The Best of 2013 photo contest is underway on the Michigan is Amazing facebook fan page. There are 49 amazing photos to enjoy from many talented photographers from all over this beautiful state. Check out the album and vote for your favorites!
Click here to vote: Michigan is Amazing Best of 2013 Photo Contest
The winner will receive a beautiful Michigan-themed picture frame made by Scott Snow from Michigan in Metal!
Michigan Picture Frame 4×6 in Rustic Copper
I just returned from 10 days of camping at Tawas Point State Park. It was a great vacation with my family! If you have been to Tawas Point State Park, you know what a little slice of Heaven looks like…and if you haven’t been there, you really should check it out. The campground is really nice and we had a great site that was frequented by many pairs of Orioles and many other beautiful song birds. The Lighthouse is open for tours and there is a small gift shop where you can pick up a shirt or a great picture frame by Michigan in Metal. Between the 2 playgrounds and all of the biking and swimming, the kiddos were exhausted each night.
Tawas Point Lighthouse
Tawas Bay Sunset
Mark Kuban of Motor City Kiteboarding
Tawas Beach Kiteboarding
And when you need a great meal and a friendly smile, just stop by to see Joe at The Tawas Beach Grill right there by the beach for great coneys and ribs!
So, it was a great vacation and we are already counting the days until we can go back for more sun, sand, wind, and water.
Lj Long has always enjoyed photography and had a dark room in his parents’ basement as a teenager. Years later, with the coming of digital photography, he has renewed his passion for photography. Lj uses Nikon equipment exclusively and is currently enrolled in The New York Institute of Photography. Although photography is currently a hobby that sells the occasional print, Lj aspires to grow into a business later in life. Lj’s favorite things to photograph are nature, anything around the lake (Gun Lake) is good, Lake Michigan, lighthouses, beaches, motorsports, cars, and bikes. Lj had a blast with fall foliage last year and also enjoys photographing bikes racing on the frozen lake.
Currently, Lj’s full time job is working as a Field Service Representative for Square D Services, a nationwide service company in the Electrical Industry. Lj specializes in power distribution equipment, “things like transformers, switchgear, circuit breakers and other fun stuff like that. My job affords me a great deal of travel around the state which is good for my hobby. Other hobbies include British sports cars. I restored an old Triumph which is a lot of fun. Naturally, living on the lake pretty much demands that you enjoy everything about it all summer long [including] boats, swimming, and time with friends.”
Lj’s favorite thing about Michigan is the abundance that Michigan offers. It has everything anyone could ever want, four wonderful seasons, beautiful scenery, the lakes, and wonderful cities. “Lake Michigan is like going to the ocean, only better. The list goes on and on.” Lj describes Michigan, “Imagine a place with fresh water oceans, the most incredible dunes. Endless forests. Incredible inland lakes. Now picture a city that looks like it was ravaged by war, broken down abandoned buildings, burned out corpses of cars, urban blight and decay. All of these things offer incredible photo opportunities.”
Lj’s top 5 places to visit in Michigan are:
1. Detroit
2. Mackinac Island
3. Pictured Rocks Lakeshore
4. Silver lake
5. Grand Haven
You can view more of Lj’s beautiful work on his facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gun-Lake-Studio/165970600193597
John McCormick of Michigan Nut Photography received his first 35mm slr camera at age 17, and has been “hooked” on photography ever since. Today, over 30 years later, John goes on photo shoots around the state 2-3 times each month and has made a few upgrades to his equipment since the original 35mm that started it all. John’s equipment of choice is: “(Camera Nikon D-700) – Lenses / 16-35mm f/4G ED VR lens, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR. and a 50mm f/1.8. Tripod: Manfrotto 055XPROB.” John has a licensed business selling stock image licensing, and fine art prints. He is also a micro-stock contributor and a Getty Images artist.
John’s skills have all been self-taught with the help of library books (before the wonderful invention of the internet!). John has been married to his wife, Shelley for 31 years and they have 3 sons, Matt, Mike, and Mitch. John and his family enjoy camping and hiking in Michigan.
When asked to describe Michigan, John’s response is a great one: “Some Landscape photographers say the Midwest has a lack of scenery. What they’re missing is a wilderness that stretches along miles of Great Lakes shoreline. Nowhere in the United States will you find an area that more reflects the dramatic seasonal changes, beautiful winters, colorful Autumns and springs. It’s a landscape continually changing. Michigan is beautifully diversified with forests and rivers, wetlands of immense size, rocky ridge-lined and sand dune shorelines. And with over 100 lighthouses, historic buildings and an ancient mountain range, Michigan offers more than any photographer could ask for. A weekend gives you a glimpse and a week a good look, but it takes years to see the majority of what Michigan has to offer.”
John’s top five places to visit are:
1. Leelanau Peninsula / Traverse City
2. Sleeping Bear Dunes
3. Mackinac Island
4. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
5. Black River scenic byway/ Porcupine Mountains.
If you browse through John’s albums on his website, you will see John’s favorite things to photograph are Michigan Lighthouses, Great Lakes shorelines, and waterfalls. Visit John’s website and browse his many fantastic photographs from all around this great state.
To view more of John’s great pictures or to purchase a print, visit him at: Michigan Nut Photography
You can also see many wonderful photos on Michigan Nut Photography’s facebook fan page.
Michigan is known for its beautiful golf courses among other things. Whether your game consists of Double Eagles or Double Bogeys, you are sure to have a favorite course. Michigan Golf Magazine website has a list of the top 50 public courses in Michigan. So, if you are looking for a place to play, go check out their list.
Is your course on the list? What is your favorite course?
Mark your calendar for September 2 – 5 because you’ll want to attend this year’s Arts Beats and Eats in Royal Oak. Already known for its top-ranking art fair, organizers of Oakland County’s premier festival are hungry for more recognition. They plan to unseat A Taste of Chicago, which had 70 vendors last year, as the country’s biggest foodie event.
The festival moved from Pontiac to Royal Oak in 2010, drawing about 423,000 visitors. A couple times entry gates were closed to accommodate the crowds. The larger festival footprint should give everyone more room, Witz said.
For More Information on the Festival, visit: http://www.artsbeatseats.com
Grand Traverse Pie Company’s Cherry Crumb Pie was just named one of America’s Most Unforgettable Pies on YAHOO! Travel today.
Their Cherry Crumb Pie is made with Northern Michigan Montmorency tart cherries—locally grown in Traverse City. Yum!
Great job Grand Traverse Pie Company – Keep up the good work!
To read the rest of the article, click the link below.
Yesterday, we featured Kid Rock not only for his love of Detroit and Michigan, but for his giving spirit. Do you know someone that is giving back? If so, send us an e-mail at michiganisamazing@michaelflora.com and tell us about them. It can be an individual, young or old, businesses large or small – anyone that is doing their part to make the community or a person’s life better.
Please tell us about your nominee and include your contact information in case we need more details.
We are going to begin featuring upstanding and outstanding citizens and businesses and would like all of the Michigan Is Amazing fans to tell us who is amazing to you.
Let all of your friends know, too! Let’s celebrate all of the amazing people in this great state!
Using their Great-Grandmother’s pickle recipe, McClure’s Pickles began making pickles in 2006. They use local produce whenever possible and each pickle is hand sliced. Soy and vegetable inks are used with chemical-free plating and are created using wind powered electricity for their labels. McClure’s Pickles was started in 2006 just outside of Detroit. Today, they also have a location in Brooklyn, NY.
For more information or retail locations, please visit: www.mcclurespickles.com
Kern’s Sausages opened for business in 1949 in Frankenmuth, Michigan’s Little Bavaria. They offer 34 varieties of homemade sausages, baked goods, cheeses, fine wines, and German import foods. They have one of the largest selections of domestic and imported beer in the area and also offer catering and gift baskets.
For more information or to visit Kern’s Sausuages, please visit: www.kernssausage.com
Michigan is Amazing 