Both aspen and birch are self-pruning trees, which means that as the tree grows taller and the lower branches are deprived of sunlight, they atrophy, fall off, and leave dark, oval-shaped scars. Folklore traditions refer to them as the eyes of the forest. People would seek shelter in times of danger, feeling protected by their gaze.
Both stark and lush, it’s a place I frequent often for pictures. I love the habitat with its bell-shaped yellow pond lilies, wild irises, and variety of grasses. And I always find butterflies, birds, and waterfowl. On this visit, I saw a pair of trumpeter swans cruising the tussock sedges. I also caught a huge turkey vulture landing in a birch tree.
I’ve been following my sandhill crane colts since I first saw them on June 14, deep in the grass. A week later, I came across them nesting nearby in a roadside wetland. Then, Saturday night, I discovered them back in the field, which had been mowed. They were huge! I’m not surprised, though, since colts grow incredibly fast, shooting up about an inch a day during their first month.
Steven Marsden, a Lakeview High School friend from the class of 1964, once again provided the audio narration for the latest book in my Northwoods Mystery series. Bookseller P.J. Grath called the book a “sure-fire winner. Set in northwest lower Michigan, with action stretching from the Platte River in the south to Cathead Bay in the north, and featuring various parts of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Wayfinding is a tight, cohesive story of a few months in the life of forensic detective Quinn Macarthy.”
You can read Grath’s full review of Wayfinding at the following link:
https://northportbookstore.blogspot.com/2026/04/bookseller-recommendation-for-spring.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawSjgCpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeIahHNSqcfyGONvk2b31XdUFs924YvjLUomeNwmNzF5liSTSP7KK0SAYuEDY_aem__1KspOyy-uIkP-UunTecyQ
Wayfinding is available in paperback, e-book, and audiobook formats at all of your favorite online and independent bookstores.
