Mother Natures Birthday gift, photo by Daylily18.
Yesterday Lori wrote:
Today is my birthday and Mother Nature decided to give me my first blooms of the season,. I have a handful of purple and yellow crocuses. Who could ask for more?
Who indeed. Welcome to Michigan, springtime. We’ve missed you!
Be sure to check this out bigger and in her slideshow.
I’m one of those Americans, photo by David McGowan
David says that in the summer of 2008, he started shooting an essay on the culture of garage sales in Michigan as we moved deeper into recession.
Now his essay is one the fantastic photography site Burn. Burn is curated by notable Magnum and National Geographic photographer, David Alan Harvey, and was established to be a platform for emerging photographers online and in print. Do yourself a favor and check out David McGowan – Garage Sale.
I’m serious – do not miss this one.
I have to also say thanks to David for introducing me to Lux Land, Michigan songstress and wife of Brian Vander Ark who I had heard of but never really heard. Her song, Touching a Legend is the soundtrack and you can can check her music out at Luxy Land or MySpace.
I guess I already did my yearly St. Patrick’s Day post, but Michigan in Pictures can still get in on the wearing of the green (actually referring to a shamrock rather than the color).
Wikipedia’s entry for Green says that the word green comes from the Old English word grene, or, in its older form, groeni. This adjective is closely related to the Old English verb growan meaning “to grow”. Color Psychology – Green says that the color:
Whether you are out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with green beer or just feeling the earth shrug off her wintry coat, I hope that today brings you the best of luck and health.
Paul took this photo deep in the forest in Northern Michigan. Be sure to check it out bigger and see it and more in his slideshow.
Royal Oak, Michigan, photo by paulhitz.
Be sure to check Paul’s photo out bigger and see more of Royal Oak photos in his slideshow. You can also check out about 400 more Royal Oak photos from the Absolute Michigan pool.
On their History page, the City of Royal Oak explains that:
In 1819, Michigan Gov. Lewis Cass and several companions set out on an exploration of Michigan territory to disprove land surveyors’ claims that the territory was swampy and uninhabitable. The beginning of their journey seemed to support those claims until they reached a desirable area of higher ground near the intersections of Main, Rochester and Crooks Roads. Here they encountered a stately oak tree with a trunk considerably wider than most other oaks. Its large branches reminded Cass of the legend of the royal oak tree, under which King Charles II of England took sanctuary from enemy forces in 1660. Cass and his companions christened the tree, the “Royal Oak.” And so Royal Oak received its name.
As early as 1891, when Royal Oak was a small village, there were only a few hundred residents. In the 10-year span from 1900 to 1910 the population grew to over 1,000. By the time Royal Oak was incorporated as a city in 1921, the population had exploded to over 6,000. This was due in large part to new jobs created by the booming auto industry. The development of the super highway, Woodward Avenue, led to greater population expansion. Woodward Avenue replaced the old Indian road, Saginaw Trail, as the connection between Detroit, Pontiac, Flint and Saginaw, making Royal Oak more accessible. Today, the 28-mile Woodward Avenue (M-1), bridging 10 communities from the Detroit River north to downtown Pontiac, holds the honorary designation of Michigan Heritage Route. The designation was awarded because of the historical and cultural significance of some 350 sites along Woodward Avenue, including 42 historic churches.
You can get tons more great Royal Oak history & historic photos from Historic Royal Oak by Dr. David G. Penney.
Wikipedia’s Royal Oak entry says that as of 2000, the city had a total population of 60,062, making it Michigan’s 18th largest city. Michigan in Pictures has a lot of photos that involve Royal Oak (apparently there’s some sort of Photographic Guild that exhibits there).
Hydrant Heaven | Bow-Wow!, photo by docksidepress.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a day special.
Part of Matt’s March 2009 set (slideshow).
Comerica Park, photo by Mario.Q.
Tickets for the Detroit Tigers’ 2009 regular season home games at Comerica Park go on sale today (March 7) at 10 AM. Opening Day tickets are available – there’s a four ticket per person limit on Opening Day tickets. To get your tickets, head over to the Detroit Tigers web site. There’s a great Tiger highlight video there but I wonder why they’re saying “don’t miss Miguel Cabrera and company in action at Comerica Park” on the site. Placido? Magglio? Carlos? Did I miss something?
Check out Mario’s Detroit Tigers photos (slideshow) – like this one they’re all uploaded wallpapery delicious! Also have a look at the Tigers’ baseball show from the Absolute Michigan pool.
And oh yeah: GO TIGERS!
Ice bridge, photo by Blondieyooper.
Winter at Lake Superior, Marquette, Michigan. Be sure to check it out bigger.
You can see other photos April took on March 3, 2009 and many more great shots in her Winter in the UP set (slideshow).
More great winter pics on our Michigan Winter Wallpaper page!
Ignited, photo by Jesse Speelman.
Be sure to check out this photo larger and in Jesse’s Portfolio set (slideshow).
Hope your weekend is at least this much fun.
Fourteen Foot Shoals Cabin, photo by DIsnowshoe
DIsnowshoe has some beautiful photos of this cabin at Cheboygan State Park (slideshow).
The web site for Cheboygan State Park has more about the cabins and also their rustic teepees.
Underscore to Vanish, photo by ramjetgr.
I don’t know what the title means, but I do know that the sun and the green is a welcome sight! Roger says that this west M11 aka 28th street over the Grand River.
Check it out wallpapery big and also in his Redux slideshow.
Michigan in Pictures 