HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

QUEEN ANN'S LACE STANDING IN FOR FIREWORKS!

Hope this is your best year yet starting at midnight!

It's Started again!

Ice Fishing on Lake St. Clair

Happy New Year!!!

We are leaving today to drive all day to upstate NY to visit my daughters and my new Grandson!! Will probably be incommunicado for a while!

Cold Feet

My feet get cold just thinking about standing in ice water!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dusk at the Cranbrook Art Museum

Dusk at the Cranbrook Art Museum. (I'm going to be traveling.)

At the Artist's Salon at Erica's

I went to my first artist's salon ever at the home of Erica Chappuis. There was dancing, artwork, photography, poetry and stories. And great food. An amazing and creative time was had by all. This is Norma belly dancing.

Pier Park in December

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I am sorry I have been unable to blog lately. Here's what the swimming Beach at Pier Park looks like today.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Detail from a Painting by Erica Chappuis

I had the great good fortune to be invited to the home of the Detroit artist Erica Chappuis recently. When I drove up her street, I could immediately tell which house was hers by all the wonderful artistic "installations" in the yard. She invited me in and gave me blueberry tea and we had a wonderful long conversation, and then she showed me around her yard, her house and finally her studio. She showed me how to use molding compound to make relief in a painting, and photographed that and hope to present it as a tutorial in a future post.

Erica Chappuis

This is a detail from one of Erica Chappuis's paintings. I am hoping to do a story on my visit to her house sometime in the next few days. SOON! Sorry I am so far behind!

I love the incredible detail here.

In the Yard of Detroit Artist Erica Chappuis

I hope to do a story soon about my visit to the home of Detroit artist Erica Chappuis. I took this picture of one of her paintings which is displayed in her yard. Story to follow soon.

I am very sorry I am running behind at this point, I hope to catch up soon!

Happy Halloween (A Detroit Halloween!)

Hope you have a SPOOKTACULAR DAY!!! Nya-haha ha!

(Click image to view larger.)

Lower Huron Metropark

I walked today at the Lower Huron Metropark, which was all decked out in its fall finery. It may be slightly "past peak" out there, but it was still very nice.

I've had out of town company for almost a week and have been too busy running around playing to be home posting. It will take a while to get caught up!

Walking at the Lower Huron Metropark I

Monday, October 25, 2010

Ever wonder whether a park is walkable and if there are sufficient walking opportunities to make a trip worthwhile? The Lower Huron Metropark is definitely worth the drive from the city for a walk,... Read more »

Chandler Park

I went to Chandler Park yesterday for a walk and a change of pace. Chandler Park is an old traditional city park with picnic areas, a golf course and playground areas. There is also a water slide and aquatics area. The golf course and aquatics area are both fenced off from the main park and not available for easy walking. And there are no walking trails or sidewalks. But the park roads are usually not particularly busy and are quite wide and reasonably comfortable for walking. Of course, you should walk on the left facing traffic. Read more . . .

Today is my husbands 65th birthday, so I may not be online much.

• A typical treed park, pleasant and spacious.
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• Fall Color
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• Fall Color
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• Playscape
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• Playscape
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• There are no "benches," but if you need a little rest, there are picnic tables.
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A typical treed park, pleasant and spacious.

Bird Island View of Lake St. Clair

This view of Lake St. Clair is taken from the Bird-Island Trail at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.

the view from the trail to Bird Island (click image to view larger)

Photo: Mary Taitt

The Bird Island Trail at the Eleanor and Edsel Ford House is a peaceful and pretty place for a stroll. The trail starts right behind (to the left of) the visitor center by the visitor parking lot and winds along the back of the bay (or lagoon) with views of the water and the mansion house. The main trail is wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast and chipped with woodchips to make is to comfortable underfoot. If you go soon, you will be sure to enjoy the splendid fall color. Read more.

Rose and friends click here to view picture of my granddaughter Sophia.

Blog Action Day! WATER!

Sailing on Lake St. Clair.

Water is everywhere. It sustains life. It makes our planet livable.

We drink it, we cook with it, we swim in it, we sail on it.

Five facts about water:

1. Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Unclean drinking water can incubate some pretty scary diseases, like E. coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A. Given that bouquet of bacteria, it's no surprise that water, or rather lack thereof, causes 42,000 deaths each week.
2. More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet. Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease.
3. Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water. They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted. Aside from putting a great deal of strain on their bodies, walking such long distances keeps children out of school and women away from other endeavors that can help improve the quality of life in their communities.
4. It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun. And that's just one meal! It would take over 184 billion gallons of water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.
5. The average American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world. From showering and washing our hands to watering our lawns and washing our cars, Americans use a lot of water. To put things into perspective, the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. Now imagine using that same amount to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Change.org|Start Petition

The Conservatory Pond at Belle Isle

This pond is full of Koi and surrounded by interesting plants.

The Fishing trails at Blue Heron Lagoon (Belle Isle)

We had fun wandering around on the fishing trails out on the peninsula beyond the isthmus at Blue Heron Lagoon. I may post some of the other pictures I took there if I remember when we get back. We are headed for Maine tomorrow morning and I know for sure that I will be unable to gt online much of the time I'm gone, as there is no internet access where I am going. Don't forget me,t hough, I'll be back sometime in about a week. (I also won't be able to comment while I'm gone--so bear with me.)

This, by the way, is right near the heart of Detroit. IN the city. (Assuming you call a city park part of the city.)

The William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse

One of our favorite walks at Belle Isle is out to this lighthouse and beyond to Blue Heron Lagoon. This is the only all marble lighthouse in the USA.

Walking the Marble Lighthouse Trail at Belle Isle

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The William Livingstone Lighthouse on Belle Isle, designed by Albert Kahn, is the only lighthouse in the country made entirely of marble. Although it is no longer in use as a working warning signal, it is still kept lit and is delightful to see. A walk... Read more »

We are leaving Thursday morning, hopefully, for a week-long trip to Maine. I may or may not be able to post while I'm away.

Walking in the Rain

The Alley Behind Kercheval, the turning point of one of my walk routes. We had two days of rain, but now the sun is shining. :-D

I'm swamped and way behind. :-(

Walking in the Rain

Monday, October 4, 2010

It's raining—cold, wet and miserable. If you like to walk daily to keep in shape and breathe fresh air, you have several choices: walk at the mall, do laps or treadmill at the gym, run up and down the stairs at a local high-rise or parking... Read more »

Balduck Park Woods Trail

This is right near where I live. Not much fall color here, yet, but there is some starting around the hood. Click link below for more info about walking here.

Walking at Balduck Park

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Looking for something a little different in a walking location? If you don’t need miles of trails and are satisfied with a shorter walk, Balduck Park may be just the ticket. Balduck Park is located at the intersections of Canyon and Chandler Park...Read more »

Marsh-viewing Gazebo at Metrobeach Nature Area

You can overlook the marsh area at the nature center from this viewing gazebo. Notice the heron details on the roof timbers and how someone has turned some knots into a face.





Click images to view larger.

Nature Center at Metrobeach

This is the Nature Center Building at Detroit (Huron-Clinton) Metrobeach. If you have not already seen yesterday's examiner article on Metrobeach and would like to read more about our walk there and see more pictures, click here.

Pond at Detroit Metrobeach Nature Center

Sunday, we took a long Walk at the Metrobeach Nature Center. We rode our motorcycles out. I was frozen by the time we got there.

I wrote about it at the Detroit Walking Examiner:

Nature Center Pond, Metropolitan Beach

Photo: by Mary Taitt

The Huron-Clinton Metrobeach nature area provides a pleasant spot to walk with trails and woods roads through fields, marsh, and woods near ponds and other varied habitats where you can enjoy wildlife and birds. In the summer, you may see turtles, frogs, herons and deer, as well as owls and songbirds. You could encounter a real snipe hunter who has spotted a real snipe.

Metrobeach is pretty in fall. The nature trails are well groomed, covered with wood chips or grass and wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The woods roads are narrow and pretty. A gazebo-shaped viewing platform with heron decorations on the roof timbers overlooks the marsh. read more

I also wrote about walking along Lake Shore Drive (Jefferson):

Grosse Pointe Shores Police Station at Night (park here).

Photo: Mary Taitt

With autumn, the days get shorter and the nights longer. If want to stay in shape by daily walking but work days, you may have to walk nights. Some areas of Detroit don’t invite nightwalkers, but pleasant, relatively safe places to walk at night can be found in the greater Detroit area. Grosse Pointe Shores is such a spot.

From Detroit, drive north up Jefferson until it turns into Lake Shore and up Lake Shore to Vernier. At the corner of Vernier and Lakeshore are the Grosse Pointe Shores Police Offices. They patrol the area very well. Park in their parking lot, which is just north of Vernier on the left or west side of Lake Shore. Read more

Shores Police Station

This is the Grosse Pointe Shores City offices and police station at night. It's just north of Detroit on Jefferson/Lakeshore.

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in moonlight

Full Moon!

I am now the Detroit Walking Examiner at Examiner.com. Here's my latest article:

The Nashua Creek Walk at Belle Isle offers lovely views of the wooded waterway with overhanging trees and many scenic vistas. Newcomers to the trail will be amazed that such a wild place exists so close to downtown Detroit. Walkers will be thrilled to see ducks, geese, herons, and many species of birds. Several photo-op footbridges cross the creek. Be sure to bring your camera or cell phone for a few captures of the fantastic views. Read more.

Harvest Season

Pumpkins are appearing everywhere. This is at the Village Market on Mack.

Skywatch Friday, the sky over Pier Park

We walked at Pier Park tonight, and the sky was stunning. I missed a great shot of pink clouds moving across white ones.

Renaissance Musicians

They made wonderful music! This is the same lady showing her bloomers in an earlier post, LOL!

At the Renaissance Festival!

Portrait of a young Woman with a parasol.

Renaissance Center Fountains again

I really enjoyed watching the kids play in the fountain and wished I had back some of that energy and joie de vivre!