RED, photo by Sandy Hansen Photography
What an awesome capture. View Sandy’s photo bigger and see more in her Traverse City Area slideshow.
Let it snow … please
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).
Winter Solstice: Ten seconds at Tahquamenon edition
winter solstice, upper tahquamenon falls, michigan, photo by twurdemann
I wrote that the actual moment of the solstice was 11:48 PM last night, but it’s actually TONIGHT! Anyway, here’s a simply gorgeous photo from the 2013 winter solstice at Tahquamenon Falls to kick off the shortest day of the year. I hope you can fit everything in and get a great start to your week!
View twurdemann’s incredible ten-second exposure bigger and see more including some more shots of the dramatically different scene at the Falls in 2013 in his winter slideshow.
Lots more Tahquamenon Falls and more about the winter solstice on Michigan in Pictures!
Where’s Winter? (Hint: ask El Niño)
Where’s Winter?, photo by Daniel Frei Photography
Dan writes:
WANTED: millions and billions and zillions of these pretty things!
Retweet if you want snow too!
But how likely is snow? Here’s an in-depth report by Jessica Eggert on the likliehood (or lack thereof) of snow by Christmas Day that draws from a number of sources and pegs Detroit’s chances at just 46%. For the why behind this, check out Jeff Masters’ report on the warmest meteorological autumn on record:
Meteorological autumn (September – November) was the warmest in 121 years of recordkeeping for the 48 contiguous U.S. states, according to NOAA’s national wrapup of November and fall conditions released Wednesday morning. The national average of 56.8°F was a full 3.3°F above the 20th-century average and 0.2°F above the previous record of 56.6°F (Sep-Nov 1963). Only one state (Florida) had its warmest autumn on record, but the nation as a whole still came out on top because of the rare coast-to-coast nature of the warmth. (FYI Michigan was 120 out of 121 years in 2015)
The dynamics associated with El Niño are likely to keep unusually mild weather predominating over the northern U.S. for most of the winter, according to seasonal outlooks from the National Weather Service.
View & share Dan’s photo from his Twitter and see more and purchase prints at his photography website.
More snow on Michigan in Pictures!
PS: Here’s a great article about snow by Jerry Dennis with illustrations by Glenn Wolff titled Nature Baroque Snowflakes & Crystals that I shared in my online magazine the Northern Michigan Journal a decade ago.
When did summer end?
When did summer end?, photo by Cameron
Cameron took this 30 second exposure in heavy snowfall last week at Upland Hills Farm, which looks like a pretty cool place.
View the photo background bigtacular and see more in his Upland Hills Farm slideshow.
More winter wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
December 1st … Back into the Woods Day
sit for a spell, photo by Doug Jonas
Longtime readers may know that I celebrate December 1st as “Back into the Woods Day” because for my money, the hardest 15 days for the year for the non-hunting lover of the outdoors in Michigan are November 15-30th. Enjoy as you will – orange clothing not required!
The photo was taken in Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest in Augusta, midway between Kalamazoo & Battle Creek:
Established on abandoned agricultural land, the 716-acre Kellogg Experimental Forest is known worldwide for research on tree breeding and genetics, planting techniques, and plantation establishment and management. Much of the research that developed the Spartan spruce, a hybrid that combines the color and drought resistance of a blue spruce and the softer needles and rapid growth rate of the white spruce, was done at the Kellogg Forest. The forest is open to the public for biking, hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing, and has several interpretive trails.
Click for visitor information and there’s also some videos of what researchers are up to that show some of this beautiful spot.
Doug says this was an enchanted afternoon in the woods, with sun, shadow, snow and reflected sky. View his photo background bigilicious and click for more of his great Michigan photos.
More winter wallpaper and lots more parks & trails on Michigan in Pictures!
Beating the Winter Blahs at Elizabeth Park
Several of my friends shared this very appropriate article today about how Norwegians in the far north of the country deal with the dark and cold of winter:
First, Norwegians celebrate the things one can only do in winter. “People couldn’t wait for the ski season to start,” says Leibowitz. Getting outside is a known mood booster, and so Norwegians keep going outside, whatever is happening out there. Notes Leibowitz: “There’s a saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”
Norwegians also have a word, koselig, that means a sense of coziness. It’s like the best parts of Christmas, without all the stress. People light candles, light fires, drink warm beverages, and sit under fuzzy blankets. There’s a community aspect to it too; it’s not just an excuse to sit on the couch watching Netflix. Leibowitz reports that Tromsø had plenty of festivals and community activities creating the sense that everyone was in it together.
And finally, people are enamored with the sheer beauty of the season. Leibowitz grew up near the Jersey shore, and “I just took it as a fact that everyone likes summer the best.” But deep in the winter in Norway, when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon, multiple hours a day can still look like sunrise and sunset, and against the snow, “the colors are incredibly beautiful,” she says. “The light is very soft and indirect.”
Most likely you can’t cross-country ski straight out of your house, and while Norwegian sweaters may be catching on, restaurants and coffee shops in more temperate climates don’t all feature the fireplaces and candles common to the far north. Still, there are little things non-Norwegians can do. “One of the things we do a lot of in the States is we bond by complaining about the winter,” says Leibowitz. “It’s hard to have a positive wintertime mindset when we make small talk by being negative about the winter.”
Read on for more good advice on battling the winter blahs – I hope it’s helpful to you!
The photo was taken in Elizabeth Park in Trenton which I just learned is Michigan’s first county park!
This 162-acre family estate was bequeathed to the Wayne County Park Trustees in October of 1919 by the children of Elizabeth Slocum.
The acceptance of this special gift marks the beginning of the Wayne County Park System. Elizabeth Park sits like an emerald jewel along the banks of the Detroit River, and features over 1,300 feet of riverwalk for fishing and river watching. In addition Elizabeth Park also offers activities such as softball, cycling, in-line skating, hiking, cross-country skiing and ice skating.
View the photo background bigtacular and see more in mballen89’s slideshow.
More winter wallpaper and more straight-up winter on Michigan in Pictures!
Snowvember in Michigan
Thanksgiving Snow – Pine Cone Edition, photo by Tom Hughes
Much of Michigan, particularly the southern 2/3 of the Lower Peninsula, is bracing for significant snowfall – as much as 6″ by Sunday morning according to mLive’s Mark Torregrossa:
Snow, possibly mixed with rain, will start in the southwest corner of Lower Michigan after 2 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. This includes Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. By 8 a.m. Saturday, wet snow, mixed with rain, will have spread into southeastern Lower Michigan, including Lansing, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Bay City and Midland. Snow should make it into northern Lower Michigan, including Traverse City, Houghton Lake and Alpena by early Saturday afternoon.
The morning will have temperatures between 32 degrees and 35 degrees. Snow will probably struggle to accumulate during the morning.
All of the model data is now consistent that the storm center will intensify during the afternoon. Precipitation will be heaviest during the afternoon and early evening Saturday.
That’s when the driving conditions will likely worsen dramatically and possibly quickly.
The colder air, with temperatures of about 31 degrees will move in to southern Lower between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. At the same time there could be a fairly heavy rate of snow.
Read on for more at mLive. If you’re feeling sad, remember that last November was the snowiest since 1897 in much of Michigan!!
View Tom’s photo bigger and see more in his Rochester MI slideshow.
Also tune in to November snow in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr for photos at they are added!
Fall…ing: Michigan is Still Michigan Edition
Fall…ing, photo by Thom Skelding
Yep. This photo pretty much sums up the weekend!! In Michigan gets bragging rights to first heavy snow east of Rockies, mLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa writes:
Michigan now has bragging rights to the first heavy snow of the winter, east of the Rockies. Overnight Friday, October 16, 2015, and this morning, lake effect snow has been falling in part of the Upper Peninsula and a large area of northwest Lower Michigan.
The Kalkaska area, east of Traverse City, has officially reported 5.7 inches of new snow.
The northwest Lower Michigan snow belt has received areas of two to five inches of the winter wonder.
Click through for more, including some photos.
View Thom’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.
More fall wallpaper and more winter wallpaper
MDOT Pic of the Day: Office with a View
Office with a View, photo by MDOT Pic of the Day
Discovered the Michigan Department of Transportation’s MDOT Pic of the Day Instagram yesterday. The other day they posted this photo of an unidentified Mackinac Bridge employee out for a stroll:
One thing about working on the #MackinacBridge, your office has a good view. :)
Indeed!
View the photo bigger and follow them on Instagram.
PS: From the Full Circle Department, a couple of days ago Michigan in Pictures regular Rudy Malmquist shared a link to some photos of the Coast Guard Cutter HollyHock breaking the ice under the bridge!! Click that link to see page through them on Facebook.
More of the Mighty Mac on Michigan in Pictures.
Michigan in Pictures 