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.





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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!

In the Renaissance Center Fountains

I walked through the fountains myself, and took a lot of pictures. I think this one was my favorite.

Wedding at the Renaissance Center

We saw several weddings on our last visit to the Renaissance Center. :-D

Along the Riverwalk

Here are some scenes from along the Riverwalk in front of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.

We are leaving today for a trip to Syracuse, NY for a Memorial Service for a friend who died of lung cancer. She never smoked. We will be gone through Monday and may or may not be able to get online while away.

Crime in the "Hood" (I walk by here nearly every day):

A reckless carjacking in broad daylight at a Mack Avenue business leads the news this week, when a 17-year-old Grosse Pointe Park girl had her 2010 Cadillac taken at knifepoint by a 17-year-old Detroit girl last Friday. It was a reminder that crime is never far away; you can find the details of this incident and others on our click-and-explore public safety map.



This crime occurred on the border between Detroit and Grosse Pointe Farms.

And speaking of crimes, here's a new drawing of mine called Self-portrait at 3 AM:

Renaissance Center from Tricentennial Hill

We climbed Tricentennial Hill to view the Renaissance Center.



While we were up there, a group of mountain bikers rode up the hill from one said and down the other. They swooped down the hill with great finesse, except one, who got off her bike and walked down.

We will be leaving tomorrow to travel to upstate NY for a Memorial Service. I may or may not be able to get online while we're away. I hope you have a good weekend.

Great Blue Heron at Belle Isle

We've been blessed lately getting some nice views of birds--all we need now are good equipment, skills and patience!!!

Snowy Egret at Cranbrook

I took these at Kingswood Lake at Cranbrook. The last one looks green because I was panning and the egret flew behind some leaves just as I pushed the shutter.

Green Heron at Cranbrook

This was at the Japanese Gardens at Cranbrook--I got really close, twice, but it flew--and I had to photograph it from a distance.

More Cranbrook

This duck was deep in the shade under a tree at the edge of a pond. I took it anyway, because I liked it.



This sign struck my funny bone because it was in the middle of a woods, was all overgrown, and there was no sign of a cross road or trail.

Three from Cranbrook

Art installation at Cranbrook.



Cranbrook Canoes.



Manmade Pond at Cranbrook, across from the art institute.

The satellite view below, from google maps, show the pond from above.

Fountain with Statue at Cranbrook

This fountain with sculpture is located at Cranbrook, near the Art institute Administration area not far from the art museum.





The fountain is located near the "A" in both maps.

Where is this?

Find out tomorrow. (If you want to venture a guess, leave a comment.) [It is NOT at the Renaissance Festival.]

Below is an art collaboration between Mike Kline and me.



My skulls are the paler ones at the bottom.

Wares for sale, Renaissance Festival

The entire Renaissance Festival was full of stuff for sale. Everywhere you look, clothes, food, drinks, art, jewelry, etc, all for sale. This is the tiniest tip of the iceberg.