Summer

The walkway leading to the Ludington North Inner Pierhead Light is a popular spot for viewing summer sunsets. On this summer night, it was the view from a boat that provided a unique perspective of the sunset.

A sunrise to rival the beauty of the evening primrose growing along the Pere Marquette River, south of Ludington, seemed too good to be true. It was true and the light and flowers were preserved on film.

Ludington Lighthouse From Whaler

Todd Reed

If you like to pick your own fruit, you have come to the right place. Michigan has u-pick farms scattered across the state. The signs leading me to The Gary Crane Farm in Fennville remind me of the old Burma-Shave signs our family passed by in my dad's '57 Ford convertible when I was a child.

A visitor to Crane Michigan Fruit Orchards, Fennville, enjoys picking from among a crate filled with peaches. Visitors to the u-pick farm may also choose to harvest fruit right from the trees. Visitors come from across Michigan and out of state to enjoy a fruit picking experience and the famous home-cooked meals at the Crane's Pie Pantry Restaurant & Bakery. I definitely will be back!

Generic Lightning

Regal River

Summer Light

Silver Lake Outlet

Like thousands of other people who live along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Brad and I love to head to the waterfront at lunchtime to enjoy a sack lunch and see what Nature has to offer. On this June day, Nature is serving up a delicious mixture of clouds and waves.

What a week for watching sunsets. If I were not so busy enjoying making this picture along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Linlook Park, I would love savoring this sunset in the beach chair someone left behind for use on another day. F7.1 at 1/100, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

365 Week 36

Motorists driving along M-116 in Ludington State Park can feast on a view like this. When I was growing up, my parents took me on hundreds of drives along this roadway. I learned that the view can be amazingly different from day to day. That is the real beauty of it. I have also discovered there is never a bad day to view Lake Michigan, only some days more spectacular than others.

365 Week 36

As is taking place in dozens of other small Michigan tourist towns and villages this August evening, an outdoor band concert is being held in Saugatuck. As the band plays and people gathered on the village green listen, the historic Saugatuck Chain Ferry crosses the Kalamazoo River. The chain ferry began operating in 1838 and is believed to be the last hand-cranked chain ferry in service in the United States.

So many birch trees in Michigan have fallen victim to disease that I appreciate finding any of them still standing in the woodlands. These birch trees were standing tall along Hamlin Lake.

Watching more and more of the birch trees in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula die from disease and disappear makes me sad. So much beauty lost. This stand of birch still looked attractive when I discovered them along a country road in 2004. When I returned several years later, they were all dead and disappearing. I am grateful for the opportunity to have seen them when they were still alive

Ludington North Pier Light

So many of Michigan's beach trees are dying because of disease. This giant one just off Nurnberg Road in the Manistee National Forest may not have many years left, but today it looks like the king of the forest.