A bit of a flower I used to have in my garden. It got pulled accidently one spring when I had help weeding the garden. I need to find one at a nursery and replant. I miss it’s little smiling face.
Tag Archives: Michigan
Adventure-ho!
Thank you to all who read, liked, and/or commented on the previous post. It’s a heavy topic and several of you sent me articles and links outside the comment section as well. I don’t want any of you to think I took your responses lightly, I’m still processing some of it myself.
Meanwhile Katie and I are going camping for a few days. I think we’ll be mostly out of touch, but I’m sure you’ll hear from us when we return. Katie has been unusually quiet lately, and I’m sure she’ll have plenty to say when we get back.
Meanwhile, stay safe and be happy!
What the heck is a Dequindre Cut? The answer will make you smile.
The Dequindre Cut is a beautiful paved bike path and walkway.
If you’re not from around here Dequindre probably isn’t even a word. Heck, even if you are from around here you probably don’t know that the street in metro Detroit was named after a hero in the war of 1812.
And even if you know all that, well, it’s possible that you have never heard of the Dequindre Cut.
Graffiti art adorns all the bridgework along the mile and a half walk.
I hadn’t either, until someone who worked in my department talked about it a few years ago. It sounded intriguing, and for several years it’s been on my list of things to investigate “when I had the time.”
Well, it turns out I needed to make the time.
Some of the paintings have some sort of message to give.
This past January, instead of making a resolution I put together a list of “Interesting, Stupendous and Fun Things” to do. It sounded more fun than resolutions, and so far it has been!
Others are more traditional graffiti.
In late January I was able to check the first item, making a winter visit to a lighthouse in northern Michigan, off the list.
There were lots of people out walking and biking.
And I’m definitely training (slowly) to do the 10 mile Crim race in August.
“A star is born through immense pressure and we have had our fair share. That beacon of light you see in the dark is our fair city rising from the night sky.”
Plus I’m keeping pace to read 50 books by the end of the year.
I waited for a person on a bike to ride by this, thought it would make a great picture, but wouldn’t you know, no one did. I think someone on a red bike would have been perfect!
And you know I’m working on my photography skills with the new Nikon.
But I want to tell you about this past weekend when I had a really really fun time walking and photographing the Dequindre Cut in downtown Detroit. It’s an old railroad bed that has been turned into a bike and walking path.
And the best part?
There was great music playing near this mural.
The best part is that the developers left much of the original graffiti on the bridge walls!
A friend and I went down to explore it and were very impressed by how wonderful it was. The walk goes from the Detroit River Walk all the way north about a mile and a half to the Eastern Farmers Market.
Layers and layers of art was everywhere.
And wouldn’t you know, we walked it, unknowingly, on Flower Day weekend, when the Eastern Market is flooded with vendors and people all focused on getting their flowers and plants for spring planting!
A building up at street level had this great red shark looming over the walk.
We started down by the river, and when we came out at the other end I started to recognize that we were near the market. And then we saw people hauling flats of annuals, and wagons full of larger plants and I knew we just had to walk over there and see it.
Up at street level, on the way to the farmers’ market.
It was only a couple more blocks, and it was so much fun to watch all the activity. Plus there are lots of painted buildings there too!
People everywhere buying flowers, enjoying the music amidst the brilliant painted buildings.
We didn’t buy any plants because we were parked a mile and a half away! But we did buy some raspberries and bananas from a vendor because by then we were starving!
This city has so much talent!
We scarfed those down on our walk back to the car.
The Detroit Lions (football) are going to be great this year. Really. We’re not kidding.
All in all it was a very good day. We saw some really cool art, and some beautiful flowers. And you can’t beat Flower Day at the Eastern Market for people watching.
The music was pretty good too.
I’d go again and probably will, maybe combine it with a trip out to Belle Isle in the Detroit River.
Detroit. There’s a lot more here than what you’ve heard.
If you like, you can come along! It’s guaranteed to make you smile!
This phoenix is rising.
Yard spectacular
Katie here. Mama says I can show you a little bit from my back yard. She and I went ‘sploring out there this afternoon.
A bit of sunbathing in my yard.
At first I was reluctant to go out with her cause I thought she was going to put me in my kennel. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time in my kennel, but only when I want to be out there, not just cause she’s tired of my whining politely requesting treats.
Looks like this little bug was out exploring too!
Mama and I love spring, so many subtle colors! And then there are the brilliant colors of spring. I like those too!
I’ve got hearts on my shoulder mama, and forget-me-nots at my feet!
I think my folks have done a pretty good job of keeping my yard looking nice. I should probably appreciate them more.
Isn’t this pretty? It’s a quince blossom.
This week mama and I weeded one of the gardens. I was the motivator and she was the labor. Every time she stood up to stretch I barked at her to get back to work. She said I’m something of a taskmaster!
I love this color, don’t you?
I told her that as a princess I expected the best out of my people. She sort of nodded wearily.
More pretty color!
We have lots more gardens to weed, I hope she maintains my high expectations.
This evening mama took me to a neighbor’s land again. We got to run through the woods and I had a wonderful time, but it sort of wore me out, so I’ll have to share that adventure another time.
Sometimes a run in your own backyard is the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon.
I hope you all are enjoying spring wherever you are!
Talk later, your gal Katie.
The weekly smile
It’s harder, some weeks, to find a reason to smile, and this week has been one of those. What with the deaths of Tim Conway and Doris Day, the fall and hip fracture of former President Jimmy Carter, some health issues within my family and a semi crash not far from me that has critically injured two people just today, it seems there’s not a lot to smile about.
But if I take a moment (and a deep breath) I know the truth, that there’s always something to smile about. You just have to pay attention.
For instance – today the sun came out.
Really mama? Can’t we just get on with our walk?
To those of you living in Florida or Arizona or California that might not seem like a big deal. Now that I think about it, maybe all of you in those far away states are sun hoarders, unwilling to share a little light with us in the northern, damp and bleak states. Well, today the sun came out and we reached 70 degrees.
And Katie and I reveled in it.
The neighbors have a beautiful pond.
We took a walk, my girl and I, on a neighbor’s land across the street. I let her off her leash and she trotted along the pond, nose to the ground, then up and down hills so happy to be free to sniff all the good stuff.
Come on mama, there’s good smells over here!
I was happy to be free of the wet dripping rain.
And it was enough, this one day of sun, to make me smile.
Spring pushes winter out of the way.
Katie and I hope you have something to smile about too. Let us know what’s making you happy and put a comment in Trent’s Weekly Smile post (pingbacks aren’t working at the moment.
We look forward to reading all about your smiles.
Big thanks to our neighbors for letting us wander in their yard!
Spring finally fights off the winter blues
Singing with joy in the sun.
It’s been cold and rainy for what seems like weeks, not feeling like winter, certainly not feeling like spring. But with all the rain things are starting to bud, to spring up from the squishy earth, to green almost before our eyes.
Color is popping up everywhere.
I was walking out at a local park earlier in the week, trying to get my miles done, training for a summer race. I know that if I start noticing things, stop to take pictures with my phone, that I’ll never get the miles in.
Subtle color glows.
So I made note of where some of the prettiest stuff was and went back with my camera the next day. I was expecting a quiet walk in the woods, but it turned out to be the most beautiful, sunny, warm day that we’ve had yet this spring and that caused lots of people to go out to enjoy the park.
Light turns skunk cabbage into emeralds.
That didn’t bother me at all. I was immersed in the beauty of light on leaves, light making grass and skunk cabbage glow.
Cow slips, or marsh marigolds, either way they’ll make you smile.
Light bringing color to what has been, for months, a grey and drab woods.
Green life glows in the woods.
I only walked 5 miles on Sunday, but it took me almost three hours. Seems I was stopping every little bit to capture something else.
Tiny bits of color are everywhere if you look.
While others were riding by on bikes, or jogging past with the slap of feet, I was crouched down, my face near the earth trying to capture that illusive image.
Bits of gold hidden near the forest floor.
I couldn’t have been happier. Indeed, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Beautifully unwanted
Yesterday we experienced hail, sleet, and a tiny bit of snow but mostly cold driving rain fell all day. It was a no good kind of day through and through. And this morning I woke to this.
Early morning blue light shows off the overnight snow.
It was the ‘blue hour’ when Katie-girl decided we needed to go outside. I couldn’t help but try to capture the magic that surprised me once we got outside.
Wet snow covered every detail.
And then, as the sun came up I saw how truly beautiful, but truly unnecessary, it all was. From the warmth of our living room I framed the backyard, ornamented by some Florida seashells on the mantel.
Cold and warmth represented.
I liked the juxtaposition, not the snow.
Still, it was stunning, and on my way to an appointment in town I couldn’t help but park and dart out to take a picture or two.
No matter how boring the scene, the snow made it prettier.
Or three.
I knew it wouldn’t last long and by the time I got back home it would be gone. No chance to take Katie for a walk in it, no time for formal portraits against the black and white art of Mother Nature.
Swampy wetlands looked beautiful against the black and white of the trees beyond.
No, just a few clicks with the camera on my phone in the early morning light would have to do.
Even muddy dirt roads look good decorated with fresh sticky snow.
It was beautiful and it was gone within the hour. I hope that’s the last of our snow for this season.
Spring green of the willow competes with stark white of yet another snowfall.
Our grass has greened, the trees are budding and our early spring flowers are in bloom.
No early morning golfers today.
Time for winter to let it go.
Just stop.
But it’s Michigan, so I’m not betting on it.
Waiting patiently for summer.
Change Is Hard 