Afternoon light

This will be our fourth full summer in this house, and the plants are finally looking much more established this year.  A busy work schedule has kept me away from much gardening the last couple years, so anything we plant must be able to stand some ( well a lot actually ) neglect. These I think are doing just fine. Afternoon light can be wonderful for shooting outdoors, and I love the way the light is shining through the Iris petals.


                                                                   

                               

                                                                                           

                                                         

Playin' hooky

Working 10 days straight can do a number on your brain, not to mention your body. And here in northern Michigan, the weather can be temperamental this time of year (well any time to be truthful), so when the forecast for Friday afternoon was beautiful, we quit work early and headed out for a ride. But where to go? Well. my first choice is always to head towards water, and there is a state park nearby on Lake Michigan we hadn't been to yet. Plus we bought that new park pass for the bike so off we went to Fisherman's Island State Park, just south of Charlevoix.


                                     
                                                                          
                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                           

                                             
           
                 Just look how clear that water is. 

It was a good choice; other than the swarms of gnats that have hatched from the recent warm weather, we had a great time. Just being out in the sun and wind was a much needed break from work.

  

                                                                                                             
                                                                         



The park is named for a small island just offshore, which, due to falling lake levels is now actually a peninsula that you can walk out to. But I didn't know this when we were there, and in any case, we probably didn't have time as it was very late afternoon, and I'm not a fan of riding after dark.

 
Fisherman's Island

 

                                       

   

We had dinner on the way home at the excellent, but pricey, Rowe Inn in Ellsworth. Great food and vino, but I fear it will not be on the list of regular places to eat dinner out.  All in all, a great end to the week.