DECEMBER KAYAKING

Mike and I spent Christmas this year with our families in Michigan.  Due to the unusual weather (virtually no snow) we decided to kayak down the Manistee River with my parents.  It was beautiful and it began to snow at the end of our trip.  We probably wouldn't have gone kayaking had there been snow... we probably would have gone cross country skiing instead.  So it was an unexpected, but seriously enjoyable change of plans... including the hours it took to figure out where to put the kayaks in the river...  Can't wait to kayak in the winter next year.

PERCH

Spending time with my parents in Michigan meant lots of fishing on the lake and eating veggies from the garden.  The food was good and fresh and local.  I began to experiment with still life photography of lake perch.  I have done similar photography with heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, & butterflies.  I would like to expand this project now that I am back in the bay area.  We will see what comes out of it.

STRAITS OF MACKINAC

During Labor Day weekend, back in Michigan, I completed the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk.  It is a ton of fun, absolutely beautiful, and a great chance to walk across the impressive bridge which is normally open only to vehicles.

AUSABLE RIVER CANOE MARATHON

After my adventures in Florida were over, I headed back up to Michigan to spend time with family and work on some new projects.  I made it up to Grayling in time for the 2011 Ausable River Canoe Marathon.  The canoe marathon is a true summer tradition for the area, and it is an incredible athletic feat.  The paddlers begin the race at 9:00pm and the winning team usually finishes sometime around 10:30am the next morning.  And that is just the winning team.  Many spectators stay up all night following the race.  I had just finished driving up from Florida, so I opted to sleep and wake up early the next morning to take these pictures around 8:00am.