Author Archives: makielb

The Diego Rivera murals at the DIA are something that I always stop to see when I am there. They are truly amazing. Andy Warhol self portraits. I guess that there were an early form of selfies. A piece of art by Yoko Ono. It’s a metal reproduction of the shirt that John Lennon wasContinue reading “More art from the DIA”

Not good news if you are a potato. Puns and art, what a pairing. There it is, he’s a hockey fan. I’ll have to remember this on Friday. This reminds me of a story I wrote years ago. Ooh, what’s the tree watching? Skating penguins! (Oh the things that you find walking) Here’s a cuteContinue reading “Humor and other stuff from last week”

This morning, well before sunrise we headed to downtown Ann Arbor to catch the D2A2 bus which would drop us off in Detroit. There we would catch the Q-line trolly to the Detroit Institute of Art to see the Van Gogh in America exhibition. We arrive in Detroit after sunrise and headed to the DIA.Continue reading “Van Gogh in America”

Those pesky mushrooms. Climate change has the potential to make any day a 3-4 season day. What are friends for? Helping when you need it. We use wind and solar to dry laundry both in Ann Arbor and at Whitefish Point. Oh yes, peppers, rare, cooked or smoked they’re all great. More later…

Yesterday we spent a snowy morning at Hulbert Bog searching for Gray Jays without luck. Then we headed off to Whitefish Point. It was clear and sunny by the time we got to Whitefish Point. It was an easy drive and nice settling into the cabin. While it’s not necessarily warm, there is little iceContinue reading “Searching for birds near Whitefish Point”

Our day stated with breakfast at Frank’s Place on Portage Street in Sault Ste. Marie. Then it was off in search of birds. An interesting young Bald Eagle. A tree full of Pileated Woodpeckers (three in this tree, one in a nearby tree). Finally a Snowy Owl on M-129 south of 10 Mile Road. ThenContinue reading “Another day and more birds”

Heading north for winter birds. Crossing the Mackinac Bridge with no snow or ice . As we headed north into Chippewa County there was still no snow. Finally some snow, but not a lot. Bald Eagles are currently abundant from Rudyard north to Sault Ste. Marie. This week the Michigan DNR is asking for numbersContinue reading “Back in the land of snow”

That would be me. My attitude is that it’s a bird feeder, not a vegetarian bird feeder. Come one come all. Also me. If you’re doing some weird stuff medically, I sure don’t need to know. I’ll probably give you my opinion. One the same note – the score it infinitely in favor of science.Continue reading “Some humor for the first Monday of 2023”

A poem to end the year: The Death of the Old Year Alfred, Lord Tennyson – 1809-1892 Full knee-deep lies the winter snow,And the winter winds are wearily sighing:Toll ye the church bell sad and slow,And tread softly and speak low,For the old year lies a-dying.       Old year you must not die;       You came to us so readily,       YouContinue reading “The end of 2022”

Starting our year in Florida in late January, 2022 meant that we had the pleasure of seeing lots of anoles. Another Florida highlight were gopher tortoises. We are now pretty good at knowing how to find them. Congaree National Park in South Carolina has a delightful boardwalk. We were able to look down on manyContinue reading “Some animals from 2022”