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Betsy, Ethan, and I all have the flu today. It has not been a fun day to say the least, but making a photo of the day in our backyard does take my mind off of being sick for a little while. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I am struck while watching this duck swim on Round Lake in Charlevoix how much it seems as if the female mallard is floating over a sea of giant emerald gems. Round Lake is certainly one of the most beautiful harbors in Michigan. I never tire of spending time here. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

I hope all of these different varieties of flowers continue to grow in my yard year after year because I do not have a green thumb and I am not great at yard work. I rarely know the names of the flowers until I download my photographs of them and ask Rachel or Betsy what they are.

The bees obviously know the cold weather months are ahead because they sure are busy this evening in a flower garden near Lake Michigan. Bees have fascinated me since childhood so I particularly enjoy photographing them. F4.5 at 1/500, ISO 100, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

“The Triple Trees” were looking grand this summer morning! Before long, these trees will be full of color.

As usual, I hit my drive near the trees on the left side of hole 4 at Golden Sands Golf Course near Silver Lake. While walking to my ball, we found a tiny baby mouse sitting on a leaf. I grabbed my iPhone and got down on my stomach to capture this image.

Driving down Conrad Road my dad noticed some sumac that had started to change color. He already had his photo of the day so he called me. Twenty minutes later when I showed up with my camera, this beautiful butterfly greeted me. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Sometimes it is the totally unexpected view that we need to be ready to capture. While photographing boats cruising the Pine River Channel between Lake Michigan and Round Lake in Charlevoix, a rabbit appears right in front of me to feast on grass and clover in a sunny spot. I am struck by the rim lighting of the hare's face and especially its sunlit ears. F3.2 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 280mm

I have made the picture I set out to make at Epworth Heights this afternoon

These pigeons are a bright spot in a sad day. Angel, our beloved cat, died today. The pigeons are on a barn roof at Country Clinic, which gave us Angel nearly 20 years ago when he was an orphan kitty convalescing from the loss of a front leg. What a gift he turned out to be! F5.6 at 1/2000, ISO 400, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Simplicity.

Rachel and I went for a drive looking for photographs. We headed down North Lakeshore Drive along Hamlin Lake. Between the Middle and North Bayous, we found this colorful tree. I lay on my back and used my external flash to light up the underside of the tree to pop the colors.

Using our "twice-as-close" rule, I move right in on some lavender flowers to zero in on a bee harvesting nectar and pollinating the flowers in the process. I want to be as close to the bee as my lens will focus so that almost nothing else is sharp in the picture. I want the image to feel like a bee's field of dreams. F3.2 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Kasey had a cross country meet in Bear Lake this evening. I decided to take back roads home, from Manistee, on the search of a photo. To my luck, I saw this sandhill crane in a field. I safely pulled the van over and got in position. What a majestic bird!

Legends Ranch is my happy place. While walking to one of the blinds tonight to photograph some of the giant whitetail bucks, I came face to face with this gorgeous typical. Without using an actual deer call, I grunted at him and got him to come even closer to me.

Bethany Rodenbeck holds up a beautiful Lake Michigan steelhead she caught this morning off the shores of Ludington. If you haven't experienced fishing for salmon and steelhead on Lake Michigan you are missing out on a lot of fun. Charter fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry every year in the Great Lakes region and it is worth every penny. F8 at 1/2000, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I am impressed by the affection a pair of mute swans display for each other while basking in the sunshine on Pere Marquette Lake with their offspring. It is clear to me they are mates for life. F4.5 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

David Lundin, originally from Sweden, holds up the first Lake Michigan salmon he has ever landed. He and his father-in-law, Roger Anderson, caught this 21-pound whopper while fishing on the charter boat Willie Wonka this morning off the shores of Ludington. F8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I was on my way to Brad’s when I passed by The Market on US-31. It was closed, but the cattails surrounding it were just waiting to be photographed. I used their exterior lights to add depth to the photo. Cattails always bring back memories of picking them at fair, and then forgetting them in the camper until we would find them exploded the next spring. My mom does not miss those days.

Rachel has the coolest old barn on her property behind her house. This scene reminds me of Ireland or Italy.