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Spring Time on Old 31

I have always found the bark of birch trees to be interesting and attractive. This decaying birch on the Piney Ridge Trail at the south end of Ludington State Park stopped me in my tracks on an April 29 afternoon hike. Though the trunk was badly decayed, the patterns, varied tones and textures interested me. I made this image with budding maple branches as the backdrop. The same scene would look dramatically different on Oct. 27 (see next picture and caption

Earlier today, I photographed these two large cottonwood trees on the Ludington Stearns beach as the fog rolled off of Lake Michigan and slowly crept over the landscape. I was very excited looking through the viewfinder to see the blue sky slowly fading into the gray fog. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 26 mm

For a few short, but very intense minutes, the light show tonight down at the end of Ludington Avenue as incredible. With the first snow of the year today, and high winds, I had been keeping an eye on the weather all day long. Five minutes before sunset, the sun dropped below the thick storm clouds and the colors were amazingly vibrant and beautiful. I love Ludington and I am glad I get to raise my kids in such a wonderful community!

The view of the clock tower of the Eaton County Courthouse stops my car faster than a stop sign. I am stunned by the beauty and condition of this structure built in the 1880s in Charlotte. Towering conifer trees in front of the courthouse appear to me to be an appropriate Michigan outdoors complement to the building.

Of all of the bayous on Hamlin Lake, I have spent the most time on the Middle Bayou. My grandma, Linda Scott, and her husband Scotty had a restaurant and home on the Middle Bayou. The restaurant, Wren's Roost, burned down before I was born, but she still had her home there for several more years. My mom, dad, and older brother Tad used to live on the Middle Bayou as well, but moved into town when they found out I was on the way.

Sleeping Bear Scenic Drive

Freedom Rings

Sunny Days

This decaying birch tree had caught my eye a half year earlier (see the previous picture and caption - "April Look"). But on this late October afternoon the colorful leaves whipping in the wind behind the birch provided a very different backdrop.

I have been watching these mallards at Ludington Municipal Marina all winter. Bubblers have maintained some open water for them. Today, finally, I see a unique picture of them I like. Reality and reflection make an interesting illusion. F2.8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Whether playing golf or watching from above, the views are spectacular at Arcadia Bluffs. The course, which begins several hundred feet above Lake Michigan, has been ranked among the 100 best golf courses in America by several leading golf publications. From my perspective, Arcadia Bluffs should be rated among the 100 most uniquely beautiful golf courses in the country. I am sure from my travels that many other Michigan golf courses are also among the nation's most beautiful.

From an airplane, you quickly realize how large Hamlin Lake's North Bayou is even though from the ground, it doesn't seem very large. That may be because it is so shallow and full of stumps and has very little public access. I really appreciate its more rustic, natural, and undeveloped look and feel.

So Hi

Slowing Down

All I could think about as I was taking this image in way-below-zero weather was how well it illustrated the impact on Ludington of the Polar Vortex. Just about everything was closed for a couple days as January roared to a close. This historic commercial fishing building at the Lake Michigan carferry docks looked like it was in Siberia.

The Best Mornings

Hearing birds sing in the springtime is therapy for my soul. Photographing small birds is a bigger challenge than most people would expect. They flitter around so fast that it is hard to make a photograph that is in focus, sharp, and well composed. My hat goes off to those photographers who make a living photographing birds.

Today was the first time I have been able to fly fairly low over my family's hunting property on the Pere Marquette River near Ludington. With the fresh snow on the ground and the mid-morning sunlight, I love how the shadows of the trees give this photo such a three dimensional feel. I hope to make this same composition in the spring, summer, and fall as well.

Lunar Eclipse