Michigan Blue Magazine

I'm pleased to announce I have images published in the July / August issue of Michigan Blue magazine!

Michigan BLUE is a “lakestyle” magazine that celebrates the uniqueness of Michigan’s myriad shoreline regions – Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers and waterways. Virtually 100% of Michigan BLUE’s content and distribution is oriented to high-end, waterfront homeowners. To subscribe online or learn more please visit Michigan BLUE at www.mibluemag.com.

You can pick up your copy at magazine stands around Michigan (for example, I saw it offered at D&W Fresh Market in the magazine section. I'm sure places like Schuler Books carry it as well).

Grand Rapids Summer Evening

Many folks have asked me WHEN I was going to get some new images of the downtown Grand Rapids area. Finally, on Sunday evening after the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion Open House event - I headed down for a bit of photography.

I am not quite done yet - it was more of a "preliminary" scoping of where and what I want to photograph. I plan to go back shortly. But I did manage a few shots - it was a lovely evening out.

Little Green Heron

Here's another bird I've been wanting to get a photo of for a long time - a Little Green Heron.

Wow - what a shy bird! The first time I discovered him, I snuck up alongside this very murky little pond in my car. He didn't move, as it appeared he was used to cars driving by. I changed lenses, put my window down quietly, and pointed towards him. AAAACK! He took one look and freaked out!!! He flew away as fast as he could.

The next day, my husband spotted him in the pond and called me, but I couldn't go there. So - I waited one more day thinking the chances would be decent he'd be there again if he was spotted twice in the same location. Success! He was hunting for frogs and didn't seem to mind me snapping away from my "car blind". I will go back a few more times to see if I can a few other poses of him.

Cool bird! My birding book says they are a "rare migrant from April to November" and that they nest off by themselves rather than a group (unlike Great Blue Herons, who nest in big colonies called "rookeries"). This is a male - I can identify him by his bright orange legs.

Can Dogs Smile?

The answer is yes!

Buster is almost a year old now! He's turned out to be a VERY pretty dog. He still has issues with paying attention to commands so we can't trust him off a leash at all. I think I'm going to work with someone (like Bark Busters - no pun intended!) to get him to mind better. But he's very affectionate, loves playing with the boys and is very good at fetch.

I really enjoy doing pet portraits - please contact me if you think you'd like to have one done! I've photographed everything from cats to dogs to lizards to fish! Yes - fish.

Great Lakes Town Hall Articles

Here's a consolidated list of the articles I've been posting at Great Lakes Town Hall this week as their Guest Speaker:

• Simply Sunsets...
  Article for June 19
  

• Worth Fighting For...
  Link to my June 18 article
  

• The Natural Connection...
  My June 17 article
  

• What Did YOU See Today?
  June 16 article at Great Lakes Town Hall

A Little Birdy Told Me...

Time to shake things up a bit here on the blog, since I haven't honestly had TIME to post any new photos lately.

Since folks at my Festival booth seemed to love my owls and birds of prey images - here's a fresh batch of them!

Camouflage? Whooos There?
This is a little gray screech owl.

Regal Eagle
Golden Eagle in classic profile.

Watching
Great Horned Owl profile

Peregrine Falcon

My Voice - Our Great Lakes

This upcoming week of June 16 - 21, I will be the featured Guest Speaker at Great Lakes Town Hall.

Like the town meetings on which it is modeled, the Great Lakes Town Hall provides a "space" where residents from all across the Great Lakes basin - and all walks of life within the basin - can come together to identify common concerns, set the political agenda, share and develop collective solutions, and demand - as a public - that the Lakes are clean, abundant, and natural for generations to come. The Town Hall is a program of the Biodiversity Project.

Each week the Town Hall solicits thoughtful contributions from Great Lakes writers, scientists, business owners, politicians, agency staff, environmentalists, artists, concerned citizens and more. Guest speakers contribute content on a Great Lakes topic of their choice for five days. The guest speakers are only limited by their imaginations and are un-edited. Check in with this week's guest speaker (this week - it will be me!) and share your views as well.

I've been thinking all week about what topics I might write about. At this moment, I'm not too certain - but I figure it will come to me when I actually sit down to post my thoughts. That's usually how I write best! Please stop by this week and say hello, or add your thoughts to whatever it is I end up discussing!

Got One!

I've always wanted to see... and photograph... a Pileated Woodpecker. I've only actually seen one once before during a walk in the woods and it scared off well before I could pull out my camera.

Two weeks ago, I was finishing my lunch out on the deck - when suddenly a pair of very large birds sailed across my backyard. I knew right away there was something unusual about them and at a quick glance - I realized they were Pileated Woodpeckers! I dashed through the house yelping - grabbing my camera and flagging down my husband in the garage. My son Alex was running along with me as he had seen them as well.

They first landed on a telephone pole in the front meadow, then they perched on the base of a large tree across the street. I could they were a pair and traveling together. We got in our van, and drove down alongside the tree where I carefully pointed my 500mm lens in their direction. The two birds were SO into each other - they didn't seem to care a bit they were being pursued by a van and a woman with a camera! They danced up and down and around the tree trunk. I never did get a shot of them "together" as it seemed they were always on opposite sides of the trunk from one another.

So - there. I FINALLY got my first photo of one of these very interesting birds. And for some reason while I type this, I'm humming the tune of "Woody Woodpecker" in my head!

Weathering the Storms...

Yes - we had a few very big thunderstorms roll in today at Festival - and but we all survived!

The weather is supposed to be pretty decent out there over the rest of the weekend. Hey - it's getting warmer - and in West Michigan - there's always a "chance of storms" this time of year! Don't let that stop you from getting out and about. Come on over to downtown Grand Rapids and...

• SEE the work of West Michigan's finest artists
• HEAR the area's bands, choirs, rock, folk, country, blues - the works!
• TASTE and SMELL the offerings from food booths operated by area churches and nonprofit organizations
• TOUCH art in the making at Festival's many creative activities

I am in booth #20 in the East Art Tent on Calder Plaza. Stop by and mention you saw this blog, and receive 10% off your purchase or a free greeting card!

Lemmen-Holton Open House

If you live in the Grand Rapids area, you may have seen large billboards simply stating "www.june30.org". This website showcases the opening of new Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion - one of the most advanced cancer facilities in the Midwest.

On Sunday, June 22, 2008 - there is a public Open House with self-guided tours throughout the building from 1 pm to 5 pm. There will be much to see, in addition to the beautiful new facility - as there are 286 pieces of framed art and 6 sculptures representing about 100 artists. Approximately 50% of the artists are from Michigan.

On that Sunday afternoon, my family members will come to see my 46 photo images that were chosen to hang in the permanent collection. I'd love to see a few other familiar faces there too - please contact me if you think you may attend. The Open House is from 1 - 5 pm, and is not a "formal" affair. Please come say hello and enjoy the afternoon!

Visit my online bookstore to purchase your own copy of my first book - The Healing Collection. The book features almost all of the images used for the Lemmen-Holton project. The book is a relaxing journey through many beautiful locations I "discovered along the way...".

If you are coming by my booth at Festival 2008 this weekend - I will have a very limited quantity of the soft cover books available. Hard cover books may be ordered as well, and shipped directly to you. I'm in booth #20 of the Art Sales tents on Calder Plaza. Click HERE for a PDF map of the whole Festival area. Hope to see you there!