Battered but not Beaten: Great Lakes Week 2011

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Battered

Battered, photo by James Marvin Phelps.

Invasive species, pollution, diversion – the threats facing the Great Lakes are legion.

This week (October 11-14) is Great Lakes Week, a partnership to improve the places around the Great Lakes basin basin where people live, work, learn and play. This week’s activities, meetings and conferences bring representatives of the U.S. and Canadian governments together in Detroit along with a broad coalition of public and private groups to highlight efforts to implement solutions for the lakes’ most pressing problems. It’s one of the most wide-ranging Great Lakes summits in history and you can watch it LIVE today starting at noon through Friday on Absolute Michigan or at greatlakesnow.org.

Check this photo of the Grand Haven Pier Light out background big and in James’ Michigan Lighthouses slideshow.

fall in detroit

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

fall in detroit

fall in detroit, photo by buckshot.jones.

Color touring and fall fun isn’t only for Northern Michigan – check out the Detroit Fall Color Tour on Pure Michigan, which begins:

The home of the Motown Sound is the starting point for a 195-mile fall color route that skirts three waterways to the maritime city of Port Huron, and rolls through historic Southeast Michigan towns with connections to three pop music stars. The month of October is prime for viewing autumn hues at a variety of parks, and stopping to taste seasonal treats at cider mills along the way

Read on for more!

Check it out background big and in Scott’s Cass Corridor slideshow.

More Fall Wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.

The Bronx Zoo called…

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Altaic Warrior

Altaic Warrior, photo by country_boy_shane.

Apparently the Detroit Tigers got loose.

Check it out background big and in Shane’s Featured in Flickr Explore slideshow.

Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers roar into the post-season!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera, photo by Keith Allison.

The Detroit Tigers open the 2011 AL Playoffs tonight in Yankee Stadium.

Over on Absolute Michigan we’ve posted our 2011 Detroit Tiger Playoff Watch. In it, we note that Detroit Tiger slugger Miguel Cabrera captured the American League batting title with a .344 batting average.

After batting .390 in August, Cabrera went .429 (39-for-91) from Sept. 1 onward, racking up 12 doubles, six home runs and 21 RBIs. He had just six hitless games from Aug. 1 on and carries a nine-game hitting streak into the playoffs. The last Tiger to win the AL batting title was Magglio Ordonez who hit .367 in 2007, and that Cabrera joins Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols as just the third active player to win a batting title, HR title and RBI title in his career.

Check this photo out background big and in Keith’s awesome MLB – Miguel Cabrerra slideshow.

Congratulations to Cabrera and go Tigers!!

Loon and friends at Brown Bridge Pond

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Loon and friends at Brown Bridge Pond

Loon and friends at Brown Bridge Pond, photo by SBodjack.

Apparently sometimes we all can just get along. Hope your weekend is filled with fun and friends.

Check this out background big and see this and many more in her Brown Bridge Pond slideshow or see where she took it on her map.

The pond is in the 1300-acre Brown Bridge Quiet Area just south of Traverse City. They say that five known species of endangered, threatened, or special concern status have been documented at the Brown Bridge Quiet Area: bald eagles, osprey, red-shouldered hawks, common loons, and wood turtles.

Here comes ArtPrize

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

art prize preview 2011 040

art prize preview 2011 040, photo by jode1115.

“I think it’s terrifying & thrilling.”
~Jerry Saltz, Senior Art Critic at New York magazine on ArtPrize

ArtPrize, the radically open competition held every year in Grand Rapids that gives away the world’s largest cash prize – all decided by public vote – starts today and runs through October 9th. You can keep up with it at absolutemichigan.com/ArtPrize and also through the mLive Artprize section.

Of course there’s an ArtPrize Facebook (and Twitter & Tumblr), and an ArtPrize photo group and a lot of ArtPrize photos in the Absolute Michigan pool. For all you photographers out there, there’s a daily ArtPrize photo contest with a camera or laptop as the top prize!

ArtPrize is in its third year and truly is one of the most amazing events I’ve ever been to. If there’s any way you can make the trip to Grand Rapids, do it. You won’t be disappointed!

Check this photo out background big and in her ArtPrize 2011 slideshow.

Mickey Cochrane and the 1934 Detroit Tigers

Posted on by farlane

Detroit Tiger

Detroit Tiger Manager Mickey Cochrane, photo courtesy Boston Public Library

There were few things as exciting as watching somebody trying to get in there on a close play with Cochrane. Home plate was his, you see. You had to take it away from him. Tough? Just the same as a piece of flint.
~Doc Cramer regarding Mickey Cochrane

Yesterday the Detroit Tigers came from behind to beat the White Sox 6-5 in extra innings. It was their 12th in a row and a feat that only 3 Tiger squads have matched. Tiger Tales has the list with 13 in a row in 1927 and 14 from 1909 and 1934.

Speaking of 12 and 1934, the Bleacher Report (which I’m finding to be a really cool sports site) ranks the ’34 Tigers as the 12th best offense in baseball history. While the team ultimately fell to the Gas House Gang in the World Series, they won 101 games and dominated the AL for several years with a lineup was ridiculous, as Motown Sports explains:

The addition of outfielder (Goose) Goslin to a lineup that already featured stars Hank Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer, earned the Tigers’ offense the nickname “G-Men” after the legendary FBI officers of the day. While G-Men were known to get into shootouts with gangsters, the Tigers’ G-Men formed the nucleus of an offense that helped the club roar through the American League in 1934 posting a 101-53 record.

Four Tigers, Greenberg (139), Gehringer (127), shortstop Billy Rogell (100) and Goslin (100), each had 100 RBI campaigns. Gerhinger paced the league in hits, as well, with 214. However, the Tigers of ’34 not only could hit, but they could run, too. JoJo White (28), Pete Fox (25) and Gee Walker (20) finished amongst the top five in the American League steals leaders. The G-Men led the AL in runs, batting average (an incredible .300), doubles and stolen bases in 1934.

Click through for the ’34 Series program and much more about one of the greatest Tiger teams.

The manager of this team was Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane. He appeared on a 1935 cover of TIME Magazine, won the AL MVP for the Tigers in ’34 and led the Tigers to 2 pennants and the 1935 World Championship. Wikipedia notes that the fiercely competitive “Black Mike” was one of the greatest catchers in baseball history with a .320 batting average over a 13 year playing career, the highest until Joe Mauer surpassed it in 2009!

The photo of Mickey Cochrane on the dugout steps at Fenway Park is from 1934-38. You can view it background big and see more in the Boston Public Library’s Mickey Cochrane slideshow.

More Detroit Tigers photos on Michigan in Pictures including a post about another member of this legendary squad, 2nd baseman Charlie Gheringer.

Morning’s Canvas

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

2555444

2555444, photo by wlmgram.

Sometimes, the sunrise is enough. Here’s hoping this morning and this weekend smile upon you…

Check this out bigger and in Wendy’s slideshow.

More sunrises on Michigan in Pictures

Making an Elf at the Michigan Renaissance Festival

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Making an Elf

Making an Elf, photo by corinne.schwarz.

The Michigan Renaissance Festival is underway in Holly. It happens weekends & Labor Day through October 2nd from 10 AM – 7 PM, rain or shine. They explain:

For 32 years, the Michigan Renaissance Festival has provided Holly with a unique venue that regularly attracts more than 220,000 visitors from Michigan and surrounding states. When the Festival first began back in 1979 on the grounds of Columbiere in Clarkston, Michigan, the Renaissance Festival attracted under 11,000 patrons during our 5 weekend event. Years later the Festival found a more permanent home where it currently stands, just 12 miles south of Flint on Dixie Highway. The pageantry of a 16th century village is evident in the wide variety of activities.

Entertainment is not only featured on sixteen stages, but in the lanes and on an interactive level with the patrons. From peasants to royalty, the people of the village of Hollygrove visit with guests to provide a day to remember! Highlights include the thrilling full contact joust with armored knights and horses, the intensity of the Human Combat Chess Match and the hilarity of acts like the Washing Well Wenches, Ded Bob and Ample and Trite. The Realm is filled with amazingly talented artisans who offer their unique wares and often share their skills in craft demonstrations. Beautiful glassware, crafted leather, exotic jewelry and Renaissance clothing are just a few examples of the masterpieces that can be found in the marketplace.

Visitors are advised to skip breakfast and save their appetite for the fresh baked goods, soup in a bread bowl, Scotch eggs, apple dumplings and of course, the famous turkey legs that are cooked over an open flame. The array of foods is overwhelming and sure to satisfy any cravings! It is truly fun for the whole family since the Renaissance Festival also offers games, human-powered rides, and a Children’s Realm that features a castle playscape as well as free activities for younger visitors.

Check it out background big and in Corrine’s Mich Ren Fest slideshow.
Also see the photos on the Michigan Ren Cen Facebook!

Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac (and walking over it)

Posted on by farlane

Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac

Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac, photo by Kathleen Swinehart

This Monday (September 5th) it’s time for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk. 2011 is the 54th annual and the walk is open to all. It starts at 7 AM and you can leave any time up to 11 AM. They have a blog with information for and about the 400 runners who won the lottery for an opportunity to take part in the early morning Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run. It includes information for how to enter next year and I have to imagine that for a runner, the 5 mile span from the Lower to Upper Peninsula would be a pretty special memory!

Michigan in Pictures has a TON of Mackinac Bridge photos and information.

Kathleen posted this photo to the Michigan in Pictures wall on Facebook. You can see more photos that people have shared with us in our photo album. See it big as the Mighty Mac and see more in Kathleen’s My Pure Michigan album.