A Shot in the Light

Two-Track Under Snow

2012-01-17T04:48:00.000-08:00

Tropical Shadow in Winter Kitchen

2012-01-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

Nature Makes Solid Lace

2012-01-12T09:51:00.001-08:00

A Giant Falls--Partway

2012-01-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

Omena Harbor, Two Views

2012-01-04T05:31:00.001-08:00

The light--sky, water and ice--was dramatic in Omena on the first Tuesday of the new year. I couldn't decide which view I liked better, so here's another:

Happy Hips

2011-12-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

You expected maybe something different?

Bright December Sunshine

2011-12-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

Dogs are not deterred from their playby cold winds. The sun was shining, and Sarah and Kona were beside themselveswith happiness at the chance to be together, racing like wild things except for pauses to catch breath. Down the hill at our place, the low sun of late afternoon found its way through the old boards of the barn, blindingly bright.

Earlier This Winter

2011-12-26T07:34:00.000-08:00

Don't remember if I posted this before or not. I like the simplicity.

In Orchard Near Big Lake, December Morning

2011-12-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

Do a Handstand and Start Walking!

2011-12-22T07:36:00.001-08:00

No Worries! Who Would?

2011-12-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Two Hillside Studies

2011-12-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

Hillside Study I

The photograph above was posted the other day, but I reposted it here so the two could be seen together. David thought the vertical format was a stronger composition. It does pack a stronger punch, but I like the calm horizontal, as well. This is a scene I come back to again and again, in every season, and I found the warm light of late afternoon on a snowless December day irresistible. Which composition do you prefer?

Hillside Study II

Warm Sun, No Snow

2011-12-13T12:34:00.001-08:00

Sunny Sunday Drive with Wild Apple Snack

2011-12-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Cold Weather Is Here

2011-12-10T08:45:00.001-08:00

Have I Seen This Stuff Before?

2011-12-07T13:08:00.001-08:00

Monday, Monday

2011-11-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

Can't trust that day!

Which Way is Down From Here?

2011-11-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

Perfectly Beautiful November Day

2011-11-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

My son came for a long weekend visit. Saturday we spent the day at the bookstore, and my idea was that we would hike the dunes on Sunday, but Sunday was so grey and dreary we stayed indoors, reading, watching movies, cooking and eating. It was a very cozy day. No complaints. I was counting on sunshine for Monday, and sunshine we got. First came errands in Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau and Leland, and then--outdoors with Sarah for our adventure!

We took in the sights from the sublime to the quirky (both of us noticed this odd two-pronged stump), exploring new trail loops recently added that we were both hiking for the first time.

Birches are the stand-out trees in this preserve. This one looks as if the dunes half-buried it many years ago. And who started piling small birch sticks against another trunk? Why? I added one to the arrangement, for no particular reason.

Hunting is allowed on this land, so Sarah had to be on her leash, but we'd arranged for her to have a chance to run and jump and let off steam before taking to the trails with her, and she handled it all very well.

Wildlife, of course, is not restricted to the trails. These tracks across the sand almost look like tracks in snow.

We had a good, long, wonderful walk through the woods, up and down and around and through, and our timing was perfect, too, because as we were leaving the parking area we could see a huge, dark cloud moving in from the west.

The cloud divided our view in half. To the west were dark cloud-covered skies, while to the east the sky was blue, sun bright, life still colorful.

We got home before the last sunshine disappeared, happy and tired in the pleasantest of ways, our minds turning toward the coziness of dinner in front of the fire on a November evening.

Golden Floor

2011-11-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

Does This Look Like a Painting?

2011-11-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

November Orchards Beautiful Again This Year

2011-11-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

These are photographs from November 2010. The orchards are just as beautiful this year, but they don't look all that different, so I've been giving myself a break from obsessive picture-snapping. I'll only add that these images are not "full strength" but reduced in size and pixels, as I had originally posted them last year on "Books in Northport." The color, however, should come through fine.

November Sunshine, November Color

2011-11-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Where the Red Is

2011-11-11T07:03:00.001-08:00

These maples along Mill Street still have green leaves in October, when many other maples are gold and orange and scarlet, but by Election Day their color is brilliant, as seen above. Look closely at the red below, however, and you will see tiny streaks of something white. Yes, there have been snow flurries this week, and we will be seeing a lot of white in the weeks and months ahead.

At the Orchard's Edge

2011-11-05T05:28:00.001-07:00

Nature's Artistry at Work This Morning

2011-11-04T06:38:00.001-07:00

This was a real frost, a hard frost, the kind that means a lot of scraping of car windows with cold hands. It also means each blade of grass and leaf is outlined in ephemeral lace. Whole fields were white and shimmering in the morning sun, too, but I'm down to a very small-storage memory card in my camera and can only take a few shots before reformatting.

Where Am I?

2011-11-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Be specific! "Michigan" is not a good enough answer. There is no prize for being right, no forfeit for being wrong.

One Last Round: Yellow, Green, Gold, Orange, Scarlet

2011-11-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

All these images of fall color ard hardly creative or original. I can't help myself. November is here today, the colors are fading, the leaves thinning on the trees, and I am hoarding color for the long, cold months ahead. I'll stop now. Promise. Well, probably. But what an October we had this year, right up to the very last gorgeous weekend!

Safety in Numbers

2011-10-31T06:34:00.001-07:00

They feel braver when they stand together.

Intense Yellow Takes Center Stage

2011-10-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

Subtle Rainbow

2011-10-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's only in the last ten years that I've been noticing ash trees, and now I would be lost without them, especially in fall.

Trees at Peterson Park, Leelanau Township

2011-10-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Splashes of October Color

2011-10-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

As today is a dreary grey and wet October Tuesday, I'm going back to Saturday for these bright fall images. The sun will return tomorrow, and I can post here in black and white and feel okay about it.

I TOLD You We Still Have Color!

2011-10-22T06:39:00.001-07:00

This is only a small selection of beautiful scenes that lined my drive home on Friday afternoon. Now it's Saturday morning, the sun is shining, and the colors are fairly shouting.

Moreover, orchard color hasn't even begun. I had to hunt to find a few orange leaves on cherry trees, but in a week or so these trees will be splendid.

Wind This Week in Our Neighborhood

2011-10-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Looking west over M-22 on Wednesday, I could see clearly the chop of the waves on Lake Michigan. The view from Jelinek Road on Thursday (below) was much the same....

...and here from high on Kovarik Road you can see a lake freighter taking the sheltered route, the Manitou Passage, between the mainland and the Manitou Islands.

Inviting Road

2011-10-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Before the Wind Bent Them Out of Shape

2011-10-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

I was very happy with my begonias this year. When the four small plants went into the big pot, I planned to fill in with something else but never got around to it. The begonias did the filling-in by themselves.

In the Breeze and On the Ground

2011-10-14T05:59:00.001-07:00

Their airy lightness lifts my heart.

On the ground they look like stars fallen to earth, still glowing.

Monarch Chrysalis

2011-10-13T11:56:00.003-07:00

If ever I could talk my friend Kathie into setting up a photo blog, you would be able to see the chrysalis become transparent, revealing the damp, furled butterfly within, and then see it make its sure way out into the world.

Walking with Friends in Fall Color

2011-10-12T08:05:00.001-07:00

Monday was another perfect Leelanau fall day, and with Bruce filling in for me at the bookstore, I was free to meet friends for a walk in the woods. While waiting for them to arrive, I took in a few close-up wonders around the parking lot--the scarlet leaves and softly furred stems of sumac and a tiny spider on a big brown oak leaf.

Ah, here they are! Now we can hit the trail!

Every step of the path through the wooded dunes is inviting, but my friends and I step slowly, looking high and low...

and up and down.

Changes in elevation and soil bring changes in plant life.

A new trail loop skirts around the open dunes, rather than through the fragile habitat, culminating in a viewing platform over the gurgling creek. Most pleasant. Although my friends were upset by the confusing nature of the trail markings, they had both already been lost on recent occasions and now, luckily for me, knew the right way to go.

In leisurely fashion (for we are not speed hikers) we take in nature's miniature masterpieces--

as well as the big picture views.

There were short stretches of the walk where I lagged behind,

lingering over views on the ground and up through the leaves:

And the day was not over when we finished our loops.

Back at Ellen's house after our walk we continued our visit, talking of books and nature, life and death, travel and home. We enjoyed her homemade soup...

with Stone House bread...

and admired the beautiful fall colors in her garden.

Altogether, it was a most beautiful and satisfying day, one for which to be grateful in many ways.

Sunday Evening at Good Harbor Beach

2011-10-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Orange

2011-10-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Horizontal Color Bands

2011-10-06T06:45:00.001-07:00

Sarah in the Morning Light

2011-10-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

Staghorn Sumac in Fall

2011-10-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sunrise for a Rainy Morning

2011-09-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

It's a cold, wet, blustery morning and seems exactly the right time to post this cheerful sunflower shot taken three or four weeks back at Northport's North End restaurant. Their food is good, too!

Light and Shadow

2011-09-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

Wind and Water

2011-09-23T12:02:00.001-07:00

My #1 Vacation Photograph

2011-09-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

It's hard to choose only one, but this would be my pick--Au Train Bay on a day of wild wind and dramatic skids.

The First of Many

2011-09-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Two Sisters and One Dog Take a Road Trip

2011-09-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

The morning mist on Lake Leelanau was gorgeous on my way south to Little Traverse Lake to pick up my sister, staying this week on Shepherd Creek. Doesn't the driveway in look inviting?

We were off to Antrim County for the day!

Oops! The road was so familiar, and I was so engrossed in conversation with my sister and enjoyment of the sunny day that I missed a crucial turn and drove clear to Alba before realizing my error! Oh, well, it was interesting, and it gave us a chance to take M-88 from Mancelona back to the east side of Torch Lake, which we would not otherwise have seen. See one Alba building below:

Okay, back on track. We got to Sonny's Torch Lake Market and managed to connect (thanks to Chris, whose father was born on Leelanau County's North Manitou Island) with Gerry Sell, who led us on a wonderful byway.

We began on a stretch of the Old Dixie Highway. This piece would also have been part of what was originally known as the West Michigan Pike. In the photo below, you might not be able to read the note on the red object that says "Water for Cyclists." Click here for Gerry's detailed introduction to this particular stop.

We detoured up a high and windy ridge that gave us a view of Leelanau County in the distance. I zoomed for this shot. We could also see both South and North Fox Islands (not shown here).

Okay, now back downhill and on up the pike....

Here's Gerry showing us where we are on the map at the Antrim Creek Natural Area,

and here Gerry and Deborah orient themselves to the ever deeper geologic layers of old Lake Nippissing we will explore as we follow the path along the creek down to Grand Traverse Bay.

Here's the creek--

Sarah enjoys creeks and lakes.

So does Deborah, whose day was made when she found her first Petoskey stone.

Back on the quiet little Old Dixie Highway, the old house below caught my eye.

And what road did we take to pop out again, back on the modern highway? Nothing but Rex Beach Road! We're looking south here, with Atwood "the Adorable" in the background. No, there is no beach named Rex, but there was a Michigan writer named Rex Beach, and this road is named after him because he lived in this neighborhood. Now I'll have to read one of his books. Thank you again, Gerry, for a wonderful tour of Antrim byways!

Up North Season Turns the Corner

2011-09-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Boat--Project, Builder, Tools

2011-09-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

This project is underway down where Northport Creek pours out into the harbor and people launch all sorts of boats. I was on my way to shop at the farm market and stopped to take a few pictures. Historically, this site was home to Bill Livingston's boat shop from 1949 to 1970. A quote from Milt Rogers I found this morning in A History of Leelanau Township is appropriate here:

With his superb boats went generous samples of the Livingston philosophy of life. To be deplored were mass produced articles, depriving their makers of the satisfaction of creativity.

Livingston would no doubt be pleased to see the hand tools being employed on the current project where he built so many boats, sometimes taking two years to complete a project.

Orchard, Vineyard, Birches, Fields

2011-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Riding Shotgun

2011-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

How Sweet They Are

2011-09-01T13:22:00.001-07:00

Manitou Sunset, August

2011-08-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Morning Glories At Last

2011-08-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've tried before with morning glories but had no success. For years the wisteria didn't seem like much of a success, either. It grew but never blossomed. Then at last it had flowers--but way up by the roof of the barn, not on the trellis provided for it. Okay, wisteria leaves and blossoms on high, bare trellis below--I thought I'd try morning glories once again.

This year I scarified and soaked the seeds, gave them plenty of good compost to grow in, and watered them on a daily basis. At last! Morning glories!

Fields and Roads, Leelanau Township, End of August

2011-08-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Spectacular or mundane, I love it all--

Keep your oceans and mountains. Leave me my dusty, weed-edged roads and quietly productive fields.

Horses Visit

2011-08-27T07:01:00.001-07:00

Sarah barked. Sarah barks so seldom that it's always a surprise. She's usually telling us there's a car coming into the yard. This time it was so much better!

Adios, amigos y amigas! Come visit again soon!

Barns in Late Summer Light

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of Those Quiet, Tucked-Away Places

2011-08-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Not big or glitzy but so nice on a lazy summer evening. May it remain forever unspoiled!

Did It Rain Here?

2011-08-24T13:12:00.001-07:00

I'm way behind the times. The morning clouds pictured here were over the harbor in Northport a week ago Sunday. Clouds to the east? Our weather usually comes from the west. Nevertheless, the afternoon brought a downpour--complete with hail.

Late August in the Fields

2011-08-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sunset From Horn Road

2011-08-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Zeva's Last Vacation Morning

2011-08-10T05:19:00.001-07:00

Here is pretty Zeva, ready to play again with pretty Sarah. Little did the girls suspect it was to be their last morning of fun together. They were, as always, living completely in the present.

Mystery Flower Identified

2011-08-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

Audubon to the rescue! It is not in the composite (aster) family but in the pea family. Each of what looks like a petal is actually a tiny flower. "This is one of the most widespread of the perennial Prairie Clovers, identifiable by their cone-like flower heads. An excellent range species, with high protein content. Purple Prairie Clover decreases in abundance with overgrazing." So says The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. This is the first year I've had purple prairie clover in my meadow but assume it was in the original wildflower mix I seeded some years back and only now is beginning to bloom.

Not Dead Yet

2011-08-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

When my friend Susan brought me a shamrock plant for Easter, she said it wouldn't last much longer than cut flowers. Lo and behold, it just bloomed again! I think it likes living in the bathroom.

Regeneration

2011-08-04T06:16:00.001-07:00

A patriarch may be brought to his knees without being vanquished, and this old black walnut tree's life is far from over.

Blooms to Pods (For Ilene)

2011-08-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

To be continued....

One Saturday, Two Different Mornings

2011-07-30T06:47:00.001-07:00

As soon as my friendly local bank teller caught sight of me this morning, she asked if I'd already been out to the Fly-In, with accompanying pancake breakfast and Promise barn sale. I had to confess: I gave myself the pre-bookshop part of the morning off from events. After a busy Friday in town that begin with the farm market and didn't end until Music in the Park was over--at which time I went home to cook some things to have cold for supper tonight, because one must plan ahead at this time of year--I needed a little R&R. Laundry and garden needed me, too, not to mention that Sarah wanted time outdoors before her bookshop day.

But never fear! The Grath pack was represented out at Woolsey "International" Airport! David drove out in his baby blue Lincoln Continental to add to the ambience of the event.

Late July Colors and Shades

2011-07-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Meadow, Part I

2011-07-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

Now that the meadow has been cleared of autumn olive, its main botanical residents are grasses, milkweed and beautiful, persistent clumps of alfalfa from back when it was a hayfield--which was before it was a cornfield! That's what I mean by 'persistent.' I seeded one corner of the meadow with wildflowers and native grasses, and there the daisies are floating on the surface like fallen leaves on a pond, and the coneflowers are coming on, but I'll save that corner for another day.

Foretaste of Fall

2011-07-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

These leaves on the beach tell the story to come.

Basswood in July

2011-07-22T05:56:00.001-07:00

These images are already out of date, though taken not that many days ago. This morning the linden flowers (basswood is a linden) were open and the trees were humming with bees.

Hot Day, Cool Dog

2011-07-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

This Is What I Call Scenery

2011-07-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry you can't smell the sweet hay and fresh manure. Perfume!

Let Evening Come

2011-07-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

When I saw this barn in the late afternoon July light, the title of the Jane Kenyon poem (one of my favorites) came immediately to mind.

It's Friday, and Everyone Is Hurrying in the Same Direction

2011-07-15T07:18:00.001-07:00

Beauty Comes in Different Forms

2011-07-14T05:51:00.001-07:00

Reflection of My World

2011-07-11T06:18:00.001-07:00

It's a Jungle Out There

2011-07-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

All over the Up North countryside, nature provides riotous color in July.

There are many creatures busy in the jungle, too. Here's just one.

And lest you think the riots are limited to the countryside, here's one jungly urban pocket in Northport, the site of the original Dog Ears Books in 1993. What next for this spot? All will be revealed in time.

Vertical and Horizontal

2011-07-04T05:09:00.001-07:00

Peaceful Evening Followed by Another Hungry Morning

2011-07-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

Bright Morning Up North

2011-06-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Begonia Girl

2011-06-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

The red and orange begonias were catching the bright, low sunlight at the end of the day, through air washed clean by rain, but when I went outside to photograph them my eye was caught by Sarah looking through the window of the porch door, begonias reflected in the glass. Much more interesting than just a pot of flowers, yes?

Bright June Color (Green Background)

2011-06-25T05:50:00.001-07:00

Recent Weather

2011-06-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

We saved the sunshine for the weekend ahead.

Vegetable Garden Likes the Rain

2011-06-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

4, 3, 2, 1

2011-06-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Sarah Is Ready

2011-06-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

It isn't every book signing that Sarah is fortunate enough to attend, but she promised to be on good behavior Monday.

Horse Chestnut: Different View

2011-06-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

I love chestnut and horse chestnut trees and was pleased by this look at fallen blossoms on the ground and the shadow of the characteristic leaf.

A Good Month for Hay

2011-06-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

She Woke Me Up

2011-06-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Shedding a Tear

2011-06-14T06:28:00.001-07:00

Hayhenge

2011-06-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Different Creatures, Different Moods

2011-06-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

White Baneberry

2011-06-02T11:40:00.001-07:00

Gone to Seed

2011-06-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

His First Visit

2011-05-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Nine and a half weeks old, he didn't even have a name yet when he made his first visit to Dog Ears Books, the day after his new owners picked him out of a litter of ten. Sarah was a pretty good hostess.