Atop the Bluffs

Hello, Sleeping Bear Dunes. I miss you.

Breathtaking

I love Pyramid Point—a spectacular vista in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It's one of my favorite views along the Lake Michigan coast. The last time I was there was this past Fall (2010), and I tried to "drink it in" (as Anne would say) while I was there. The day was beautiful, and the temperatures were mild—a perfect day for nature photography. :)

Sunset at the Platte

I never get tired of seeing the sunset at the mouth of the Platte River, in Northern Michigan. There's just nothing like seeing the river and the big lake meet, and having the beautiful colors of the sunset shine down on it all. I was spending this particular evening rock hunting with my mom- and sister-in-law. The sky was gorgeous, and the water looked so glassy. Ahhhhhhh . . .

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Fresh on the vine

Grapes and vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

—John 15:4-5 (NASB)

Arcadia overlook

Lake Michigan is so beautiful! Isn't it? This particular day was especially beautiful. I love when I can see all the blues and aquas, with some white-caps dotting the scene. These pictures were taken from an overlook in Arcadia, MI, on a clear Fall day. The wind was pretty strong, and it was difficult to keep my hair out of the picture. :o)

Fall Glory

Along "The Lost Pathway" trail in Northern Michigan

Shrooms

I got down on my elbows and knees to get this shot. We were hiking on "The Lost Pathway" in Northern Michigan a month or so ago, and these little guys almost got stepped on before I noticed them. They were just so perfect that I dropped down to grab the shot. I just love that there's a little bit of sand on everything in this picture. That's Western Michigan for you. I love that.

Fishtown

Fishtown in Leland, MI

Fishtown is a 145-year-old fishing village in the town of Leland, MI. It's home to many quaint shops and charter fishing companies. It's also the gateway to South and North Manitou Islands. It's one of our family's must-see destinations when we're in the area. It is home to such places as The Dam Candy Store, Tug Stuff, and The Village Cheese Shanty (which also has great local wines).

On our recent trip to Northern Michigan, we stopped in Leland to do some rock hunting, and then visited Fishtown, and watched the salmon in the channel. 

According to the Fishtown Preservation Society, "Fishtown is a collection of weathered fishing shanties, smokehouses, overhanging docks, fish tugs and charter boats along the Leland River in Leland, Michigan. Once the heart of a commercial fishing village, the structures and docks are real places where people can walk through, see and feel a connection to Lake Michigan’s fishing heritage. For the past half-century it has been enjoyed and appreciated by thousands of visitors and regional residents who find the shanties, fish tugs and docks that make up the property a living legacy of our maritime culture."

I love Fishtown!

Fall Surf

This was taken on a beautiful Fall day at Lake Michigan. I believe we were just south of Leeland at the time, on our way to Fishtown. We stopped to do some rock hunting. I just love the deep aquas and blues of the water. When I look at this picture now, I realize that it has some of my favorite colors in it. When I took it, I wasn't thinking about that—I just loved how the surf was crashing on the shore.

Even though it's really cold most of the time (you'll only find me swimming in it when the water temp is above 70ºF), I've come to really love and appreciate Lake Michigan. It's free of sharks, and other living creatures that could kill you. That's a plus! It generates some of the most beautiful stones I've ever seen. The water is ALWAYS beautiful, even on stormy days. You never know when a piece of a famous shipwreck will wash up, as you're walking by (ok, that's not normal, but it's cool when it happens). And, I love the uniqueness of the Lake Michigan coastline in the dead of winter—the frozen, snowy parts that stick out and break up the surf. It's really an amazing body of water.

A Garden in Fall

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.

So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air."

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

Photo taken at Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, MI

Cherry Republic

I hate cherries. I do. I have just never enjoyed their flavor. But, I enjoy visiting the Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, MI. Strange, I know. They do everything from chocolate-covered cherries to various types of cherry-based salsas and barbecue sauces, and cherry sodas, wines, etc.

We were walking around the Pop & Wine Tasting Room, and I mentioned to someone that I hate cherries, and the guy behind the counter said, "Wrong place." Haha! I didn't realize he had heard me! Oops!

Fall sunset

I noticed these plants as I was walking along the Platte River, on the way out to Lake Michigan, with my sister- and mother-in law. I loved how the sunset was hitting the pods and seeds on this plant. These kinds of plants are interesting to me, because the older plant is dying, but it is giving birth to new life—even as it dies. Regeneration is so amazing!

I'm listening to an audiobook of Anne's House of Dreams, right now. I still LOVE that series. It revives my imagination, and makes me use phrases like, "Drink it in!" :o) Reading (or listening to) them revives the Anne-spark in my spirit.

The West Bay

We recently returned from a family vacation in northern Michigan. There's just nothing like Michigan in the Fall. It's so . . . Fall-ish! The colors are gorgeous. While the weather can be all over the board, the week we were there was absolutely breathtaking. It was cool, and the sky was as blue as blue can be. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful week!

I took the picture above, as we were driving along 37 South on Old Mission Penninsula, on the way back through Traverse City. At the time, we just left Chateau Grand Traverse, and noticed this gorgeous view of the West Bay over the vineyards. So, we all stopped for one last look and a few pictures. I already miss it!

Sunset & Cattails

"O setting sun! though the time has come,
I still warble under you, if none else does, unmitigated
adoration."

—from "Song At Sunset" by Walt Whitman 

Grackle

What kind of name is "Grackle?" Poor bird! You see them all the time, and they make a slightly obnoxious sound, but why tag them with such a hideous name?

This guy was hanging around at the end of this dead tree in a park near where we use to live. I loved the way he was silhouetted against the evening sky, and I'm lucky to have captured him just the way I wanted to. He was backlit just enough to make him look completely black against the soft blue sky.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (my husband will be proud):

Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies. Grackles walk around lawns and fields on their long legs or gather in noisy groups high in trees, typically evergreens. They eat many crops (notably corn) and nearly anything else as well, including garbage. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow V shape.

Flowers at White River Light

These beautiful flowers were planted in the gardens around the White River Light Station in Muskegon, MI. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what kind of flowers they are. It's a nice splash of color, though, in the middle of winter.

My new artsy collage

My husband and I have been trying to figure out which of my artistic photos to display in these four black frames we have. I've traditionally taken seasonal pictures and put them in these frames, but we wanted to do something a little different with them. And we wanted to put them in our bedroom. I haven't really taken the time to try and figure out what I wanted to do with them, but my creative bug has been alive and well lately, and I just had to do something about it. So, I rifled through my pictures, and decided to go with a natural Michigan theme (we're from Michigan)—specifically "up North." But, I didn't want to use the full-color versions of these photos, so I sat down and spent a little QT in Photoshop.

After playing with them, I decided to use a sepia tone, which would work well with the black frames, off-white mattes, and the colors in our bedding. Only two of these pictures are ones that I've previously blogged about (I included links to the originals below the respective pics), and two of them are new to Grace Made Evident. So, here they are . . .

Pyramid Point view of Lake Michigan 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Curling Birch bark in the woods of Northern Michigan

The Empire Bluffs Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
View the original

Mouth of the Platte River, emptying into Lake Michigan
View the original

Those are the ones I decided to use. Two of them went into 11x14 frames, with an 8x10 matte. The other two went into 8x10 frames, with 5x7 mattes. I couldn't quite get a great picture of the end result, but here it is . . .

I have to say that I was impressed with my own picture hanging abilities. They're all really straight!







P.S.—These pictures ARE included in the giveaway. :o)

Giant Northern White Cedar

This is (I believe) a Giant Northern White Cedar, near the Grand Traverse Lighthouse in Northern Michigan. It's massive! I can't find any information on this particular tree, even though there's a big sign in front of it that talks about it. Maybe I should have taken a picture of the sign, too? Regardless, this was a grand tree! The swoops of it's large branches remind me of an elephant trunk.

There is a stand of these giants on South Manitou Island, and it is said that these cedars are twice as big as your average White Cedar. During this vacation (when this picture was taken), we tried to take the boat out to South Manitou so we could hike around the island and hopefully see this beautiful stand of old trees, but the weather made the lake really choppy and they canceled all day-trips. Boo! One day, I can't wait to get out there and do some good exploring.

P.S.—[2/12/10] I just had a family member send me a picture of the sign that's in front of this tree. Thanks, Mary Lou! Here's her picture of the sign, complete with all the fun facts about this tree.

Winter Light

South Haven Pier Light in Winter

Empire Bluffs Trail—Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

View of Lake Michigan from the Empire Bluffs Trail
in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore