boyne city

Getting ready for spooky season in Michigan

Posted on September 27, 2024September 27, 2024 by farlane

Boyne City Witches Paddle by Julie A. Christiansen

I’ve been having a lot of fun with Michpics lately, especially seeing all the photos in the Facebook group which I encourage you to join. As we head into October, some upcoming features for spooky season on Michigan in Pictures include weird tales, haunted destinations, and general Halloween fun from across the Great Lakes State. I’d really like for all of you to be a part of it, so please share your favorite mysteries of Michigan in the comments or on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook!

Julie took these photos earlier this week at the Petoskey Ladies Stand-up Paddleboard Group’s Witches Paddle on Lake Charlevoix in Boyne City. You can (and should) click the pics for lots more & for sure follow Julie on Facebook for great shots from Boyne Country!

2021 Michigan Morel Season is here!

Posted on April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 by farlane

White Morel by Rick Wolanin

This week I’ve started to see people posting their finds in the various morel hunting groups I’m in, so it’s time to declare the 2021 season officially underway! Michigan in Pictures has a ton of information about Michigan morels, including hunting tips & how to avoid the mildly toxic false morel.

Rick took this photo back in May of 2014 near Boyne City (home to a bangin’ morel festival) and you can see more in his Morel Mushrooms taken within 5 miles of Boyne City gallery on Flickr.

Without a doubt warmer

Posted on March 26, 2016March 25, 2016 by farlane

Fancy Anvil, photo by Liz Glass

Every time I talk about things that some find political, there are readers who get uncomfortable/upset. I’m OK with that, especially in regards to today’s subject which I personally feel has moved beyond the realm of opinion and into fact. Your mileage may vary.

One thing that struck me is that it doesn’t really matter what is causing the warming temperatures – we know that dumping carbon into the atmosphere increases the temperature, so we know how to combat it.

NASA’s Earth Observatory reported that February 2016 was the warmest month in 136 years of modern temperature records in that it deviated more from normal than any month on record since reliable, global records began in 1880. For what this means, let’s turn to Mashable for the implications of this fiery February:

The 1.35-degree Celsius temperature anomaly in February beat the anomaly recorded in January, which itself was a record high departure from average for any month. This means that temperatures in February 2016 had the largest departure from average of any month in NASA’s records since 1880. To put it more plainly, February stands out for its unusual heat more than any other month in the modern climate record.

…As Penn State climate scientist Michael Mann has pointed out via social media, the NASA February temperature findings are especially significant when compared to preindustrial temperatures. Before humans began pumping carbon dioxide into the air from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, global average surface temperatures were far cooler.

When compared to those conditions, Mann says, February was probably about 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above the preindustrial average for the globe.

You can read on for lots more … or not.

View Liz’s photo bigger and see more in her 500+ Views slideshow.

PS: Apologies to Liz for once again using her photo in a possibly controversial post. She’s the owner of Lake Street Market in Boyne City and (as far as I know) not at all controversial! ;)

Five Things you need to know about Michigan: March Meltdown Edition

Posted on March 8, 2016March 8, 2016 by farlane

Grove, photo by Liz Glass

On my Absolute Michigan website, I have a favorite feature called Five Things you need to know about Michigan.

Please go out and vote in the Michigan primaries today. I am going to vote for Bernie Sanders because I feel that in Michigan and elsewhere working folks, retirees, students, and many more who have ended up on the short end of a globalizing, transforming world are hurting. It seems to me that many of those we have elected to represent us have forgotten that government can be a powerful force for the betterment of society and that when profits come at the expense of others, we all suffer. Please vote for whoever you want to, and I’d love it if you took some time today to remember that you are a part of your government.

Wow. I had the chance to drive across Michigan yesterday, windows down, basking in near 60 degree temperatures and knowing that spring is on the way. Here’s hoping that the mercury stays moderate and our farmers, orchardists & vintners have a great growing season.

Liz Glass took today’s photo. You can visit her at the Lake Street Market in Boyne City. She shared today’s photo back in 2012 in the Absolute Michigan pool (where I get most of the photos for Michigan in Pictures). Liz wrote:

I’ve been saving some ice shots to sprinkle in during the warmer months. This is from March 15, when the ice on Lake Charlevoix had melted into a pack of splinters that could then be pushed into piles by the moving water. The color here is real. The low sun is bouncing the golden brown of the sandy lake bottom up through the ice mound, and the looser shards on top are picking up the shimmering silvers and blues of the water and sky.

View her photo bigger and see more in her crazy-awesome Ice slideshow.

If you have a problem with me being myself, please consider not telling me to “stick to the photos” and instead follow another blog/person/path that doesn’t bother you. I love Michigan, I love Michigan in Pictures, but I am an actual person who believes as I believe and does what I do. I will continue to do this, and telling me not to will just upset us both.

Congratulations! By making it to here, you can send me an idea for something about Michigan to feature. I can’t promise that I will be able to, but I can promise you that I will try and reply in any case. Just email me or post a comment below.

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Close Encounter on Lake Charlevoix

Posted on May 28, 2015 by farlane

Close Encounter, photo by Liz Glass

Liz took this back in May of 2011 at Glenwood Beach on Lake Charlevoix in Boyne City. View it bigger and see a ton more of her Lake Charlevoix photos on Flickr.

PS: If you’re in Boyne City and looking for good things to eat, visit Liz at the Lake Street Market!

Portraits Of The Artist As An Awestruck, Foul-Mouthed, Middle-Aged Child

Posted on November 21, 2014 by farlane

Portraits Of The Artist As An Awestruck, Foul-Mouthed, Middle-Aged Child, photo by Liz Glass

Fall is buried under about 70 feet of snow in northern Michigan right now, but at least the pictures remain. Liz explains the title of her photo:

Because you should have heard me when I got down there and confirmed that yes, not only was that aspen leaf covered in droplets of every size, but apparently each one had a mind of its own when it came to choosing what color to be. If anyone can explain this, please speak up. I’ll be the one sprawled out in my driveway saying things like “No f**king way” and “oh my god, get the f**k out of here.”

View her photo bigger and see more in her Autumn slideshow.

PS: If you’re in Boyne City, be sure to stop into her store, the Lake Street Market!

Michigan’s 2014 Morel Season has arrived!

Posted on May 3, 2014 by farlane

The White Morels are just starting. Taken in the City Limits of Boyne City, Michigan, along with some others I might add., photo by Rick Wolanin

I’ve started to get reports of morels trickling in from here in Traverse City and other locations in the state. While we’re a ways from full-on morel madness, it’s a good time to start getting excited about the return of this once-a-year woodland delicacy.

Over 7 years, Michigan in Pictures has accumulated a lot of morel features – here are some favorites along with a couple from other sites:

Over on Absolute Michigan I wrote Five Things You Need to Know about Michigan Morels that has some good info.
Cherie wrote a great feature on morel collecting on Leelanau.com that includes a recipe.
When you’re hunting morels, you need to know the difference between true morels and false morels, which are mildly poisonous.
Here’s a great old photo of mushroomers with BIG baskets from the early days of the Boyne City National Morel Mushroom Festival which returns for its 54th year May 15-18, 2014.
There’s also the 55th annual Mesick Mushroom Festival next weekend (May 9-11)
TIME had a feature a few years back that I linked to (also with one of Rick’s photos) in Michigan Mushroom Nation about how mushrooms are becoming as American as apple pie.
When the Absolute Michigan pool reached its 150,000th photo, I marked the occasion here with one big morel.

Rick lives in Boyne City, one of Michigan’s morel epicenters. View his photo bigger and check out more of his great morel photos!

Frequency

Posted on April 16, 2014 by farlane

Frequency, photo by Liz Glass

Liz says that these decaying pilings in Lake Charlevoix at Boyne City are the only remnants of the docks and roundhouse that stood at the waterfront during the town’s lumbering days. About this photo she writes:

Haven’t played with these guys in a while. This is the best time of year for them: we start having more colorful sunsets, and the ice that remains out on the lake helps keep the water still closer to shore. These pilings actually launched my ice fixation years ago when I noticed the elaborate frozen coats they grow in the winter. And then they became a year-round obsession themselves.

By the way, there’s no monkey-business here other than darkening the pilings a little to make them solid black. This is how it looked.

View her photo bigger and see more in her Pilings slideshow.

These are a few of my favorite things

Posted on May 31, 2013 by farlane

May 30, 2013, photo by rickrjw

As you can see from Rick’s photo taken yesterday, 2013 has blessed Northern Michigan with a strong morel season that is still going strong while lilacs are out! Doesn’t get much better than this!

Check this out on black and see more in Rick’s giant Boyne City, Michigan slideshow.

Of course there are morels & lilacs aplenty on Michigan in Pictures!