Snow Clouds

The snow clouds looming over Lake Huron on a cold December day.

The Ice Is Forming On Lake Huron

Took a walk out on the pier in Alpena this past Saturday morning and caught this shot of Thunder Bay. It was cold, but worth it.

Ornaments & Beads

These were in a box of Christmas decorations that my mother was getting ready to put up around her house. Aren't they pretty?

The Bellflower & the Fly

Took this shot over in Presque Isle last week when Sara and I went out to see the lighthouses on the shores of Lake Huron.

Sharing The Love

Walking through the woods, my mom pointed out these two ferns that look like a heart.

Columbine

Columbine is one of my favorite flowers, and lucky me, it grows all over here in northern Michigan.

Little Grasshopper

I've been practicing with macro photography a lot lately. Here's a small grasshopper that I found in my mom's yard one day, while out looking for flower shots.

The Fly

Yes, I think flies are nasty little critters, but this picture turned out pretty well. I just had to share it..

SkyWatch Friday

My daughter and I took a walk out in our field the other day and out of nowhere came this very low flying plane. We live about 30 miles from a National Guard base and regional airport, so I imagine they were out doing drills or something, but it caught me completely off guard..

That's My World - Morel Season

The morel, in case you are unaware, is a tasty little delicacy and highly sought after mushroom that many people like to hunt this time of year. Here in northern Michigan, several towns have festivals to celebrate this hot little item that can bring in at least $20 per pound. I've been on a hunt trying to find them within this last week. We drove out to some state land and looked high and low and this was the only one we could find. Then yesterday my husband and I went for a walk in the woods on the back of our ten acres, and guess what, we found seven of them. We went back out this afternoon and found eight more. We haven't had much rain lately though, and since rain is helpful to their growth, I think later this week after the forecasted rain, we might just find us a bundle.

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That's My World - Coming To Life

Spring is by far my favorite season of the year. Everything is new again, and the world suddenly becomes full of color after a long gray, dull, winter. And then of course, I come out of hibernation with my camera in hand. Since I purchased my first DSLR camera as a birthday gift to myself last fall, I have been going crazy taking pictures of anything and everything I can find. Here are a few shots of some of the new life that is growing around my home.

This first shot is from one of our willow trees

These flowers below are buttercups, and they grow along the edge of the stream that runs through the woods behind our property.

Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. Here are some new shoots growing in our garden.

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SkyWatch Friday

A recent northern Michigan spring sky looms over our back field. This storm rolled in bringing much needed relief from very dry, high fire danger conditions.

Detroit Zoo Aviary

During a recent visit to the Detroit Zoo, I captured these shots of the aviary.

The dome from the outside

Looking up at the dome from the inside

Signs Of Spring

These are the first flowers to bloom in my yard. They are so dainty and so very pretty. In northern Michigan, they grow all over in the forests and usually they are an early indication that morel mushrooms will soon be seen.

That's My World - Hometown Movie Locations

For those of us who live in Michigan, we've recently experienced a movie making boom. This is due to a tax credit ,which was put in place, to bring more filmmakers to the area in an effort to bring more revenue to the state. Last week during a trip back to my hometown, I took a couple of shots of some recent film locations that were shot in my hometown.

This first shot below is Parker High School. This school is new, but after only one year of being open, the town had to shut it down due to financial reasons. This made for a great opportunity for some film makers who were looking for an empty school building to shoot their movie in. The movie, titled "High School", was shot last fall and will be starring Adrian Brody and Michael Chiklis.




This second photo is the Howell courthouse and was used for one small scene in a movie that will star Hillary Swank and is titled Betty Anne Waters. When I was a teenager, several of my friends and I used to hang out on the courthouse lawn during the annual Howell Melon Fest.

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Look Up...

Looking up while visiting the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, I captured these shots of some chandeliers...

My World Tuesday

We took a quick little mini-vacation over the weekend downstate and while we were there, we paid a visit to Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, and also the birthplace of many of my family members. Ann Arbor is a quirky town with lots to see and do. Since we were pressed for time, I didn't get many pictures here, but I just had to get a shot of this interesting house. I love it! It is so unique and just the kind of house I would love to live in.

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SkyWatch Friday - Strange Tree

Out exploring deserted beaches along the Lake Superior shoreline in the upper peninsula, I happened across this perculiar tree. I have never seen anything quite like it. Odd, wouldn't you say?

For all of my blogging friends who have left comments in the last week, I am sorry I haven't had time to respond or to swing by your blogs. My kids are off school for spring break and we have been prepping for a quick weekend getaway starting tomorrow. I will be back on track come Monday, so I will catch up with you all then. Thank you all so much for the very kind comments, they are highly appreciated.

That's My World - Old Cabin

This cabin is directly across the street from where I live. My daughter and I have walked over and checked it out a few times. Not much left of the old place, but a few old broken things on the inside. It sure peaks the curiosity of days gone by and what the family that lived here was like.

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Tracks

Goofing around with my macro mode, I took this shot of our neighbors tractor imprints in the snow, after he plowed our driveway a few weeks ago. What do you think?

Sky Watch Friday - Crater Lake

I pulled this from my archives. I took this shot back in 1993 when I went on a three state tour of the west over a two week period. We took the trip to Crater Lake, Oregon, in June and there was still quite a lot of snow. I've always thought Crater Lake was a beautiful place when I looked at pictures, but going there was so much better than I could have imagined. It is magnificent.

That's My World - Frankenmuth Covered Bridge

One of my favorite places to visit in my home state of Michigan is Frankenmuth. I have many pictures I could share, but for now, I will focus on the wooden covered bridge that crosses over the Cass River. The bridge, built in 1979, is 239 feet long, weighs 230 tons, and is made completely of wood.

This first shot, shown below is the west side entrance.

Here's a shot from the southern side of the bridge

This photo is a small scale of the larger bridge. This mini is located in a shopping area just to the southwest of the bridge.

And this last shot is of the south side walk way that runs along side the bridge.

More info about this bridge can be found here.

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Berries

I'm really not sure what type of berries these are, but I thought they would make a good photo subject. I like the way you can see the light through them.

Last Summer

Here's a shot from our family vacation last summer. We took a spur of the moment trip down to Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon and then made our way home along the Lake Michigan coast. This was our last stop before heading home. It was such a perfect day and my kids we're having tons of fun modeling for me. I love this shot in particular, because it looks so serene and she looks so peaceful.

Sky Watch Friday

I was cleaning out my SD cards today and found a whole slew of photos that I had completely forgotten about. This shot was on there, but I cannot figure out where it was taken because the other photos had no relation to this, so I am guessing this was one of those shots I took while I was out driving around, and just had to stop to get a shot.

Signs of Spring

When I walked out to check my mail this morning, I noticed the pussy willows were coming out. I love trimming the branches and displaying them with store bought flowers in a vase. I am so glad to see signs of spring and feel the warmth in the air.

Early Morning Sunshine

I took this picture back in January. I love the color of the suns reflection over the frozen lake and the peachy glow of the sky. The temperature on this day was in the teens, but this shot definitely makes it seem warmer.

Sky Watch Friday - Alpena Pier

On a cold day in February I decided to walk out onto the pier in Alpena to take some photos of Lake Huron and the harbor area. It sure was cold and I definitely regretted not wearing a hat and gloves, but I did capture some great shots.