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.

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

South Haven Pier Light

South Haven Pier Light
South Haven, MI

My husband and I took a weekend to getaway in South Haven, MI, several years ago. While we were there, we took the opportunity to do a bit of snowshoeing and sight-seeing. The snow was just beautiful. The South Haven Pier Lighthouse was covered in ice and snow, and I had to stop and take some pictures. I took a lot of them! This is definitely one of my favorites. I had to snap them really quickly, because the wind off Lake Michigan was extremely cold, and I had to duck out of it after a few pictures to get feeling back in my hands.

Point Betsie Foghorn in Winter

Point Betsie Fog Signal Building in Winter

This fog horn is located in one of my favorite areas in Michigan—Benzie County. The day I took this photo was a beautiful, crisp, winter day. It was the kind of day where you see your breath, and you bundle up before going outside. After being out for a while, you love the thought of getting into the warm car and going home for a nice warm cup of hot cocoa. Ahhh . . . I love winter!

According to www.pointbetsie.org, "Renovation of the Fog Signal Building, which sits immediately north of the lighthouse, is also complete. It, too, was returned to a look not seen in many decades. It’s exterior siding replicates the original iron needed to house the steam boilers that powered the fog signal in pre-electricity times. The exterior and metal interior walls were restored in 2008, enabling the building to house the lighthouse's Sesquicentennial exhibition of juried works of art inspired by Point Betsie's structures and surroundings."

Lone Maple Leaf

I'm so excited! Fall and Winter are on their way! I really love this time of the year. So come on leaves—hurry up and turn!

Mystery plant

I have no idea what this plant is, but I like the picture. If you know what kind of plant this is, please let me know. I took this picture on a nature trail near where we use to live in West Michigan. I do remember that it was a beautiful Fall day. The leaves were almost finished dropping, so the forest floor was carpeted with crunchy leaves. The sun was streaming through the bare branches, and the air was crisp. Ahhh, how I love fall in Michigan. I'm sad to miss most of it this year, but I'm looking forward to enjoying fall colors and traditions in Kentucky.

White Trillium

Trillium grandiflorum

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

—Claude Monet

Lake Michigan beach

Unfortunately, I can't remember where this is along the Lake Michigan coastline! It could be Grand Haven, but it could also be Pentwater. Who knows? I've taken so many pictures along Lake Michigan, and I've done a terrible job of cataloging them! Oh well. I love sand fences. Don't ask me why . . . I just do. I think seeing these in Michigan reminded me of the sand fences you see along the Alabama Gulf Coast—where I grew up vacationing. The Gulf Coast is almost like a second home for me, and seeing these in Michigan was nostalgic for me.

Sailing

Crossing the Bar

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Sunset and evening star,

And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,

And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crost the bar.

Lake Michigan

I love the West Coast of Michigan, and the Lake. This area holds some of the most beautiful landscapes, and most fascinating lighthouses. 

The Big Sable Lighthouse

www.bigsablelighthouse.org

The Little Sable Point Lighthouse

www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=193

This is one of my favorite Michigan lighthouses. It's right on the beach, and you can walk up an look straight up at it. It's really an amazing sight.

Sunset on Lake Michigan