Leelanau Uncaged: The Arts are Alive in Northport

Clare Gengarelly, organizer extraordinaire, inside Red Mullein.

Barbara Waddell, organizer for artists above LeLu cafe, with her fiber art.

Pat McKean with her pottery, jewelry, and fiber art.

Kathy Firestone with her new Leelanau poster.

Steve Wonegeshik with his mirror etching.

The Webers of Firedog, providing wood-fired cuisine.

Deb Nickerson, of Betsie Bay Bread, with Annabelle.

 Char Bickel with her painted silk collages in shadowboxes.

Gene Rantz with oil paintings
 

Art quilts by Jone Antennuci

Costume Art by Marie Elena Gaspari

Signs of Fall Begin to Tiptoe in

 

The Bight

On one of my first visits to Northport, I visited the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.  I passed a house on the way that had a sign in its yard: House at the Bight.  I'd not heard the word "bight" before, so I looked it up.  I found that a bight is a bend in a coast forming an open bay. 

Since I pass the bight most every day as I drive into the village, I've gotten to know its many moods.  On some days, the sky at the bight is filled with beautiful clouds.  Because it's so protected, the bight can be a haven for small sailboats and kayaks.  During high summer, I've seen power boats anchored at the bight so families can swim in the shallow waters there.  It's Northport's version of "Fudgie Beach."

On other days, the bight isn't so inviting, as on this September day.  But the cloud and water patterns still make it an interesting place.

My favorite time to visit the bight is at sunrise.  It's not too far from my home and it's such a peaceful place in the morning.  I've experienced sunrises in three different ways.  The most vibrant color typically comes either before the sunrise, at sunrise, or during the afterglow.  On this day, the color was best before the sunrise.  This image was taken about a half hour before sunrise.  The pinks were so bright, they cast a purple tint to the water.

But as sunrise approached, the vibrant pink was only evident in a few high clouds and hints of orange became visible above the land.

The sun slowly breached the land, and the orangey glow spread entirely across the point.  Another glorious sunrise at the Bight.

Otter Creek Environs

I happened upon Otter Creek a few years ago while I was exploring the southern parts of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.  Because the area is a rich habitat for birds and wildlife, I decided to make another visit.

The Otter Creek trail meanders through a pine plantation, but also tracks alongside the creek and Otter Lake, another wonderful birding and wildlife habitat.

The mouth of Otter Creek flows into Lake Michigan.

But the creek outlet to the Lake is always changing, shaped by the actions of the wind and waves.

In the opposite direction from Otter Creek, there's a beautiful beach bounded to the north by the striking Empire Bluffs.

But on this day, the weather was changing and clouds were starting to roll in.  Those of us living near Lake Michigan know how fast the weather can change.  But on my way out, I had the chance for one more shot of the dune grass and bluffs.

Summer Beauties