I’m a Lumberjack: 1899, photo courtesy Shorpy.com
While you might feel like you saw these stylish gents at the coffee shop the other day, Dave shares that the hipster look is timeless: Upper Michigan circa 1899. “The loggers.” 8×10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company.
View the photo background bigtacular and see TONS more incredible vintage photos (lots from Michigan) at Shorpy.com. You can also get prints of this and any photo they have.
Above the ice encrusted St. Joseph pier, photo by Christopher Kierkus
As previously referenced, the fantastic ice on St. Joseph Pier has become a Michigan winter icon. Christopher took this shot with his drone SPIKE, a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter and a GoPro Hero 3+ Black edition camera. I found it shared on Michpics regular Craig Sterken’s page – he’s the one bending down to get a lens out of the case.
Christopher shares that getting these photos can be more than a little harrowing:
We photogs are a little nuts … especially scary is walking the little “ice path” around the inner light to get to the outer part. One slip up there and you’re in the soup.
View the photo bigger on his Facebook and see more of his work including some more really cool aerials at PhotoDocGVSU on Flickr … or head straight for SPIKE’s pictures!
1880 Michigan Wolverines Football Team, photo courtesy Wikipedia
EarthSky’s Matt Daniel writes that NASA, NOAA, and Japan Meteorological Agency all report 2014 as Earth’s warmest year since modern-day record-keeping began in 1880.
Put in more tangible terms, since at least the days when University of Michigan footballers wore uniforms like this, there has not been a warmer year.
What’s more May, August, September, October and December of 2014 were ALL the warmest for that month since 1880! I’d like to suggest that global warming/climate change be shifted from a political issue to a survival issue. You are of course free to draw your own conclusions.
NASA has a snappy video that boils it down to a minute and a half.
Wikipedia says that these stylish gents played just one game, defeating the team from the University of Toronto, 13 to 6, at the Toronto Lacrosse Club. Michigan scored two touchdowns and one goal; Toronto scored three safety touchdowns.
Click the link for more and click the photo above to view it big as the big House.
MLK Say !, photo by Rudy Malmquist
“And so we must say, now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to transform this pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to lift our nation.
…this social revolution taking place can be summarized in three little words. They are not big words. One does not need an extensive vocabulary to understand them. They are the words “all,” “here,” and “now.” We want all of our rights, we want them here, and we want them now.
…With this faith, we will be able to achieve this new day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing with the Negroes in the spiritual of old: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King in Detroit, June 23, 1963.
The words above are from Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech at Cobo Hall at the Great March on Detroit. The speech is regarded as the dress rehearsal for his famous I Have a Dream speech in Washington DC. Click to listen and read the text of the speech.
View Rudy’s photo background big and click for more of his graffiti photos.
More Martin Luther King on Michigan in Pictures.
I really encourage you to click through and listen. Dr. King was an incredible orator, and this was one of his very best speeches.
Infiniti Q30 Concept Car, photo by Rich
The 2015 North American International Auto Show starts this Saturday (Jan 17) and runs through next Sunday (Jan 25). Held at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit, it remains the premier show for car enthusiasts. For a sneak peek, have a look at CNN’s highlights which appear to be split between “muscular” and “efficient” (unsurprising spoiler: muscular wins 70/30).
If you do attend, consider going on their photo day (Jan 20) for early access. In any case, if you are packing a camera you might want to enter their 2015 Photo Contest which offers five different prizes of $200 each.
View Rich’s photo from last year’s show background big and see more in his Detroit – 2014 NAIAS slideshow.
More about NAIAS/Detroit Auto Show on Michigan in Pictures.
Icebreaking on the St Mary’s River, photo by U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City
Here’s an aerial shot of the 228-foot Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) SAMUEL RISLEY working in partnership with U.S. Coast Guard’s Sault Ste. Marie Sector on icebreaking operations in the St. Mary’s River last weekend. They write:
USCG Sector Sault Ste. Marie is also in high gear kicking off the 2015 Operation Taconite season, as ice continues to build daily across the Great Lakes. US Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers are conducting around the clock icebreaking operations to assist commercial vessel traffic in the connecting waterways of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron.
Operation Taconite is the largest domestic icebreaking operation in the US. Over water shipping offers the only effective means of transporting the vast amounts of iron ore from the mines at the Head of the Lakes in Minnesota needed to meet the demands of steel mills in Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. Operation Taconite is primarily responsible for ensuring the successful transport of this cargo amid the harsh winter conditions of the northern Great Lakes.
Air Station MH-65s routinely fly ice reconnaissance flights in support of the operation
The photo was taken by the crew of one of the Traverse City Coast Guard Air Station’s Dolphin helicopters. View it background bigtacular and click through for a shot of the USCG Icebreaker Mackinaw working to keep this vital shipping channel open.
There’s more winter wallpaper and more ships on Michigan in Pictures.
Engine Engine Number 9, photo by Rudy Malmquist
Back on December 30, 2005 I blogged the first photo to Michigan in Pictures. If you click that link, you can start at the beginning. Be warned though – as of today there’s 2,805 posts!!
Thanks to all of you for staying tuned and here’s hoping for many more years.
Rudy is one of the photographers who’s been contributing since the beginning. He notes that the former Engine House 9 in Grand Rapids is now the Mitten Brewing Company. View his photo background big and see more in his slideshow.
More birthday fun on Michigan in Pictures.
snowy12-28-4, photo by Dan Lockard
What’s on top of your tree this year? Right now in the Absolute Michigan photo group, we’re seeing a ton of snowy owls. While these arctic owls are not found in the summer, we are in their winter range, as the Michigan DNR’s Winter Visitors page shares:
Just because the leaves have fallen from the trees and there is a chill in the air is no reason to put away your binoculars. Winter offers unique viewing opportunities. Many of our summer resident birds migrate to warmer summer climates. Still, there are several species of birds that migrate from Canada and find Michigan the perfect winter temperature. Winter is the only time several of these species can be found in Michigan.
Two of the largest migrants are the snowy owl and the great gray owl. Snowy owls can be found moving into Michigan during winter when the food supply on the arctic tundra is in short supply. Snowy owls have been recorded as far south as Lansing, Michigan. Because they rarely see humans on their northern homes, they are not timid and can be easily viewed for long periods of time.
Friday’s Sault Star reported that about three dozen snowys were sighted during the annual Audubon Christmas Bird count on December 20th. That’s more than average. We’ll know if this is an irruption year after all the bird count numbers are released in January.
View Dan’s photo taken near Muskegon background big and see lots more (including a couple shots of the great gray owl) in his awesome Owls slideshow.
Lots more snowy owl pictures & information (including a couple more by Dan) in the Michigan in Pictures archives!
Untitled, photo by Jeff Caverly
Whatever you’re celebrating, I hope that you get the very best from this holiday season and that your life is filled with at least as much beauty & magic as is in this photo!
View Jeff’s photo background big and see more in his slideshow.
Winter Wonderland, photo by Rodney Campbell
Rodney took this photo on Christmas Eve day last year at the Seven Ponds Nature Center in Dryden.
View it background bigtacular and see more in his Landscapes slideshow.
More winter wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
Michigan in Pictures 