Thanks for your patience while I enjoyed some time off from blogging to enjoy The Most Beautiful Place in America with my most beautiful wife. If you you checked in at Eclectablog through last Tuesday, you probably saw some photos from our trip to the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Leelanau Peninsula in “the pinky” of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. I’ll […]

Is it just me or did it seem like today’s earthquake in Washington, D.C. was just Mother Nature’s way of saying, “WTF? Get your shit together and do NOT make me come down there!” God, knows Mother Nature only did what most of the rest of America wants to do but lacks the ability.

=10:00 a.m. on the Crystal River ====== When you arrive back in Glen Arbor, you see this on the side of one of the kayak liveries: Me and Eclectablog reader Lisa Nordby who works at the Cherry Republic ( yum) ====== Whale-watching on Lake Michigan with the Wisconsin Alps in the background. Only saw two today. And a proper one […]

Just outside of Cedar, 10 a.m., going in search of the Cedar Creek Just another day in paradise The Most Beautiful Place in America. ====== Found it: a natural cedar bonsai tree, sharing a stump with some moss and fungus. Just saw a river otter chomping on a crawfish. First one I’ve ever seen in the Lower Peninsula. ==== Coming […]

My breaking of the news about the anti-petition signing robocalls has received widespread coverage. In addition to the Rachel Maddow Show, several other news outlets have covered it, including the Herald Palladium, Michigan Messenger and WNDU. Michigan Forward, the group who is working to put the repeal of the odious Financial Manager law on the ballot, has now issued a […]

Click image for a larger version As I ramble about this most awesome place with my best friend, soulmate, lover and wife (all the same person, fortunately for me), I’m reminded that this this amazing place belongs to all of us. That’s the beauty and strength of the National Parks — they are owned by all of us collectively, a […]

Our first real view of Lake Michigan. Just north of Empire near North Bar Lake. A view north from the beach: Adding… Did I mention that they have 3G data coverage throughout the whole park? === Here’s the (only) sign that marks the trail to this beach: ====== North Bar Lake, just one small dune away from Lake Michigan. Click […]

This is our home, smack dab in the middle of The Most Beautiful Place in America for the next five days. Bliss: found and followed.

Eclectablog got another shout out last night on The Rachel Maddow Show. You can watch it HERE. (It’s the one that mentions the bridge.) I’m in the northern part of Michigan for the next few days so you won’t see much blogging. Last night I spent the night in this one-room school house, built in 1898 or 1899. Pretty cool, […]

Remember my post about the 12-inch wide, 10-inch tall mushroom in my backyard? It had babies: This is known as a fairy ring. The original shroom threw out a bunch of spores around itself. It’s long gone but the spores have taken off. Too bad we’ll be gone for a few days while they are at their peak. Our housesitter […]

Yesterday, I wrote about how the Snyder administration is freaking out over the legal challenge to the Emergency Manager law. On that same day, residents on the west side of the state starting getting these robocalls: NOTE: this player requires Flash. Click HERE if it doesn’t work for you. This is an identity theft alert. Petitions are being circulated door-to-door […]