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A holga multiple exposure of the conquistadors and mariachi marching through the downtown square in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Still of Joe Howard's madonna at Hyde Park.
Strobist: One flash on the floor pointing up at full power and another flash to the left at 1/2 power.
Check it on: www.writerstailblock.com/wordpress/?p=1323
Two Little Gems
Blue cheese, Burgers’ Smokehouse bacon, chopped egg, radish, tomato, green goddess dressing. ($10)
Stock Hill
Kansas City, Missouri
(February 4, 2017)
the ulterior epicure | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bonjwing Photography
Left: Isabella at the Minnesota State Fair in 2004. Right: Isabella at Minnesota State Fair in 2005, not afraid of the two little pigs anymore!
Heavy action at LAX. United Airlines 747 takes off from runway 25R while Singapore Airlines 747 taxies to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Air France A340 can also be seen taxiing in the far background.
Gerardo Nava © - Los Angeles, California
Mackinac Island, Michigan, is a beautiful island. Located in the Straits of Mackinac, it's about 8-9 miles in circumference.
There's the actual town of Mackinac Island, where the ships dock. Since 1898 (I think), there have been no motorized vehicles allowed on the island (for consumer use, at least) as they scared the horses.
Your modes of transportation are one of three:
1. Horse (and carriage) as a taxi, personal rental, or part of a tour (for about $30/adult). Or, just rent a horse for $50/hour/horse.
2. Bicycles. For rental all over the place in town.
3. Your two feet.
The town of Mackinac Island. Its Main Street -- the first thing you see after passing under the portico from any of the ferries -- is actually Huron Street. One parallel street behind, you have Market Street. There are a number of other streets in the town, too, all easily walkable (obviously). Since this is basically a tourist resort, you'll find about 80% of the establishments in town fall into one of the following categories: fudge shops (12 different companies have fudge shops here), bed & breakfasts, bike rentals, or restaurants (pizzeria, bar/saloon/burger joint). The only eyesore on the island is a Starbucks. It disgusts me to no end. If you intend to spend the night on the island, be prepared to have your wallet lightened substantially, especially in season (Memorial Day to Labor Day).
For overnight accommodations, the most famous place on the island is the Grand Hotel, which has the longest covered porch of any building in the world (660 ft./200 meters). It'll set you back over $400/night. There's no air conditioning. It was built in 1887 and is perfectly imperfect. They finished it in three months. Even to wander the grounds, you have to pay $10 per their signage. On a sunny summer day, it's beautiful, especially with all of the flags flying along the porch. If you aren't inclined to pay through the nose here, the B&Bs, during summer, would probably set you back around $300/night, but don't quote me on that. (The more frugal folks -- like me -- stay in Mackinaw City, slightly expensive, but reasonable, and take day trips to the island.
Speaking of "in season," Mackinac Island has less than 500 year-round residents. Yet, I think they clear 2 million tourists a year. The majority of them come from May-September.
To support that massive influx, there are 600 horses on the island in summer, but only about 200 stay on for winter.
More than the horses, they can't survive without a temporary summer workforce. On the island (and also in Mackinaw City and possibly St. Ignace), you'll find the majority of summer workers are eastern European. They stay until the end of September. This year, I bumped into Turkish, Polish, Montenegran, Serbian, Kosovan, and I'm not sure which other nationalities. Expect to meet some incredibly friendly and happy Europeans.
What's the history of this area? Recent (1600-now), is about all most people focus on. It was originally Native American land, then the French arrived, followed by Brits, and finally Americans.
As a result, there are forts around. Michilimackinac (in Mackinaw City) was the first fort, from the Brits, then Americans. Then the Brits relocated to the island (more strategic) and built Fort Mackinac. While at Fort Mackinac, they also decided to build a more rudimentary fort on the highest ground on the island: Fort George (which the Americans renamed Fort Holmes).
The forts were eventually in the Americans' hands and Fort Mackinac was garrisoned until 1895. So here's your fun trivia: Yellowstone National Park was the first national park created in the U.S. (and world) in 1872. The second national park in the U.S.? Mackinac Island, actually.
The island was a national park (as the parks were actually administered by the military prior to the creation of the Department of the Interior & National Park Service) and it was maintained as a national park until 1895 when the federal government trimmed back a bit and stopped having an active presence on the island. (At this point, the island went to the state and the entire island is now basically Mackinac State Park.)
As it's a state park, you'll find the majority of the island is actually natural -- lots of woods and beautiful walks and trails. Should you have a little wanderlust to get away from the town, you'll find the following:
1. A small airport in the middle of the island.
2. Two 9 hole golf courses (Jewel & Wawashkamo), though you could be creative and call it one where the front and back nine are a bit away from each other.
3. Cemeteries: Protestant, Catholic, and Military. (The military cemetery is one of only 5 in the nation that are permitted to fly flags at half mast year-round due to the unknown soldiers buried here.)
4. Hiking trails that lead to Fort Holmes, Skull Cave, Arch Rock, and other areas on the interior. (Skull Cave is very underwhelming in its current condition, though its history is interesting.)
Among the buildings in town that don't fall into one of the generic categories mentinoed above, you'll find at least 4 churches, the old fur trading store, a police station, a U.S. post office, a school, an old county courthouse (not current as Michilimackinac County no longer exists), an art museum, and a yacht club.
Fort Mackinac, by the way, is actually in town and the price of admission is $13.50 as of this writing. They have soldiers in period uniforms do weapons demonstrations (rifle, cannon), and have all of the buildings maintained to the time of its use (1875-95 or so). Some of the views of the town, Marquette Park, and cove with its two lighthouses are nice. Is it worth $13.50? I don't think so, but hey...if you're only here once, you ought to have a look, especially if the weather's nice and sunny.
During the summer, you'll find that June is the best time to come for flowers -- so many lilacs that the air smells more like flowers than horses. There are also the two boat regattas (Port Huron to Mackinac & Chicago to Mackinac) that end here in the straits. I believe those are in May or June.
All in all, there's a good reason that Mackinac Island is usually voted one of the ten best summer getaways in the country. It's unforgettable and, more than that, it's relaxing. Even with the excessive crowds. I know I haven't covered everything, but it's certainly enough to give you a good idea.
Here are mine and my friends soda cans in Millenium pizza in cambridge, with the remenants of our chips in the back ground...
I sold two cars this week... my 1979 450SLC 5.0, and 1983 300Dt with 4 speed transmission. Both were very interesting cars and will be missed. They are shown here waiting for their ride to their new homes.
Now, to find some new projects!
juvenile black crowned night herons
south pond in Lincoln Park, Chicago IL
At the night heron rookery in Lincoln Park. The herons used to roost south of Chicago, but moved into Lincoln Park a few years ago.