PURE MICHIGAN

“I think Michigan keeps you sane and on an even keel through the ups and downs.
In Michigan, I do fireworks, shovel snow and live life.”

–  Jeff Daniels, actor, musician, and playwright
Longtime resident, Chelsea, Mich.

This collection is more about aspiration than reflection. It is a work in progress, more about what I want to see than what I have seen. It is more about staying home than traveling the world.

This collection is pure Michigan, my home.

The majority of people living in Western New York have never been to Niagara Falls. Most people living in Northern California have never been to Big Sur. The bulk of people in Arizona have never been to the Grand Canyon. The majority of people living in Michigan have never been to Tahquamenan Falls.

I’ve been to Niagara Falls four times, Big Sur three times, and the Grand Canyon four times. I’ve also been to Paris, Rome, London, Geneva, Africa, Asia, and Cuba. Plus two trips to South America.

I live in Michigan and have never been to Tahquamenan Falls. Or Muising, Bond, Miners, and Sable Falls. That’s about to change. I am planning an adventure.

When you visit the Wolverine State, you’re never more than 85 miles from a lakeshore or six miles from a natural water source. My state borders four of the five Great Lakes and is home to over 64,000 inland lakes and ponds. There are over 120 lighthouses in Michigan, such as the one featured here, the lighthouse at Pointe Aux Barques located at the tip of our mitten’s thumb. Beauty abounds.

Besides being a winter and water wonderland, acres of scenic pastoral land occupied by farmhouses, old barns, and one-room schoolhouses mark Michigan’s pioneer spirit. And, there are also the cities and towns of Michigan featuring classic architecture, both lovingly preserved as well as collapsed from the weight of a rusted belt.

For the next year, I will put away my passport and set out to discover and—in some cases—rediscover Michigan, the Great Lake State.

Enjoy this collection and PLEASE email me your suggestions on where in Michigan I should take my Nikon, lenses, filters, mono, and tripod! msamuelson@mac.com