Snappd by Sean Photography is one of my favorite follows on Facebook because in addition to great shots like this, he also maintains a lively back and forth with his fans. If you have become as exhausted as I am by the stream of AI fakes & stolen photographs that has taken over social media, let me suggest that you follow him and some of the other real live photographers on my Michigan Photographers page. In addition to taking views (and money) away from pixel grifters, you will be supporting the fine men & women who are out there taking the actual photographs that are being ripped off!
Sean is a Detroit-based photographer, birdwatcher & UAV drone pilot. He took this last month from Belle Isle in the Detroit River. You can see what he’s up to today on Facebook and follow him on Instagram as well!
“And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done, full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of it necessary, serious, and great things.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
This passage from a 1907 letter from the famed German poet Rilke to his wife Clara is often paraphrased, but even though it is kind of an awkward translation, I thought that it did a better job of conveying the enormity of possibility and urgency of making every moment and every person matter in your year to come. May 2026 bring you health, happiness, and good things that have never been.
Stephen took this photo of the Tobacco River on the Keweenaw Peninsula way back in 2013 and added his wishes for a fresh start and a Happy New Year to all. Check it out on his Flickr photo map and see more in his Geotouring gallery.
Although we were just in the neighborhood on Monday for the Seven Wonders of Michigan, I couldn’t resist encouraging you to take a look around at one of my favorite Michigan hikes when Gary shared this photo of a storm rolling into Chapel Beach yesterday! The river you see in the foreground is the Chapel River that flows from Chapel Falls (pictured below).
In June 2024 I shared photos of the US & Canadian crews “topping out” the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Topping Out is a special ceremony dating back over a thousand years that symbolizes connection. Ironworkers say the evergreen tree signifies a job well done & believe the custom brings good luck.
I read a news story the other day that says they will soon be testing the bridge lights & thought it would be a good time to check in on this incredible structure Canada is spearheading. The project remains on track for a fall 2025 opening, and when complete the Gordie How Bridge will be the biggest land port of entry between Canada and the U.S. with 130 acres, 11 structures, 16 toll lanes, and 24 primary inspection lanes on the Canadian side and 167 acres, 13 structures, and 36 primary inspection lanes on the US side.
Most of the schools in Michigan were closed today due to single digit or subzero temps as the entire state wonders what box it put the electric blanket in. ArborWiki’s entry for Barton Dam says that:
The City of Ann Arbor purchased the dam from Detroit Edison in the 1960s and restarted hydroelectric generation in the 1980s. The facility has a 900-kilowatt turbine that generates 4.2 million kWh per year.
Barton Dam is one of Ann Arbor’s four dams on the Huron River. It was designed by engineer Gardner Stewart Williams and architect Emil Lorch and built in 1912-13 as part of the development of hydroelectric power on the Huron River by the predecessor of Detroit Edison. The earthen-construction dam is 34 feet high and 1767 feet long, and has a typical surface area of 315 acres and typical storage of 5050 acre-feet. The dam can be accessed from Huron River Drive from the city park located at the foot of Bird Road.
See more including another shot from Barton Dam Nature Area in Bruce’s 2025-01 gallery on Flickr and STAY WARM!!!
Thousands of people commute each day from their homes in Michigan to their work in Canada and vice versa. Let’s join Michigan to Canada so that those nurses, engineers, municipal workers and computer programmers can more easily travel within the same country. The pandemic played havoc with those commuters, when the international crossing was closed.
Let’s scrap that border before the next pandemic.
As someone who has regularly visited Canada all my life; vacationing on Sugar Island & St Joseph Island, skiing in Searchmont, enjoying music in Toronto, and zipping across to Windsor with just my enhanced Michigan license whenever the mood strikes me, I’m giving that a big amen!
James shared the photo of the Ambassador Bridge back in February of 2018 writing: Fog covers the cities of Windsor, ONT and Detroit, MI. The Ambassador Bridge connects the two cities. 5 shot panorama stitched in Lightroom. Shot from Detroit Riverside Park.
There’s more pics in his Detroit gallery on Flickr including the photo of the two nations looking downriver.
Overall, the report found 82% of Canadians do not want to become the 51st state with only 13% saying they would.
Monika regularly shares photos in our Facebook group but in case you haven’t visited, I wanted to share a couple here. About the photo above she writes:
I saw this out of the corner of my eye last August and gasped! Since then, I’ve been determined to get the shot but being 3 hours from home, I chose to wait until my autumn color tour. I’m as pleased as punch about it as it was a sketchy, tree filled drone flight in but I HAD to get the waterfalls in back and in front of the train trestle.
Made of quarter-inch-thick plate steel with an iridescent sheen, this whopper weighs nearly four tons and gave credibility to Onaway’s claim to be the Sturgeon Capital of Michigan. It was sculpted by Tom Moran of Moran Iron Works, with help from the students of Onaway’s Industrial Arts Institute. It debuted in Onaway’s July 4th parade in 2017. Tom then bought an abandoned downtown gas station, bulldozed the buildings, and set the fish in the vacant lot.
Onaway is known for its annual mid-winter sturgeon hunt, where the big fish are speared through the ice on Black Lake. Tom did not make a monster-size spear to accompany his giant sturgeon, but told us that he’s always open to new ideas for future projects.
Rick shared this pic in our Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook. Head over to the group to see more of his photos!
The Michpics entry on the Map turtle says that they are avid baskers, often basking in groups. They are diurnal, active both in the day and at night and also a very wary animal, slipping into the water to hide at the slightest hint of danger. During courtship the male initiates by tapping his long claws on the front of the female but few details are known. Well I guess those claws demand attention!! 👀
David took this photo a couple years ago while kayaking on the Grand River. See the latest on his Flickr!
Michigan in Pictures 