WEATHER-BEATEN

 

CATCHING UP

 I’ve been in my new house for two months now and I’m pretty settled.  The backyard is fenced, I have a nice lawn coming in, and the bird feeders are up and filled.  First the dog:  Gracie loves having a backyard to roam.  I thought she’d be more into running and playing frisbee, but right now she prefers walking the border and sniffing her new surroundings.  Onto the birds:  Goldfinches are the most regular visitors at my feeders.  I’ve also had a hummingbird (but no feeder for it) and a Downy Woodpecker.  The birds like sitting on the fence too, especially Mourning Doves and this Eastern Phoebe.  Now, me:  I love my new home.  It’s 864 square feet, which may sound small, but is actually perfect for me to maintain, especially after a thorough decluttering of stuff before I moved.  Mine is the fourth house in the new section of my neighborhood and my backyard faces East, so I get beautiful sunrises, even on foggy mornings.  Since there are yet no homes built behind me, it feels like I have my own personal sand dune.

 

 

SAILBOATS RACES

 A few nights ago, sailboats of various sizes and classes filled West Bay for the yacht club races.  I was amazed at how close some of the boats came to each other.  The billowing sails in a variety of colors made for a perfect summer evening photoshoot.

 

 

SQUALLY WEATHER

 Last weekend, the sun shone one minute, followed by rain the next.  But the amazing cloud formations were the real story.

 

 

 

 

NAA FOUNDERS SHOWCASE

 As one of the founders of the Northport Arts Association, I’ve been invited to participate in their latest exhibit:  THE ORIGINALS: NAA FOUNDERS SHOWCASE.  It’s a Retrospective of NAA’s Roots, as they’re calling it.  I’m showing two of my photographs.  The first is a pair of great egrets taken at the Venice Area Audubon Society Rookery in Florida.  The second is a scene from Sleeping Bear Dunes that shows Otter Creek flowing into Lake Michigan at Esch Beach.  The opening reception is this Saturday, August 23, from 4-7 p.m.  The exhibit runs through September 9, with the art hall open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Would love to see you. 

 

 

 

OSWEGATCHIE

 D. H. Day’s iconic farm lies in an open meadow within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  Day, known for developing the historic village of Glen Haven, named his farm Oswegatchie after the upper New York community where his father was born.  Always working to strengthen and diversify Glen Haven, Day raised 400 hogs and 200 Holstein cattle, feeding them hay and corn grown on the property.  Like many photographers, it’s one of my favorite subjects.   When I took pictures of Oswegatchie last Thursday, I took the most common view in the first image.  But I also worked to capture the 116-foot-long dairy barn from other angles, trying to show  its other features too, like the poured-concrete silos, octagonal cupolas with bell roofs, and flared eves that permitted water drainage.  I took the last image from the #3 overlook on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.  It was morning and the fog nearly hid Pyramid Point and the Lake Michigan horizon in the background.

 

 

 

 

KEYHOLE MEADOWS

 A seasonal back road near my home offers a variety of habitats, including woods and wetlands.  I’ve found several keyhole meadows behind the woods.  I love them because deer often feed in these protected areas.  On this particular morning, I found a doe and her fawn just outside one of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIELDS OF GOLD ARRIVE

 These sunflower images were taken along U.S. 31 N between Traverse City and Elk Rapids.  They invited car stoppers and gawkers.