Holland, Michigan: flippin’ sweet.

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

flippin' sweet.

flippin’ sweet., photo by jill d.

Of this very wallpaper-friendly photo, Jill writes:

i took this one of my friend phil last spring. we were at this place called the bowl, which is basically a huge sand dune on the coast of lake michigan in holland, michigan. phil was a diver in high school — the combo of his back flip and the amazing sunset combined to make one of my favorite photos i’ve ever taken.

The Holland CVB’s history page tells the story of religious opression and economic depression in the Netherlands leading Dr. Albertus Christiaan & Christine Van Raalte, their family and congregation to take ship to America. At Detroit:

Dr. Van Raalte left his flock to survey the area and determine the best location for his Dutch Kolonie. Of all the sites that he studied, the one that was made to order for his colonizing plans was at the mouth of the Black River where it flowed into Black Lake (now Lake Macatawa) which, in turn, led to Lake Michigan. As soon as Van Raalte had satisfied himself that he had found the most desirable location for his colony, he lost no time in leading his group to the spot. They reached their destination on February 9, 1847.

There’s a ton more information about the early trials of the city and modern day Holland at the excellent Holland Convention and Visitor’s Bureau web site. Every May the city hosts Tulip Time, a celebration of all things Dutch and Dutch Village is a major Michigan tourist attraction. I think that this photo was taken at Holland State Park (also known as Ottawa Beach).

Wikipedia’s entry for Holland, Michigan says that as of the 2000 census, there were 35,048 people residing in the city (112,000 people in the metro area). Wikipedia also notes that Holland is home to the world’s largest pickle factory, that it is the birthplace of Slashdot, one of the first (the first?) blogs created by Hope College student Rob “CmdrTaco” Malda & company and that L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while summering in the resort community of Macatawa.

We’ve added Holland to our Absolute Michigan map of Michigan. Someday we’ll figure out how to let other people add stuff too. You can find more pictures of Holland from Michigan in Pictures (including a nice bit of history and a Tulip Time extravaganza) and get business info and stories at Absolute Michigan keyword Holland.

Michigan History magazine needs your photos!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by jacalynsnana.

Christine Schwerin is a photo editor looking for a good venue to find specific images from Michigan photographers on a regular basis to be used in Michigan History magazine. She’s hoping to find photographers interested in joining an email list to receive a monthly list of images they’re looking for. If you are, send her an email!

Christine says that the first photo they’re looking for is a nice scenic picture – river, meadow, whatever, so long as it is in the Huron National Forest. Do you have one? Let her know!

A quick review of the Huron National Forest (part of the Huron-Manistee National Forests) tells me that we’ll have to return for an extended visit another day.

The above photo is of one of the world’s premier trout streams, the Au Sable River – a large portion of which winds through the Huron National Forest.

Bracing Against The Wind at Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Bracing Against The Wind

Bracing Against The Wind, photo by josiah.keen.

2 months and only 60 miles? Looks like this Michigan shoreline tour might take more than just a summer (or a year) since I insist on pulling the car over at every state park along the way.

Josiah says the park is near his hometown of Holland and a frequent retreat. These pics are part of his great set of photos of Saugatuck Dunes State Park (view slideshow).

With the exception of a link to the interesting looking Felt Mansion (of which I suspect there will be more heard about here in the future), Wikipedia’s entry for Saugatuck Dunes State Park is pretty sparse, so we turn to the official Saugatuck Dunes State Park site which explains:

View Josiah's Saugatuck Dunes slideshow

A day-use park along a secluded strip of Lake Michigan shoreline, Saugatuck Dunes State Park offers 1,000 acres of land with 2.5 miles of shore line. The Lake Michigan beach is a 0.6 mile hike from the picnic parking area. In addition, the park has fresh water coastal dunes that are over 200 feet tall. The park’s terrain varies from steep slopes to rolling hills. The park, located in Allegan County, is relatively undeveloped. The land for Saugatuck Dunes was acquired in 1971 from the Augustinian Order, who used the buildings as a seminary. When the state took ownership, the structures were used as a prison and state police offices.The park’s major attractions are the long sandy beaches and the 300-acre natural area, which contains a coastal dune system, as well as three endangered plant species. Nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers and hikers are the predominant day users.

The park has also been a site of tension between preservation and development. In 2001, Concerned Citizens for Saugatuck Dunes State Park was founded in response to proposals to use the park for a water treatment plant. Recently, they and other groups formed the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance. Check them both out for background and also this video slideshow.

Check out the Flickr photo map and also explore the area at Saugatuck Dunes State Park on our Absolute Michigan map.

Wilfred Sykes

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Wilfred Sykes

Wilfred Sykes, photo by jowo.

I think that Joel can pretty much handle today’s post:

Pretty boat. Leaving the harbor at Muskegon, Michigan.

While I’ve seen, and photographed, most currently active lakes boats, this one had somehow escaped me until yesterday afternoon. We’d gone to Muskegon to walk the beach, and suddenly there she was, leaving the harbor.

Sykes was the first American lakes boat completed after World War II, and was launched shortly after I was born. In many ways she’s the prototype for a generation of lakers. And just plain gorgeous! Glad I finally found her.

You may enjoy Joel’s Lakers slideshow and you’ll probably also like the Wilfred Sykes photo gallery from boatnerd.com Joel links to above.

a temple in detroit

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

a temple in detroit

a temple in detroit, photo by artsy_T.

The other day when I blogged the exposure.detroit Selective Focus photography show (this Friday, July 20), I was pretty shocked to see that I had never blogged a photo from Tina (aka artsy T) to Michigan in Pictures.

She’s been a regular contributor to Absolute Michigan and (in addition to being one heck of an art teacher) she has a great eye for the yellows and reds and azures that surround us.

She has some cool socks too.

Reflections :: Saugatuck, Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Reflections

Reflections, photo by chatursunil.

We get about 100 people a day who are searching for backgrounds for their computer. To them I say: this photo makes a great background!

Saugatuck (pop. 1065 in 2000) is the sister city to Douglas. This Saugatuck/Douglas history page says that unlike most Midwest frontier towns, neither town suffered the devastating fires nor the modernizing railroad. As a result, the villages provide a rare chance to see pre- and post-Civil Ware Greek Revival and Italianate architecture alongside later structures in the Arts & Crafts and Colonial Revival manner.

Like Douglas and many communities along Michigan’s western shore, Saugatuck was timbered out after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Still…

…Saugatuck and Douglas thrived, turning to shipping and fruit growing as a source of income in the latter part of the 1800s. Peaches from the area were called “Michigan Gold” and were shipped by large steamships to the Chicago market. Hundreds of ships of various types were built in Saugatuck shipyards and the town was a haven for ship captains.

A resort, tourist, and “cottage” culture emerged in the 1880s and took a propitious turn in 1910 when a group of Chicago artists established the Summer School of Paintings on Ox-Bow Lagoon, and when a huge dance hall, called the Big Pavilion, was built on the waterfront. The resulting influx of well-known artists and big name Chicago architects resulted in a wave of building in the Arts & Crafts and Colonial Revival manner. The seed planted at Ox-Bow has continued to flourish over the years, with the area is now known as the Art Coast of Michigan. Today, Ox-Bow continues to be affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Saugatuck/Douglas Visitors Bureau has a huge pile of information and photos and links, including a link to a pretty informative video tour of Saugatuck/Douglas. There’s also the Saugatuck/Douglas Area Business Association with more events, news & listings. Wikipedia’s entry on Saugatuck says that attractions today include art galleries, the harbor, marinas, scenery, unusual stores, the view from atop Mount Baldhead, tourist attractions, the famous Oval Beach on Lake Michigan, Saugatuck Dunes State Park and Allegan State Game Area.

Cool new feature alert!

Here’s the Google Map for Saugatuck in our newly created Absolute Michigan map of Michigan. I’ll try and loop back and add maps for the other entries in our Michigan shoreline tour.

Northern Lake, Northern Lights

Posted on by farlane

Northern Lights by Harry Thomas

Northern Lights, photo by Harry Thomas

My friend Harry sent me this photo of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) over North Lake Leelanau. He says that at about 2am on a very windy Tuesday night, the neighbor’s sailboat came off the mooring. He got up to check his boat and got a light show! And yes, that is a shooting star in the top right … how amazing!

I thought I had the comprehensive Northern Lights post already on Michigan in Pictures. Turns out not. I’m not sure that this is, but if you add links to more Michigan Northern Lights photos in the comments and I include a link to the Michigan in Pictures northern lights tag, we’ll have a good start!

No post about the Northern Lights is complete without a link to the Michigan Tech based Aurora Page, which has been a source for Information, links and images about the “Northern Lights” on-line since the Web began. The site’s creator, Michael Dolan, took some great photos of the Northern Lights over Lake Superior (click the images when you get there for best quality images) and this site is simply the best Aurora Borealis resource on the internet.

Also in the U.P., Ann and John Mahan have an Aurora Borealis gallery that has a lot of Upper Peninsula photos (as well as others from the Great Lakes region). They have some cool books too! You can get some more Lake Superior aurora shots from Shawn & Brian Malone.

Heading back to Leelanau County, photographer Ken Scott has some Northern Lights in his online gallery (more in his books as well!). While we’re in Leelanau, I guess I can add a link to my Northern Lights gallery on Leelanau.com (I have a few are wallpaper-sized on Flickr and there’s some Northern Lights backgrounds on this page). In the interests of completeness, I better include a link to Wikipedia’s Aurora entry.

Keep your eyes on the skies, because Northern Lights often come in waves and if you DO see them, be sure to post them on the Michigan Northern Lights Log on Absolute Michigan!

Buzzy Morning … for how long?

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Buzzy Morning

Buzzy Morning, photo by CaptPiper.

This beautiful photo of a bee and poppy reminded me about honey bees and Colony Collapse Disorder.

Despite the fact that the story has faded from the news, MSU prof Zachary Huang’s cyberbee.net says that Colony Collapse Disorder is still a mystery. Be sure to check out Zach’s Bee Photos and this amazing resource for information about Michigan bees (and bees in general).

For more about Michigan bees, check out the Michigan Beekeepers Association and Michigan bee plants. You might also have a look at Wikipedia’s bee entry and their entry on Colony Collapse Disorder.

Surfing, Michigan Style

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Surfing01.jpg

Surfing01.jpg, photo by Evography.

Evography writes: Dropping in from the pier, the tricky part is not getting worked right back into the pier.

Check out his Great Lakes Surfing set (slideshow!!) for a bunch more photos, most of which are large enough for your computer background needs!

When you’re finished with that, head over to Absolute Michigan for a Michigan surfing extravaganza featuring tons of Great Lakes surfing videos (including some 1970s footage of folks surfing off this same pier!)

Which I should add is the Grand Haven Pier!

Sunset from Douglas beach

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

IMGP1498h

IMGP1498h, photo by norjam8.

The Wikipedia entry for Douglas, Michigan says Douglas (in Allegan County, pop. 1214 in 2000) and adjacent to Saugatuck, was originally known as Dudleyville and settled in 1851 as a lumber town. In 1861, residents changed the name to Douglas, maybe to honor Stephen A. Douglas or maybe because an early settler came name because he came from the Isle of Man (with a capital named Douglas). After the lumber went to rebuild Chicago, Douglas turned to fruit (especially peaches) and tourism.

Check out the Douglas Michigan history page for some cool old photos (and for Douglas business, events and city information. Here’s a Google map for Douglas to you can go there for the day or weekend. Douglas is also home to the Douglas Dutchers vintage baseball club who play a remarkably full schedule.

Norm has a ton more photos of West Michigan dunes and beaches and sunsets and sunrises.