Frankenmuth: Bronner's Christmas Wonderland Pt. 1

While on a business trip last week, with my daughter tagging along, I decided to swing through Frankenmuth on the way home. Frankenmuth is the most visited place in the state of Michigan, with over 3 million tourists annually. It is the sister city of Gunzenhausen, Germany.

This first set of photos are from the outside of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. Located at 25 Christmas Lane and considered the largest Christmas store in the world, you can find just about anything you may need in regards to Christmas here. They even have decorations for all of the other holidays as well.

The link to their website is here.

Hosta Amongst the Forget-Me-Nots

I took this photo earlier this spring when my forget-me-nots were still in bloom. It was right after a fresh spring rain while I was out looking for macro shots in my shade garden. Forget-me-nots are my favorite flower, so I am particularly fond of this photo.

SkyWatch Friday

A few pictures I took during our camping trip to Lake Superior. I took these over a short lapse of time while watching the sun fade to the west.

The Cross In The Woods

On a recent trip to the western side of northern Michigan, for a day of school shopping, my kids and I made a pit stop at The Cross In the Woods. These are some of the photos I took. You can click here to learn more about the cross and it's history.

Grand Sable Dunes & Log Slide

These photos are of the Grand Sable Dunes and Log Slide area along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's upper peninsula.

The spot where I was taking the picture from is almost 300 feet from the water below. It is recommended that if you decide to walk, or slide for that matter, down the dunes, and make the walk back up, you should plan on having at least an hour for the return climb, and you should also not have a heart condition. We decided to enjoy the view from above. Maybe next time we visit, we'll ride on one of the charter boats to get the view from down below.

Back in the late 19th century, this spot was used by loggers who rolled and slid the logs down the dunes on a wooden slide to be loaded on lumber schooners waiting in the cold waters below.

The Insect On the Thistle

Messing around with the macro feature on my camera last week, I took some pictures of the ever annoying thistles that grow along the edge of our alfalfa field. After sorting through them, I found this one with the little bug on it.

Sky Watch Friday

My first Sky Watch Friday...

They are in the process of painting a local water tower, so I caught these pics the other day while out running errands. Would you ever do this job? I don't think I would, no matter how much you paid me...

Driftwood

I found this piece of driftwood on a Lake Superior beach during our camping trip in June. Up in the top left corner, covered with fog, is Lake Superior.

Alpena Harbor

I took a walk out on the pier in Alpena last week and took a bunch of shots. I will share more as time goes by, but this shot of the fueling station was my favorite. I love the way the lights reflect off of the water. I just wish I had Photoshop or PSP so I could erase those ugly power lines.

Dwarf Lake Iris

Michigan State Wildflower : Dwarf Lake Iris

This miniature iris grows nowhere else in the world but in the Great Lakes Region. Most of the world's Dwarf Lake Iris population lies within Michigan's boundaries. It is known outside of Michigan only from Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, and the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin. In Michigan, Dwarf Lake Iris is especially concentrated along certain stretches of the northern Great Lakes shoreline, where it may occur for miles, interrupted only by habitat destruction, degradation, or unsuitable habitat such as rocky points or marshy bays.

It is threatened by loss of habitat due to increased human activity along the shoreline. Human disturbance such as shoreline development and intensive recreation are major threats. Dwarf Lake Iris is listed as a "threatened" species by the federal government and the state of Michigan.

Dwarf Lake Iris was first found on Mackinac Island in 1810 by Thomas Nuttall, a renowned naturalist and explorer. Nuttall reached Mackinac Island after travelling from Detroit by canoe with French Canadian voyagers and the surveyor for the Michigan Territory. At least 1/3 of the species that Nuttall reported from the Great Lakes were new to science.