vehicle was seen leaving the neighborhood on M-22 following the raid.
“Today, my office executed multiple search warrants upon individuals atop the Twin Flames Universe (TFU) organization and its associated properties, under the authority of a judge finding probable cause that crimes have been committed by TFU and their leadership,” said Nessel in her statement. “Anyone with information about potential criminal conduct regarding Twin Flames Universe, or their members, are encouraged to contact my office, and may do so anonymously.”
In a YouTube video announcing the investigation, Nessel added that Christine and Jason Emerick were also targets of the investigation. Emerick has been listed as the TFU’s chief operations officer and has a mailing address outside of Traverse City.
You can read lots more in the Sun and also check out other stories including this in-depth story of the uproar around the Twin Flames cult published after the release of the Netflix documentary.
If you have information about Twin Flames Universe that you think would aid the Attorney General’s investigation, please email the investigative team (AG-TFUinfo@michigan.gov) or visit their online TFU tip form (mi.gov/agtfu).
Happy Father’s Day by Terry Zweering
Wishing all of the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day!
Terry took this on Pyramid Point overlooking Lake Michigan back in 2013. See more in her Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park gallery on Flickr!
Cherry Blossom Time by Mark Smith
While a lot of cherries in the lower half of the Lower Peninsula have already bloomed, cherry blossoms in Michigan’s Cherry Capital of Northwest Lower Michigan are just getting going!
Mark Smith shared the first picture below with me last Thursday from the western side of the Leelanau Peninsula along with a couple recent pics & several more from years past. Cherry blossoms should be great up there for a few weeks at least – follow Leelanau.com for the latest and for sure check out Mark’s Leelanau Landscapes website to view & purchase his work!
More cherries & cherry blossoms on Michigan in Pictures!
Lake Michigan … anticipation by Ken Scott
This story I shared on Leelanau.com about how the Leonid meteors are being recorded hitting the surface of the moon gave me a chuckle when I realized they were doing it becauser the moon is shining on their big show! 😅
EarthSky shares that since the radiant – the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to radiate – for the Geminid Meteor Shower rises in mid-evening, you can watch for these meteors all night long in the days before & after the evenings of December 13-14 as we pass through the Geminid swarm. They say that the radiant is highest at 2am. Although you won’t see the 20 meteors per hour with the nearly full Cold Moon hanging in the sky, they are particularly bright & you will see some if you give it 15 minutes or so!
Speaking of the meteors & the moon, EarthSky & other outlets have shared video of meteor impacts on the lunar surface from Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, the curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum! Check it out below along with tips on how to get the best view of this annual meteor shower!
Ken took this back in April of 2015 when he was hoping to catch a lunar eclipse but sadly…
this morning was to be a
Total eclipse of the moon …
it started out fantastic and
then clouds rolled in . . .
Follow Ken Scott Photography on Flickr & Facebook for his latest! Also if you are wondering about the ice balls, Leelanau.com has the info on that too with another pic from Ken & video by Paul May!
Waugoshance Point by Jim Sorbie
I’m going to try to share more posts about great Michigan trails & hikes that are a little off the beaten path. If you have a favorite, share it in the comments! DWHIKES has the 411 on Waugashaunce Point Trail in Wilderness State Park north of Petoskey on Lake Michigan is a great trail that is DEFINITELY off the beaten path:
Waugoshance Point is easy to spot on a map, just look for the large peninsula jutting out from the northwestern corner of the lower peninsula: that’s it. If only for that reason it was an attractive place to want to take a hike. An added bonus was the fact that it marks the western end of the Mackinac Straits amidst three remote lighthouses and is completely devoid of trails. I simply couldn’t come up with a reason NOT to go.
Waugoshance Point is truly spectacular in the summer when the rock beaches are home to a myriad of waterfowl and a dizzying array of lake shore wildflowers. I just couldn’t wait though. The snow was gone and I needed to get out. The trail head, if there was a trail, is located at the end of Waugoshance Point Road which gives access to the back-country cabins of Wilderness State Park. From there I’d trust my topo-map to guide me along the shore out to the point. Though there are no hills or cliffs to speak of the area turned out to be quite diverse and beautiful, as you’ll see…
Here’s a great aerial photo by Jim – see more in his From the Air gallery on Flickr which also includes another view of the Point from August of 2022.
Shades of Blue .. Waugoshance Pt by Jim Sorbie
Dogman at the Shop n Save by Brauer Productions
The Dogman of Michigan is a spooky Michigan tale that’s near & dear to my heart…
Several years ago, Michigan Public Radio talked with Rachel Clark of the Michigan History Center about the legend of Michigan Dogman . She shared that the tale dates all the way back to the 1880s when two Wexford County lumberjacks saw a creature they described as having a man’s body and a dog’s head:
“So, the early reports are usually of men working in the woods who encounter this beast during their time there. And then over the years, it’s a lot of times people who are again alone, either on an isolated road or the woods,” Clark said. “Their encounters are very similar though. They do talk about this beast coming out of the woods, it is very agile, it jumps in front of their car or in front of them. It scratches at their houses or their tents.”
Most of the original reports came from logging camps. In the 1870s, Michigan was the leading white pine lumber producer in the nation. These encounters have been said to scare people to death. Someone recently called OnStar reporting that Dogman ran in front of his car—causing it to flip over.
My two connections with the Dogman are through filmmaker & friend Rich Brauer (see below) and the time my son and I were driving through the pine barrens near Fife Lake in Northern Michigan when we saw a weirdly tall black creature like a wolf or huge dog cross the road ahead of us on all fours. The legs appeared to be about 50% longer than a wolf or dog – very freakish. There are a bunch of ORV trails there and we briefly considered driving in to follow it before realizing we very much did not want to do that.
My friend Rich Brauer premiered his first Dogman film back in 2012 and followed up with Dogman 2: Wrath of the Litter in 2014. TOMORROW (Saturday, Oct 26) he premiers Dogman 3: Fight to the Finish at Frankfort’s Garden Theatre. Check out the work of Rich & his team at Brauer Productions and enjoy the trailer below!
Almost forgot this post about the Dogman I did back in 2015 with more spooky stuff!
Moon set under Aurora by TP Mann
Thomas shares, “The northern lights and the moon filled the sky above Ellsworth Lake. It was a gorgeous night to be out along the Breezeway.” The Breezeway is his passion which is totally understandable if you take a look:
“The Breezeway” is a rural ride along C-48 from Atwood (U.S. 31) through Ellsworth & East Jordan, and ending in Boyne Falls (U.S. 131) – boasts scenic overlooks, great motorcycle & bicycle rides, recreational amenities galore, working farms & orchards, artist galleries & studios, resale shops, lodging facilities (cottages, campgrounds, B&Bs, motels, and a resort), retail and service businesses with superb customer service, and an epicurean’s selection of dining choices along the route.
Thomas took this photo on October 10th. Head over to his Flickr for his latest photos from this beautiful little corner of Michigan & here’s a daytime photo of the fall color on Ellsworth Lake from yesterday!
Autumn Morning on the Breezeway by Thomas Mann
Michigan in Pictures 