Mid Michigan on the 4th of July – Imlay City, photo by Mike Boening
View Mike’s photo background big, see more in his slideshow and if you want to want to purchase prints, visit his website.
More summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
It doesn’t get more winter than this
Fresh Winter snow on a historic Michigan Farm, photo by Michigan Nut
John writes: We were treated to 8 inches of new snow in lower Michigan over the last two days. This farm is a couple of miles from us here in Montcalm county. View his photo bigger and see lots more in his Winter slideshow.
More barns on Michigan in Pictures.
Kawkawlin River: the Place of the Pike Fish
Kawkawlin River, photo by conradthedog
A Brief History of the Kawkawlin River from the Kawkawlin Watershed Property Owner Association says that the native name for Kawkawlin was U GUH KON NING or ‘place of pike fish’. They add that the Saginaw Treaty of 1819 was negotiated by Lewis Cass with the Chippewa Indians and opened the lands of Saginaw Valley to settlers for $1.25 per acre and have lots more history & information at the link above.
Check out Jon’s photo background big and see more in his Michigan slideshow.
Many more rivers on Michigan in Pictures.
NASA turns 55
Milky Way – Silos, photo by eddy.matt
“To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind.”
~NASA’s Vision
On July 29, 1958, President Dwight D Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act that established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration aka NASA. While I don’t think that we’ve seen quite the advances we expected after making it to the moon in just over a decade, NASA has evolved into a science agency that is engaged in an incredible range of operations from theoretical research (warp drive is my current favorite) to monitoring our planet, solar system and the visible universe (measuring Northern Lights and roving Mars) to a permanent presence in space (I watched NASA TV live from the International Space Station this morning) and plans for a manned Mars mission.
Check Matthew’s photo out bigger and see more in his slideshow. This photo is a still from a gorgeous time-lapse on the Leelanau Peninsula that he did last year in July.
More space on Michigan in Pictures!
Apples on the Ridge push through Mothers Day frost
empire apple tree blossoming, photo by Alissa Holland
NPR’s Noah Adams visited “The Ridge” to see how the apple crop was faring in 2013 after the devastation of 2012. The engaging 4 minute piece looks at methods they use to battle frost and how last year’s 99% wipeout hurt farmers. It’s well worth your time, but if you’re looking for the punch-line, the crop appears to have the potential for full harvest.
The Ridge Economic Agricultural Partners (REAP) explain:
Fruit Ridge or “the Ridge” is a topographical land feature located NW of Grand Rapids, Michigan and considered to be an agricultural mecca. The glaciers of long ago left behind gently rolling slopes. The deposits were fertile clay loam soils with excellent moisture holding qualities that provided great soil and terrain for the growing of premium fruits, vegetables and the raising of livestock, including buffalo.
Approximately 8 miles wide by 20 miles long, the Fruit Ridge is regarded as one of the prime fruit-growing regions in the world. Elevations greater than 800 feet and its location (about 25 miles from Lake Michigan), creates a unique climate (ideal growing and moderate winters) for fruit production. The Ridge supplies 60% of the states (Michigan) apples. An estimated 66% of the Ridge lies in Kent County, all within 20 miles of downtown Grand Rapids.
“The Ridge” is an area of 158 square miles (8 miles wide and 20 miles long) covering 7 townships and 4 counties: Kent (Alpine, Sparta, Tyrone), Newago (Ashland), Muskegon (Casnovia) and Ottawa (Chester and Wright).
Click through for more about the growers and markets and also see Fruit Ridge on Wikipedia.
Alissa took this photo of a blossoming Empire apple tree in her backyard on May 7th. See it bigger on black and view many more in her how my garden grows slideshow.
Four Silo Barn
DSC02860_1_2_3_tonemapped, photo by ansonredford
Donald writes that he’s never seen a quad-silo barn before he came across this one – me neither!!
Check this out big as a barn and see several more looks at this barn in his Barns & Silos slideshow.
More barns on Michigan in Pictures.
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