Sunday, January 23, 2011
Lake Huron Ice
Winter has the amazing power to transform ordinary objects into something extraordinary. Case in point: the pier at the mouth of the AuSable River.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Bubble Lights
These bubble lights have been on my parent's Christmas tree for as long as I can remember. Love them! :)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Cross one off the Life List
The Kirkland's Warbler is a rare little bird. It's endangered and breeds one bird per every six acres (at best) only in the woods of northern Michigan. I was fortunate enough to join the U.S. Forest Service on a field trip during the Michigan Audubon's Birding Festival in East Tawas, Michigan.
It was an hour drive into the painstakingly managed jackpine forest, but the minute we stepped off the bus you could hear the happy call of the Kirkland's Warbler. There are specific rules for entering Kirkland's Warbler territory, chief among them: don't go off the road - not even one step.
My goals on this trip were (1) to see a Kirkland's Warbler and cross it off my birding life-list and (2) to get a photo of the bird. I'm happy to say both goals were met, though the quality of the photos I got is pretty low due to the little warbler's desire to stay well away from us.
The rules of entering the Kirkland's Warbler's forest:
A Kirkland's Warbler singing:
The best shot I could get:
It was an hour drive into the painstakingly managed jackpine forest, but the minute we stepped off the bus you could hear the happy call of the Kirkland's Warbler. There are specific rules for entering Kirkland's Warbler territory, chief among them: don't go off the road - not even one step.
My goals on this trip were (1) to see a Kirkland's Warbler and cross it off my birding life-list and (2) to get a photo of the bird. I'm happy to say both goals were met, though the quality of the photos I got is pretty low due to the little warbler's desire to stay well away from us.
The rules of entering the Kirkland's Warbler's forest:
A Kirkland's Warbler singing:
The best shot I could get:
Thursday, May 13, 2010
On Display
For the month of May, three of my photographs are on display at The Parlor ice cream shop next to the Cherry Hill Market in Grand Rapids. If you're in the area, stop by and check them out.
Big thanks to the GRFlickr group for the opportunity to be part of their display. New photographers from the GRFlickr group will be showing at The Parlor each month throughout the summer. It's a great way to discover some great local talent.
Big thanks to the GRFlickr group for the opportunity to be part of their display. New photographers from the GRFlickr group will be showing at The Parlor each month throughout the summer. It's a great way to discover some great local talent.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Welcome Back!
It's always so good to see the birds come back into the area. In the last 24 hours, I've seen three of my favorites. Welcome back friends and welcome spring!
In order of appearance:
In order of appearance:
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Black & White or Color?
In a world of digital photography, images are usually captured in full color by the camera and, if desired, converted to black and white using software. Black and white images are common in portrait, wedding and architecture photography, but what is the place of black and white images in nature photography? If the goal is to capture nature's beauty, is there a benefit to full color over black and white (or vice versa)? Below are two images, identical except for the color. You be the judge.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Kindness of Strangers
It could have been any other evening. Janelle and I were enjoying dinner at Parsley, excited to be seeing Trans Siberian Orchestra at DeVos Hall. We double checked the tickets to confirm the 7:30 p.m. start time. Janelle tucked them back in her purse, we cleared the table and walked off down Monroe Center to the concert. Upon arrival, we discovered the last thing we expected - our tickets were gone. Emptying out Janelle's purse in the lobby of the Hall confirmed it. No tickets.
While we re-traced our steps, Janelle called Parsley. The employee who answered checked the area we were sitting in and talked other customers to see if any one had seen the tickets, but no luck. We arrived back at the restaurant to find employees willingly digging through the trash cans in search of our tickets. They helped us look in any corner of the restaurant the tickets could have possibly landed. We thanked them for their help but left disappointed. No tickets.
Not giving up, Janelle called the DeVos Hall Box Office and told them our story. They told us to return to the Hall and they'd see what they could do. I had never heard of anyone losing concert tickets and still getting in. I was slowly and sadly resigning myself to a night without the Trans Siberian Orchestra.
At the Box Office, we told our story to the man behind the glass. Janelle had bought the tickets so she handed over her ID plus any credit card she thought she may have used for the purchase. He called over to another worker and the two began searching the system, but nothing was coming up. "Do you know what day you bought them on?" The exact date? No. We guessed at a range of dates. All were wrong.
Janelle and I bank at the same place, so I pulled up the bank's web site on my phone and asked her if she was comfortable entering her online banking information. She was and a few minutes of searching later we not only had the exact date of purchase, but had discovered that she had used a check and the bank's online system had made a digital copy of that check available. Showing it to the Box Office worker, we asked if that was helpful. Passing my phone under the glass to him, he handed it to the woman helping with the search. Her eyes lit up as she told us to wait and headed back to her computer. Minutes later we were handed back the phone, ID and credit cards and told to keep waiting. Then Arnie, the hero of our night, appeared with two tickets in her hand. She had found our purchase and reissued our tickets! We had tickets!
We were ten minutes late to the concert, but we made it in before it started. The helpfulness of the workers at Parsley and the determination of Arnie and the gentleman at the DeVos Hall Box Office was remarkable. No one ever told us no, had a bad attitude or refused to help. And at any point they certainly could have. After all, the entire situation was our fault.
It could have been any other evening. But it wasn't. It was the evening that five strangers helped rescue our nearly-disappointing night with a level of kindness and customer service that I won't soon forget.
While we re-traced our steps, Janelle called Parsley. The employee who answered checked the area we were sitting in and talked other customers to see if any one had seen the tickets, but no luck. We arrived back at the restaurant to find employees willingly digging through the trash cans in search of our tickets. They helped us look in any corner of the restaurant the tickets could have possibly landed. We thanked them for their help but left disappointed. No tickets.
Not giving up, Janelle called the DeVos Hall Box Office and told them our story. They told us to return to the Hall and they'd see what they could do. I had never heard of anyone losing concert tickets and still getting in. I was slowly and sadly resigning myself to a night without the Trans Siberian Orchestra.
At the Box Office, we told our story to the man behind the glass. Janelle had bought the tickets so she handed over her ID plus any credit card she thought she may have used for the purchase. He called over to another worker and the two began searching the system, but nothing was coming up. "Do you know what day you bought them on?" The exact date? No. We guessed at a range of dates. All were wrong.
Janelle and I bank at the same place, so I pulled up the bank's web site on my phone and asked her if she was comfortable entering her online banking information. She was and a few minutes of searching later we not only had the exact date of purchase, but had discovered that she had used a check and the bank's online system had made a digital copy of that check available. Showing it to the Box Office worker, we asked if that was helpful. Passing my phone under the glass to him, he handed it to the woman helping with the search. Her eyes lit up as she told us to wait and headed back to her computer. Minutes later we were handed back the phone, ID and credit cards and told to keep waiting. Then Arnie, the hero of our night, appeared with two tickets in her hand. She had found our purchase and reissued our tickets! We had tickets!
We were ten minutes late to the concert, but we made it in before it started. The helpfulness of the workers at Parsley and the determination of Arnie and the gentleman at the DeVos Hall Box Office was remarkable. No one ever told us no, had a bad attitude or refused to help. And at any point they certainly could have. After all, the entire situation was our fault.
It could have been any other evening. But it wasn't. It was the evening that five strangers helped rescue our nearly-disappointing night with a level of kindness and customer service that I won't soon forget.
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