“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” —Eliezer Yudkowsky
Heather took this picture 5 years ago when she rode her bike to the pier in Frankfort for sunrise & was delighted with the Michigan cloud next to the bluff as was I because – WOW! 😍
Reposting even though it will have some people shouting about AI, just as they were about suspicions of photoshop when I originally shared it. I do this in hopes you will feel the truth that none of these AI reimaginings have an iota of the impact that seeing a marvel like this in real life holds.
In the summer of 2026, Point Betsie Lighthouse in Benzie County will be replacing their iconic erosion protection system. They write:
Come see history in the making! This summer, the Shoreline Protection System (SPS) that guarded Point Betsie Lighthouse for the past 80 years, is being replaced with an all new system. Witness firsthand the building of the new SPS – a once in a lifetime opportunity – and share the experience with family and friends! Point Betsie Lighthouse grounds, museums, apartment, and gift shop are all expected to be open during normal operating hours all season.
Due to possible disturbance during SPS construction, bookings as short as 2 nights in the apartment will be allowed in 2026 during the peak season. Click here to reserve!
Longtime Michigan in Pictures contributor SueFi Photography shared a bunch of photos related to the recent restoration & preservation of the Frankfort Lighthouse after repeated vandalism incidents:
Erin Griebe, the chairperson of the Frankfort Lighthouse Restoration Project, says volunteers first noticed bullet holes in the lamp room last fall. “That’s very expensive glass to replace. It’s all custom because this is a very old historic building, and once the integrity of the glass is disrupted with bullet holes, you have to make those repairs,” Griebe told News 8 affiliate UpNorthLive.
“It’s just years and years of build up and paint and, you know, if we’re going to spend all this money, donated money to entirely clean this down to the bare metal and then restore it to pristine condition, is this just going to happen again?” Ketz said.
The restoration project was estimated to cost $1.1 million in 2022. Griebe already knows the costs will surpass that estimate and wants to avoid any other unnecessary work. “We are hopeful that by raising awareness, people will become less likely to tag the lighthouse, and for the individuals taking shots at it will also think twice now that the community at large is more aware,” she told News 8.
9 years ago I started a Michigan in Pictures Patreon page to allow folks to throw me a few bucks in support of michpics. A big thank you to all who have done so – it means a lot to know you care.
My best friend Ken who has since passed on & I took these photos way back in August of 2007 after an honestly incredible rock stacking event on the Lake Michigan shoreline just north of the village of Frankfort. I still have no idea who did this, but I know that I will never forget it!! I hope you enjoy these photos & the video and also that you’re able to make or discover magic in your corner of the Great Lakes State.
Memorial Weekend 2024 is upon us. I’m wishing a great time for everyone, safe travels lucky enough to be traveling for pleasure, and for all of us, I wish patience. If you look around you will see Help Wanted signs everywhere you look, particularly in hot tourist destinations. Give those working an extra dose of kindness & have a blast!
I just actually hit one of my dream shots 30 minutes ago. I have been waiting years for this one. Felt so good to line it up, realize my timing, rise to the occasion, and just all smiles and tears. Completely made my day. Thankful for these moments and how happy photography can make me. #puremichigan #michigan
For reference, the top of the tower is 67 feet above Lake Michigan! Follow him on Facebook or Instagram and definitely follow your dreams!
More than a fifth of Detroit’s police force is quarantined; two officers have died from coronavirus and at least 39 have tested positive, including the chief of police. For the 2,200-person department, that has meant officers working doubles and swapping between units to fill patrols. And everyone has their temperature checked before they start work.
An increasing number of police departments around the country are watching their ranks get sick as the number of coronavirus cases explodes across the U.S. The growing tally raises questions about how laws can and should be enforced during the pandemic, and about how departments will hold up as the virus spreads among those whose work puts them at increased risk of infection.
…officers are used to risk. It’s part of the job. But at a time when Americans are being advised to stay six feet from each other to combat an insidious virus that can live on surfaces for days, the perils and anxieties are new. This crisis is unlike any American police forces have dealt with before, said former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.
“We’re in unprecedented territory here,” said Davis, who led the police department when the Boston Marathon bombing happened in 2013.
…While the pandemic has so far hit American cities hardest, rural law enforcement agencies with few staff are in some ways most vulnerable.
In the tiny West Texas community of Marfa, Police Chief Estevan Marquez instructed his four officers not to pull over cars for minor traffic infractions, especially if they’re passing through from areas already hit by the virus.
The Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse entry at Terry Pepper’s excellent Seeing the Light says the tip of the light is 72 feet off the water, making that spray over 80′ tall!! Click above for a ton more, but here’s something about the light tower:
1912 saw significant a significant change in the lighting of the Frankfort harbor entrance. A new square steel pyramidal tower was erected on the North Pier. Fully sheathed in steel plates, the white painted structure stood 44 feet from its base to the top of the ventilator ball. Outfitted with a fixed red Fourth Order Fresnel lens, the tower’s location on the north pier provided the new light with a focal plane of 46 feet, and a visible range of 12 miles in clear weather. The air siren from the South Pierhead light was relocated into this new structure, and set up to emit a characteristic isophase characteristic of alternating periods of 3 second blasts and 3 seconds of silence. An elevated walkway, similar to that installed on the south Pier, was erected from the new light to the shore.
…By 1924, the total car ferry tonnage through Frankfort Harbor was twenty five times greater than that prior to the establishment of the ferries. To better serve this vital commerce, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction of a pair of reinforced concrete arrowhead-type breakwaters at the harbor entrance in order to create a large stilling basin to protect the opening into the harbor. With the completion of these breakwaters in the early 1930’s, the twin piers at the entry into Lake Betsie no longer served any purpose. With plans in place to shorten them into short stub piers, the North Pierhead Light was lifted from the pier onto the deck of a barge and carried out to the end of the North Breakwater. A square steel base 25 feet in height had been erected on the end of the breakwater to receive it, and the tower was lifted onto the new base. After being bolted into position, the new tower stood 67 feet in height from the upper level of the pier to the top of the lantern ventilator ball. By virtue of its location on the concrete pier, the light stood at a focal plane of 72 feet, and the 17,000 candlepower incandescent electric light within the Fourth Order Fresnel was visible for a distance of 16 miles in clear weather.
Read on for lots more about the lighthouse including some great old photos.
