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.
I was visiting the small community of Montgomery, Michigan last week to photograph a house for a bank, and came across this sign. Montgomery is a small community not far from the Indiana State line in Hillsdale County. According to the 2010 census, the little community has a population of 342.
The area was first settled around 1870 by several farmers: Joshua Dobbs, Israel Sheppard, Enoch Teachout and George Hewitt. When they went to the Hillsdale County Registry to register the town in 1871, then county clerk William R. Montgomery said he would perform the task for nothing if they named the town after him, which they agreed to. It was eventually incorporated as a village in 1906. Th community also apparently goes by the name of ‘Frogeye’ and host an annual festival by the same name.
If you live in Battle Creek, you have probably heard about the Bombers baseball team that plays on the north side of Battle Creek. They also have a mascot, and it is Moe. ‘Moe Skeeter’ is the mascot with an attitude. A few years ago I shot some video of Moe in action, and posted it on Youtube. I even heard from Moe himself, and he liked it! Baseball season is still a few months away, but there is no reason not to get excited if Moe is around. See you at the Bombers games this year!
I drove by a city park near downtown Battle Creek recently, and was amazed at all of the ducks still swimming in the icy pond. I guess I had an idea they all flew south for the winter, but I guess that is not the case. They all seemed to be enjoying the water, and standing on the ice did not seem an inconvenience to them. Looking at this photo, it seems kind of strange to see the contrast of the ice and water with its perfect transition.
A few years ago I went to a Battle Creek Revolution game and filmed the entire game, and edited it down to a short video and posted it on my Youtube channel. The BC Revolution is not the same team any more, and a different league plays there now, but this was some great hockey. The Rink still is in downtown and one can go to see a hockey game there. Hope you enjoy this look back at a great game:
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.
Sometimes driving around in small communities, one comes across a Church sign that is interesting and heart warming, even on a cold winter morning. I was out in Nashville, Michigan a few days ago and came across this one posted outside the United Methodist Church. I thought I would share it.
Two years ago I went to the Battle Creek Field of Flight airshow and shot this video of the night airshow. At the time, I was not sure how interesting the video would be, or even if I would do anything with it. I ended editing it into a video and posting it on my Youtube channel. This turned out to be some very interesting and aesthetic video clips, and when I look back on it, it was a lot of fun.
I hope you enjoy it:
Recently just following the holiday season in January, I was driving through downtown Battle Creek and saw that in Mill Race Park there were some ice sculptures on display. I did not get some current photos of the ones from this year, but I thought I would share one of the photos from a prior year here. This is a special thing about Michigan that I love in the winter is the outdoor display of ice sculptures. It kind of says, ‘Yes, it is cold, but we are having fun anyway.’
Ice sculptures are a fun part of winter!
