Settled into the cabin after a long day of travel to Whitefish Point. Not really a stressful drive, as it was a beautiful day that was warmer than had been predicted. I am always amazed at the variation in gas prices on our trips north. It was $3.69/gallon at the closest station to us inContinue reading “Back in Paradise”
Author Archives: makielb
Tweny years with the “new” garden
Time flies. It’s hard to believe that we built the raised beds in 2004. And here it is this years (a few days ago). It pretty much looks the same. Now that the garlic has dried. It has been trimmed and is ready to go into the basement. The largest heads are the size ofContinue reading “Tweny years with the “new” garden”
A day filled with insects
We went to Embury Road the other day searching for several birds that I hadn’t seen or heard this year – Blue-winged Warbler and Cerulean Warbler. We managed to find both species. But the high-lights for our time on there were the insects. Nothing like starting the morning with a Leconte’s Haploa, a nice mothContinue reading “A day filled with insects”
Political cartoons for July 4th
Somehow with everything that has been happening this year celebrating Independence Day with sad humor seems appropriate. Slow versus lies. It’s time to place limits on Supreme Court appointments. Turning the phrase onto those really stealing rights. The Supreme Court has made a terrible decision recently and is turning the court into a joke. AndContinue reading “Political cartoons for July 4th”
A southern Michigan bog
The other day we spent time at the Eddy Discovery Center bog trail. This is a wonderful trail that goes through a variety of woods and wetlands ending in a delightful bog. Along one stretch of the trail there are a lot of Indian pipes (Ghost pipes). which is an interesting plant. But it wasContinue reading “A southern Michigan bog”
Red-headed Woodpeckers
With so many woodpeckers in Eastern North America how is it possible to haver a favorite bird. Pileated Woodpeckers are large, loud and flashy birds. Black-backed and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are rare and occasionally hard to find. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are fun to find But for me it’s Red-headed Woodpeckers. While exploring areas near Grayling, Michigan thatContinue reading “Red-headed Woodpeckers”
Canada Day and more
Canada has been an important part of my life since the year I was born. My mother was born in Canada, and I had and still have many relatives in Canada, So, I am a proud supporter of celebrating Canada Day. Continuing on a somewhat Canadian theme – The Detroit Red Wings signed Patrick KaneContinue reading “Canada Day and more”
Moths in Ann Arbor
On Friday night we did a moth night for the Natural Areas Preservation people and volunteers at Oakwoods Nature Area. What a great evening at a place we had never been to. The meandering trails in the woods skirt a nice vernal pool and a large pond/lake. Setting up was simple and at about 9:30Continue reading “Moths in Ann Arbor”
Presidential debate – 2024
Spent 90 minutes last night watching the presidential debate. What a disaster. Biden was shaky at best. He frequently drifted off topic. Trump just spewed lies and kept bringing every topic back to border issues. Even The Onion chimed in on the disaster. Fact-checking the candidates: Trump claims “We had the greatest economy in theContinue reading “Presidential debate – 2024”
Grayling birds
So the other day we decided to spend a night in Grayling which is in the heart of Kirtland’s Warbler country. It’s been years since we stayed in that area, probably since before 2009 when we built the cabin. Regardless, it was a blast. One of the spots that we visited had tremendous numbers ofContinue reading “Grayling birds”
Michael's Place 