Did you know there is a township in Michigan called California? Yes, it is true. I have been there. It is a small township of approximately 900 residents near the State line of Indiana and Michigan. It has a small town as part of it called ‘Ray’ which sits on both sides of the State line. Mostly a farming community, California was incorporated in 1846. There is not much to see there when you drive through the small township, but the sign below did catch my attention.
Last week when I was traveling to go look at some houses in Three Rivers, Michigan I drove into a winter storm front. The ‘Lake Effect’ snow was starting to come down, and the visibility was becoming more difficult. On one of the roads I was driving on, the traffic slowed down and there was a Amish buggy in one lane. Fortunately I had my camera next to me, and was able to snap this photo. The contrast between the lights on the buggy, and the winter weather was kind of aesthetic in its own peculiar way.
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My newest eBook is called: The Art of Sales Management: Lessons Learned on the Fly. It was published earlier this month through my own publishing company called: If, And or But Publishing. The book is about my years as a sales manager, and the lessons I learned along the way. It was a project that I had started fifteen years ago, and never took time to compile it until I decided to do so in the last few months.
I am making available for free on Amazon today, and tomorrow February 24th & 25th, 2013. You can click on the image below and download your copy today.
In September of 2012, I traveled to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which is one of my favorite places to visit whenever in that area of the Eastern U.S. Along the scenic roadway that one travels though the park from North Carolina to Tennessee, there are many tunnels. These are works of art in themselves, all built from stone and carved into the mountains. Here is one my better shots I took, as my wife and I emerged from one of these famous tunnels.
The symmetry of some of these rural country roads in winter captures my eye as a photographer. I took this photo when I was in a rural area a few weeks ago, and I thought the rise and fall of the unpaved road and the alignment of trees was quite beautiful. I thought I would share it on my blog today.
The beauty of a rural road in Michigan.
There is nothing that quite matches the stare of a bull looking at your camera as you take his picture. I was out in the countryside near Dowling, Michigan recently and took this photo of a bull in a field. Yes there was snow on the ground, but it did not deter him from dining on the grass.
In Southwest Michigan, we have a lot of beautiful little villages and towns. A few weeks ago I was driving through the Village of Tekonsha, which is Calhoun County. I was there to photograph some property for a client, but could not help but stop and take the following photo of this classic home with the town water tower in the back drop. Tekonsha only has a population of just above 700 people that live there, but the homes in the area are quite traditional and classic.
Tekonsha, Michigan
Fort Custer Recreation area lies between Augusta, Michigan in Kalamazoo County and 
Battle Creek, in Calhoun County. The park originally was property owned by the military and used as a training area during World War II, and later deeded over to the State of Michigan to become a park. Today it offers a series of trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. It has a few lakes, and a great deal of hills through wooded forests for the perfect getaway. There is also a camping area and places for fishing and canoeing.
It is one of the places I like to go to and take photos when I can, just because it is so close by. I prefer mostly to hike the trails, although I do sometimes take my mountain bike there for a ride. It is a great place to experience some solitude and peaceful settings in nature.
Railroad tracks have always been a fascination to me. They represent such strength, and power as well as history. Millions of tons of goods and products are transported through America annually by means of Railroad tracks. A setting like this photo in winter kind of represents to me a peaceful serenity, but also a majesty that is unequaled. I took the following photo just East of Marshall one morning earlier this month, right after the New Year. It was a peaceful morning, and the snow had been falling off and on.
Railroads are the backbone of American commerce, and represent a power and beauty in winter. Perhaps it is symbolic of the endurance of freedom in its own way.
There is a certain beauty of a snowy country road in rural areas in winter in Southwest Michigan. I took this photo along one of my recent travels through the area, and thought it presented a sense of solitude in the moment.
Winter often provides a unique sense of solitude along country roads.
