Celebratory Sunset … and 10,000 Fans for Michigan in Pictures

Posted on by farlane

Celebratory Sunset

Celebratory Sunset, photo by Heather Higham

For the tenth anniversary of Michigan in Pictures last week, I asked for the 200+ fans needed to take the Michigan in Pictures Facebook past the 10,000 fan milestone. With your help, it’s blown way past that mark – thank you all so much for your support!!!

View Heather’s photo from Empire Beach in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore bigger, see more in her Winter slideshow, and definitely follow her at Snap Happy Gal Photography on Facebook for much more.

More Michigan in Pictures milestones in the archives.

New Marks for Michigan National Parks

Posted on by farlane

Chapel Rock Pictured Rocks

Pictured Rocks – Chapel Beach, photo by Todd

Crain’s Detroit Business reported that two of Michigan’s national parks saw record numbers of visitors in 2015:

The National Parks Service says Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula and River Raisin Battlefield Park in southeastern Michigan set visitation records in 2015. The two parks, along with Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan’s northeastern coast, had more visitors through November 2015 than in 2014 and saw double-digit increases in visitors.

…The increased popularity of national parks in Michigan mirrors a nationwide trend: Overall visits to national parks are expected to reach 300 million in 2015. Last year’s figure was a record 293 million.

The park system turns 100 next year, and the Obama administration and Republican lawmakers have different ideas about what to do. Both parties agree the country’s national parks and historic sites could use some sprucing up but the question is how much of a dent Congress will make in a system-wide maintenance backlog with an estimated $11.5 billion price tag. President Barack Obama has recommended spending an additional $1.5 billion on the parks over a three-year period. Republican leaders in Congress have a smaller birthday present in mind.

Here’s hoping that our elected officials can come together to keep our National Park system strong!

Todd took this shot at Chapel Beach in September of 2012. View it bigger and see more in his Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

Lots more on Michigan’s state & national parks on Michigan in Pictures!

Happy 2016 … plus Scratch Circles and the Sands of Time

Posted on by farlane

The Sands of Time

The Sands of Time, photo by David Marvin

The Wheel of Time has rolled into another year. It might be my increasing age talking, but it seems as if the world has gotten harder over the last couple of decades. I hope that 2016 treats everyone more kindly, including you!

Apparently I can’t even post a simple metaphor without learning something new. David writes:

Scratch Circles or “Scharrkreise” form when plant matter is blown around by the wind, etching circular designs in the sand.

If you want to get all geeky on sand circles, scratch circles & Scharrkreise – a term coined by R. Richter in 1926 – those links are just the thing for you!

View David’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.

Have a blast on New Year’s Eve!

Posted on by farlane

Powerful Wave at Petoskey

Powerful Winds & Waves, photo by Julie

And please stay safe – the last way you want to start 2016 off is in jail or dead!

View Julie’s photo of the huge winds on December 24th exploding off the Petoskey breakwall bigger and see more in her Michigan slideshow.

Ten Years of Michigan in Pictures

Posted on by farlane

Ludington Lighthouse by RJE

Ludington Lighthouse, photo by RJE

10 years ago today, I posted “A Pond in Bald Mountain” as the very first photo on Michigan in Pictures. 3000+ posts later, I’m still at it. RJE has been sharing photos with me for almost all of those 10 years – thanks to him and everyone else who helps make Michigan in Pictures something that is fun and exciting for me and to all of you for staying with me for so long!

View the photo from November of 2005 background big and see more of RJE’s lighthouse shots on Flickr.

 

Michigan in Pictures Top 5 for 2015

Posted on by farlane

It’s that time of year when I look back and try to remember what happened, a task that is made a lot easier by the nifty analytics provided by the good folks at WordPress.com (and the questionable folks at Facebook).

One thing that happened was the re-design of Michigan in Pictures to feature bigger photos, something that pretty much everyone seems to appreciate.

Honorable Mention is the consistently popular post Know Your Michigan Turtles. It was originally published in 2013 and continued to be the most consistently visited post on Michigan in Pictures in 2015. This year I featured the Spiny Soft-shell Turtle on World Tortoise Day and was even re-tweeted by American Tortoise Rescue, the amazing organization behind the day and worldwide turtle preservation. As a turtle fan, I find this awesome.

#5

Pere Marquette 1255

December 7th ~ How Pere Marquette 1225 inspired the Polar Express by Bob Gudas

Subtitle the story of how this iconic engine provided inspiration for the iconic children’s book by Michigan Author Chris Van Allsburg “Why it’s important to preserve our history.”

#4

SS Edmund Fitzgerald Underway

November 10th ~  The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald via Wikimedia Commons

If there’s a Michigan folk song that everyone knows, it’s Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Read about how he wrote it, watch the best darn video on the internet featuring this song, and marvel at the fact I can’t tell the difference between Walter Cronkite and Harry Reasoner.

#3

Ice Caves Return

January 13th ~  Ice Caves Return to Lake Michigan by Heather Higham

Two years ago, Lake Michigan’s ice caves blew up, drawing tens of thousands of people to the shores of Lake Michigan, and when they formed this year, Heather was there!

#2

Old Mission Storm Cloud

August 3rd ~  Jellyfish Stormfront by Tom Parrent

The crazy storm of early August 2015 devastated areas of Northern Lower Michigan including leveling acres and acres of trees in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and rendering the village of Glen Arbor inaccessible for days.

#1

Wreckage of the Rising Sun

April 20th ~  Coast Guard shares Manitou Passage shipwrecks from above by the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City

The top post of the year is this aerial photo of the 1917 wreck of the Rising Sun by a Traverse City based Coast Guard aircrew. Several more photos available at the link.

Thanks everyone for being a part of Michigan in Pictures in 2015!

December 23rd Detroit Tornado is Michigan’s First Ever

Posted on by farlane

Detroit Tornado

Detroit Tornado, photo by Joe Gall

The National Weather Service reports on the first ever December tornado in Michigan:

A strong low pressure system tracking from the southern Plains into the Upper Great Lakes brought record December warmth to Southeast Michigan on Wednesday, December 23rd. Stronger winds associated with this system interacted with the unseasonably warm air to produce the first December tornado in Michigan history during the evening. This tornado occurred in Wayne County, just north-northeast of Canton. The tornado was rated EF-1 with peak winds of 90 mph. The tornado touched down at 643 pm EST, tracking 2 miles before lifting at 646 pm EST.

This brief tornado developed along a fast moving line of showers that shifted across Southeast Michigan during the evening (5 to 8 pm). A Significant Weather Statement (SPS) was issued at 620 pm, highlighting the potential for wind gusts up to 50 mph. The brief duration and weak intensity of this tornado made the issuance of a tornado warning nearly impossible, typical of brief spin-ups that are embedded along a fast moving line. In many cases, such as this one, the tornado touchdown occurs largely between radar scans, leaving little opportunity for advanced warning.

This is the first December tornado in Michigan history and only the third during the winter season. The other two tornadoes occurred on Jan 18, 1996 in Kalamazoo County and Feb 28, 1974 in Wayne County.

You can get a report on the tornado with images of the very minor damage from WDIV TV-4/Click on Detroit.

Joe photoshopped this picture back in 2011, so please don’t tell me it’s not real because I know that. View it on Flickr and see more in his Movement 2011 slideshow.

More weather fun on Michigan in Pictures.

Let it snow … please

Posted on by farlane

Brockit Holiday

But if you really hold me tight, all the way home I’ll be warm, photo by brockit inc

Still looking for some of that frightful weather so we can enjoy the delightful parts of winter!

View the photo bigger and tune into brockit’s Facebook for lots more creative portraits (that sometimes wander into the NSFW realm).

Christmas Memories

Posted on by farlane

Christmas Memories

Christmas Memories, photo by Richard Deming Photography

Here’s hoping that whatever holiday you are celebrating this season is wonderful. Thanks everyone for being a part of Michigan in Pictures!

View Richard’s photo bigger and see more in his Christmas Time 2010 slideshow.

Jtomic

Posted on by farlane

Jtomic

Jtomic, photo by farlane

This is where I’d normally post something about what most readers are thinking about today – Christmas Eve. Instead I’m going to wish a very happy 18th birthday to my high-flying son Jamie!

Here’s hoping you’re never too old for fun like this … and multiple takes to get the shot right!

View my photo background big on Flickr.

Might as well JUMP! with Michigan in Pictures.