Time to Roar: Detroit Lions return to the playoffs

Posted on by farlane

Sorry. This was supposed to post this morning but somehow didn’t. Can we count this as the Lions’ big disappointment and win tonight??

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Matthew Stafford, photo by Brook Ward

The Detroit Lions take the field at 8:15 PM tonight vs the Seattle Seahawks, who are 8 point favorites. This is the Lions’ first playoff appearance since January of 2015 when they were totally jobbed by the officiating crew. While I’m tempted to invite speculation on just how they will “Lions” this one, I am enough of a fan to leave it at “Go Lions!”

View Brook’s photo background big, see more in his Sports From My Perspective slideshow, and view & purchase photos on his website.

January 5th with Joel

Posted on by farlane

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Lilies, photo by Joel Dinda

This morning I got a note from one of Michigan in Pictures’s longtime contributors, Joel Dinda letting me know that I had coincidentally featured his photos twice on previous January 5ths. The other two were Rotten Apples: 2014 Detroit Lions Playoff Edition detailing the Lions’ loss to Dallas after the pass interference call that was and then wasn’t and a look at the Ruins of the the Old Cheboygan Point Lighthouse in 2013.

The third time is the charm they say, so here’s one that Joel shared way back in January of 2006 (taken summer of 2005) as part of his “Flower a Day” series. I think he started doing them in January and then realized somewhere along the way that as bad as Michigan winter in January can be, Februarys are worse!!

View Joel’s photo background big, see more in his  in his Flower a Day for February (x9) slideshow, and check out photos from Joel dating back a decade on Michigan in Pictures!

Happy 2017, Michigan!

Posted on by farlane

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The Spirit of Detroit, photo by walker_bc

And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.
-Rainer Maria Rilke

Happy 2017 to everyone. While there’s certainly a lot of alarming winds swirling, I hope that some of Rilke’s things that have never been make us all better, stronger, and safer.

View Walker’s photo of the Spirit of Detroit background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.

More about the Spirit of Detroit on Michigan in Pictures.

An Ode to the Winter Solstice

Posted on by farlane

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An Ode to the Winter Solstice, photo by Cherie

EarthSky’s page on the winter solstice says:

The solstice happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth. In 2016, the December solstice comes on December 21 at 5:44 a.m. EST. That’s on December 21 at 10:44 Universal Time. It’s when the sun on our sky’s dome reaches its farthest southward point for the year. At this solstice, the Northern Hemisphere has its shortest day and longest night of the year.

…At the December solstice, Earth is positioned in its orbit so that the sun stays below the north pole horizon. As seen from 23-and-a-half degrees south of the equator, at the imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun shines directly overhead at noon. This is as far south as the sun ever gets. All locations south of the equator have day lengths greater than 12 hours at the December solstice. Meanwhile, all locations north of the equator have day lengths less than 12 hours.

For us on the northern part of Earth, the shortest day comes at the solstice. After the winter solstice, the days get longer, and the nights shorter. It’s a seasonal shift that nearly everyone notices.

View Cherie’s photo background big and see more in her Michigan can be a Winter Wonderland slideshow.

Saxon Falls on the Montreal River

Posted on by farlane

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Saxon Falls on the Montreal River, photo by Marty Hogan

GoWaterfalling’s page on Saxon Falls says (in part):

Saxon Falls is located on the Montreal River just a few miles upstream of Superior Falls, about 10 miles west of Ironwood. The Montreal River forms part of the border between Michigan and Wisconsin so the falls is technically in both states. It can be visited from either side, but both require a bit of work.

Like Superior Falls there is a dam and power plant here and the water is diverted. Unlike Superior Falls there is no visitor friendly viewing area for the falls. The falls are large and complicated. I visited the Wisconsin side where trees obscure most views of the falls. There are more drops than the one pictured. This is the upper drop. The lower drop is best seen from the Michigan side.

Read on for visiting tips!

View Marty’s photo background bigilicious and see more in his 2016 October Photo Trip slideshow. Seriously, do it – some awesome photos there!

Bonaparte’s Gull

Posted on by farlane

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Bonaparte’s Gull, photo by Zach Frieben

All About Birds has this to say about Bonaparte’s Gull:

A small, graceful gull with bright white patches in its wings, the Bonaparte’s Gull winters near people, but breeds in the isolated taiga and boreal forest (north of us in Canada)

The Bonaparte’s Gull is the only gull that regularly nests in trees.

The English name of the Bonaparte’s Gull honors Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who made important contributions to American ornithology while an active member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia during the 1820s. The scientific name philadelphia was given in 1815 by the describer of the species, George Ord of Philadelphia, presumably because he collected his specimen there.

View Zach’s photo from Noah Lake in Three Rivers background big and see more in his Migrating MI Birds slideshow.

Silver Dunes, Remains

Posted on by farlane

Silver Dune, Remains, photo by Charles Bonham

View Charles’ photo background big and see more in his Silver Lake Sand Dunes slideshow.

Summer Memories

Posted on by farlane

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Summer Memories, photo by Paladin27

Baby, it’s cold outside. I hope you enjoy the July sunset from South Haven which seems more than half a world away from the teens and single digits that are out there this morning.

Stay warm and safe.

View Paladin27’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his Weekends in South Haven slideshow.

Gloom over West Grand Traverse Bay

Posted on by farlane

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Gloom over Grand Traverse Bay, photo by Amie Lucas

View Amie’s photo background bigilicious, see more in her Central Michigan slideshow, and be sure to follow Amie Lucas Photography on Facebook.

PS: You can get Amie’s 2017 Calendar on her website.

The Smitty and Detroit’s University Club

Posted on by farlane

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the.smitty // Detroit, MI, photo by Brian Day

Historic Detroit says that the University Club:

…was a fraternal organization where the city’s educated men could go to hang out and network.

The organization was founded in 1899 in Swan’s Chop House at the northwest corner of Woodward and Larned. To be a member, you had to have graduated from a university or college. George P. Codd, a congressman and mayor, was the group’s first president. The group would move several times before it would move into this structure on East Jefferson in 1931. It was designed by William Kapp of the architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls in the Collegiate Gothic style. Among its features were underground 4 Singles and 1 Doubles Squash Courts, and 1 Racquets Court, and a grand two-story great hall. There were also 24 bedrooms on the third floor. This building was for only the boys, and women were forced to use a side entrance on Jefferson.

…At 4:30 a.m. on June 15, 2013, a massive fire ripped through the club’s dining hall and destroyed other parts of the building. “It took fire crews nearly six hours to completely extinguish the blaze, which continued to flare up into the evening,” DetroitUrbex.com notes.

Click the pic to view it bigger and see more of Brian’s work at BrianDay.org.