greatlakes

334d

Wild and windy day on Lake Superior. We stopped by the park after running errands, and I was reminded how much I’ve missed this view. There’s nothing quite like standing on the shoreline, letting the wind and waves wash everything else away.
#gratitude #lakesuperior #GreatLakes #michigan #homesick

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

1. A short video with the sounds of waves and a view of the Mackinac Bridge.
2. Daily photo memory feed.
3. Sunrises on the Great Lakes.

#3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings #GreatLakes #mackinacbridge

Can’t seem to imbed the alt text to the video, so here it is:
Alt text: A video with the sound of waves and a view of the Mackinac Bridge at sunrise. The sky is clear and a muted purple blue with a tinge of orange at the horizon. An empty beach and clumps of grass are in the foreground.

Edited 1y ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

1. Mostly succeeding in not letting someone else’s extremely bad behavior ruin my mental wellbeing.
2. Got into the house before a strong thunderstorm hit the Blue Ridge.
3. Blue sunsets on Lake Superior.

#3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings #mentalhealth #gratitude #GreatLakes

A serene beach scene at dusk, featuring calm waters and a cloudy blue sky reflecting soft pastel hues. The sandy shore is visible in the foreground, with gentle waves lapping at the edge.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

348d

When life feels heavy, I create what I think of as a little filmstrip in my mind as I’m drifting off to sleep. I fill it with images of beautiful or comforting things, letting them take the place of the day’s hurts and tomorrow’s worries.

Here is today’s frame in the filmstrip - this was along the Lake Superior shoreline in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The height of the grass and the gray clouds along the horizon make it look like the clouds and sky are even lower than they are. It was a beautifully still day.

#gratitude #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #greatlakes #michigan

A serene view of a beach scene featuring grass along the sandy shore, with calm waters under a cloudy sky.

Edited 348d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

343d

A couple of years ago, my dad, brother, and I visited Cullen Park near Toledo for sunrise shots. It was our first time seeing Lake Erie, and this photo will always bring back those happier memories. So this frame is definitely in my filmstrip, to view when the day is harsh and sleep is slow in coming.
These weeks have been incredibly hard. My brother is still with us, though not expected to be for long. I’m beginning his final arrangements while supporting my elderly father with dementia through this difficult time.
#lakeerie #greatlakes #anxiety #mentalhealthawareness #emotionalhealth

A tranquil scene featuring a wooden dock extending into a calm body of water (Maumee Bay on Lake Erie at sunrise. The sky is painted in soft shades of pink and orange, reflecting on the water's surface. Silhouetted trees line the background, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

309d

Top 3 things today - my Dad. He turns 92 today! He’s lived longer than any of his ancestors in several generations. He’s having more trouble getting around and each day is a challenge, but we are thankful for each day.

I took this photo on this day in 2007. He’d come down to visit us in Wisconsin and he and I went out to make photographs at sunrise.

#gratitude #3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings #ayearforart #lakemichigan #GreatLakes

A tranquil waterscape of Lake Michigan at sunrise, featuring calm waters reflecting various shades of blue and gray, with gentle clouds scattered across the sky.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

243d

Today’s small moment - one of my favorite photographs from Whitefish Point—even though the lighthouse is actually behind me. I’ve learned to always turn around during a shoot and see what else is there. This time, it was a lake freighter slowly appearing on the horizon.

I love beach scenes that include more than just water, sky, and sand. As in life, there are always extra layers waiting to be seen—if we take a moment to look.

Coming soon to my gallery at https://beautifulsunphotography.com/

#Photography
#Michigan
#GreatLakes
#MindfulMoments
#NaturePhotography
#AYearForArt
#BuyIntoArt

At the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, a sandy beach scene at sunrise, looking out over Lake Superior. Tall grass and a piece of driftwood are in the foreground. In the background, calm water reflects a soft, pastel sky, and a distant lake freighter can be seen on the horizon. Coming soon to my gallery at https://beautifulsunphotography.com/

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

25d

I’m finally heading home to Virginia after two months in Michigan settling my dad’s and brother’s estates. On the way home, I returned to the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Garden in Ann Arbor. I last visited a couple of years ago when I needed my soul to heal, and coming back now — stronger, steadier — closed the loop on everything that’s happened since.

People sometimes tell me to put down the camera and “just enjoy the moment,” but the photograph is what brings the moment back. And even for someone who’s never been there, an image can still matter. A photo doesn’t transfer my memories — it sparks theirs. Light, color, and mood give the viewer something to connect with, even without knowing what I was going through when I pressed the shutter.

The garden remains a peaceful place for my heart and soul.

#MatthaeiBotanicalGarden #AnnArbor #Michigan #GreatLakes #TravelNotes #HealingPlaces #BotanicalGardens #gratitude

A colorful garden filled with dense clusters of flowers in purple, red, magenta, and yellow, arranged along a curved gravel path. Tall green trees and shrubs frame the background while the layered blooms create a bright, textured mix of shapes and colors in the foreground.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

207d

Lake Michigan Sunset

Summer time on the lakes means long days and short nights with some of the best sunsets that can be imagined.
The winds were calm but blowing enough to put the sail up and cruise around and catch the sunset. This is one of the images I was able to capture.

https://pixels.com/featured/lake-michigan-sunset-bill-gallagher.html

#LakeMichiganSunset #BillGallagherPhotography #GreatLakes #LakeMichigan #Sunset #OrangeSky #CalmWaters #Sailboat #OrangeHorizon #BuyIntoArt #AYearForArt #WallArt #GiftIdeas #MichiganSummer

Lake Michigan Sunset

This image opens onto a vast sweep of Lake Michigan at sunset, the water stretching out like a sheet of gently rippling glass. The lake’s surface glows with molten color—deep oranges, soft golds, and smoldering reds—each hue melting into the next as if the sky has spilled its warmth across the water. The sun itself sits low on the horizon, a brilliant, fiery orb partially veiled by thin, streaking clouds that catch the light and shimmer like brushed copper.

The air in the scene feels warm and still, the kind of quiet that settles over the lake at the end of a long summer day. The water reflects the sky so cleanly that the boundary between the two blurs; the horizon becomes a soft, glowing seam where light meets water.

A sailboat rests in the foreground, its silhouette dark against the blaze of color behind it. The mast rises like a slender line of ink, and the boat’s hull gently kisses the glowing water. You can almost hear the faint creak of rigging and the soft slap of small waves against the sides of the boat—subtle, rhythmic sounds that deepen the sense of calm.

The entire scene carries the warmth of memory: the smell of sun‑heated wood, the faint tang of freshwater, the lingering heat of a long northern summer day. It feels both expansive and intimate, like a moment held still just long enough to breathe it in.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

1. My primary care doc put in a referral for the orthopedic hand doc. Hopefully the referral will get me a quicker appointment than my phone call did (late September).
1.a. Blessed I didn’t need the orthopedic hand doc in over 4 years. Trouble is, if it’s been over 3 years, you’re treated as a new patient so there’s a long wait for an appointment at a time when you really need to get in sooner than later. Lesson learned.
2. High of 75 here in the Blue Ridge Mountains today and only 72 tomorrow. Yay!
3. Listened to my favorite songs in the car on the way to and from the doctor appointment. Windows down, sun roof open and good music is good for the soul.

Bonus - love looking back at my nightly sunset shots on Lake Superior when we stayed at our family cabin last year. I miss living near the Great Lakes (home).

#3GoodThingsToday #ThreeGoodThings #GreatLakes #ayearforart #gratitude

A serene sunset over calm waters, with vibrant hues of orange, pink, and blue reflecting in the water. Wispy clouds are visible in the sky, complementing the tranquil scene.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

175d

Sharing this because I need to hear the sounds of home right now. Lake Superior on a windy autumn day (from October 2025 with Dad in Marquette in Upper Michigan).

#LakeSuperior #GreatLakes #MichiganUP #NaturePhotography #Waves #Gratitude #GriefJourney #TodaysSmallMoment

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

91d

A different perspective of the Mackinac Bridge today. Standing beneath it in the fog, the steel seemed to disappear into the mist while the gentle waves lapped at the shore. A quiet moment in a place that has always felt like home.

#MackinacBridge #Michigan #StraitsOfMackinac #PureMichigan #Fog #GreatLakes #today #gratitude

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

30d

Lake Superior gave me one last perfect scene before I head home to Virginia tomorrow. The Marquette shoreline, the clear water, and those magnificent clouds — I’m going to miss views like this.

#LakeSuperior #Marquette #UPMichigan #GreatLakes #Clouds #LandscapePhotography #MichiganScenes #today #gratitude

A calm Lake Superior shoreline scene with clear, shallow water in the foreground, showing small pebbles beneath the surface. The horizon sits mid‑frame where the water meets a distant shoreline with a few trees and low structures on the left. Above, scattered cumulus clouds drift across a bright sky, with sunlight reflecting softly off the water.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

29d

Good afternoon from Kitch‑Iti‑Kipi, the Ojibwa “Big Spring” in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring sends more than 10,000 gallons a minute surging up through limestone cracks. The water holds steady around 45°F/7°C year‑round, so even in brutal UP winters it almost never freezes. I’d love to see it in mid‑winter when the cold air meets that warm, clear water.

#KitchItiKipi #UpperPeninsula #Michigan #GreatLakes #LandscapePhotography #today #gratitude

A crystal‑clear turquoise spring surrounded by dense green forest. Submerged logs and plants are visible through the transparent water, and the surface reflects the trees and pale blue sky. Tall grasses and small wildflowers frame the foreground. This is Kitch‑Iti‑Kipi in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

25d

People sometimes tell me to put down the camera and “just enjoy the moment,” but making the photograph is how I engage with the moment. A picture isn’t like a family home movie that only matters if you know the people.

A photograph stands on its own, the same way art in a museum does. Some images connect, some don’t — and the viewer brings their own meaning to it. That’s why I keep making photographs.

#MatthaeiBotanicalGarden #AnnArbor #Michigan #GreatLakes #GardenPhotography #NaturePhotography #ArtAndMeaning #HealingPlaces #PhotographyThoughts

A vibrant garden scene with tall clusters of purple flowers in the foreground, mixed with scattered red blooms. Behind them stands a wooden pergola supported by stone columns, partly covered in climbing plants. Dense green trees and shrubs fill the background, creating a peaceful, layered landscape.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

10d

#Google Maps changes #LakeOntario to ‘Lake America’ in #US searches

Anyone in the US searching for Lake Ontario on #GoogleMaps can no longer find it as of this weekend.

Users in the country will now see the smallest of the #GreatLakes identified as “Lake America” on that site, following #Trump’s idiotic executive order on Thursday mandating the change in how the US government refers to the lake amid his tense #trade war with #Canada.

#idiocracy
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/30/politics/google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america

google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

13d

A foggy sunrise at the Riviera Motel in Mackinaw City, Michigan. The blue pool and colorful chairs really stood out against all that gray. Usually, we would be able to see the Mackinac Bridge from here, but the fog obscured the view.

And those tiny black specks overhead? Non-biting midges — a very familiar sight in early June around Mackinaw City.

#MackinawCity #MichiganPhotography #FoggyMorning #GreatLakes #buyintoart #ayearforart

Outdoor swimming pool at the Riviera Motel in Mackinaw City, Michigan, at sunrise on a foggy June morning. Bright blue water is surrounded by green turf and colorful Adirondack chairs, with trees fading into dense gray fog beyond a white fence. A large swarm of tiny, non-biting midges fills the upper-right sky.

Edited 13d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original