Silence of Winter

Wow!  Has it really been a month since I posted?  Hard to believe how time flies.  Well, the holidays are over, and I again have a bit of time to slip out on a weekend morning, in search of wildlife.

I went out just at sunrise, to my favorite waterfowl refuge, hoping to find some sort of animal photograph.  Not that you could tell it was sunrise, it was cloudy and dreary, with a haze in the air.  It was very quiet this morning, with hardly a breeze.  Even the the birds were silent.  Unfortunately, the extent of the wildlife consisted of…

small, unknown animal tracks.  Some sort of weasel, I think.

You can see how dreary and hazy it was this morning.

One thing I love about nature during the winter are the shapes and textures.

Hmmmmm… must be away for the holidays.

Just as I was leaving, the sun made a valiant, but in the end futile attempt at shining.

Ok, I lied.  There was a little bit of wildlife.  This guy brought his people out for a run.

I am glad to be back, even if there were no birds or deer to be seen.  Thanks for stopping by.  Let me wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Mankind’s Finest Hour?

I went out in search of wildlife recently, specifically fox and deer.  On the recommendation of a friend, I visited the Middleground Island, in the Saginaw River in Bay City.  Unfortunately, the wildlife saw me coming and all hid from me.  But while walking around, I was touched by another aspect of this island, but not in a good way.

You see, years ago some people with great minds decided this island, set in the middle of a river, would be a wonderful place to dispose of highly toxic industrial chemicals.  Now a portion of this island is home to a restricted, Superfund industrial landfill, in addition to deer and fox.  And eagles and people…

Set on the south end of Bay City, this island has the potential of great beauty.

Industries have grown along the riverfront.

An old gate along the edge of the landfill, and close ups of the two signs.

An abandoned shack at the entrance.

This sign says it all (and yes, I was outside the fence).

Another sad commentary.

Don’t get me wrong.  Bay City is a great place, and has been growing and improving for years.  The downtown riverfront is beautiful, with parks, bandshells and marinas.  A major new development was recently announced for a former industrial site that is being cleaned up.  I find this island landfill, however, to be a good(?) example of the how problems were addressed in the past.

Thanks for visiting.  I will get something more cheerful up soon.  The holidays  are here, so that should be pretty easy!!!

Veterans Day

In honor of Veterans Day, I would like to thank all of the men and women, past, present and future, who have served our country in the military.  It is the sacrifice and devotion of these individuals that makes it possible for people like me and my family to enjoy the freedom we have.

I am blessed to have many family members who have served in uniform, including many Uncles and Cousins.  I would like to pay tribute to those closest family members here:

My dear father, Gene, in the US Army, 1950s

My brother Mike, US Marine Corp, 1980s

My brother Jim, US Army, 1990s

Thank you all for your service.  I am, and always have been, proud of you.