fotopherrets challenge this week...

is Wet... and this little froggy is definitely not dry!

You, too can meet the challenge at fotopherrets!!! Check it out.

fotopherrets (posted on Wednesdays)...

...topic for the week is America in honor of Colombus Day, remembering the discovery of America by Christopher Colombus.

After browsing other entries I decided to not dig up old photos of my red, white & blue wreath, featuring an olympic cabbage patch doll. Instead, here is a photo of middle-income North America in the good ol' U.S.A. - where there is still a 'middle class' and we still have enough room to have our own backyards if we so desire. Isn't this the reason so many people want to live here? God bless America - all of it - North, South and Central!!!

FotoPherrets Challenge this week..

... is Tower and so I went to my September pics for a new photo of one of my favorite places.

You can never get too many viewpoints of a majestic lighthouse... and this look straight up towers powerfully over the safe harbor in the city of Ludington, MI.!

foto pherrets forty...

...the theme is leaves.

If you haven't already, stop by at foto pherrets and join in this fun foto meme! Yeah yeah yeah I know! The lady is suggesting leaves because it's autumn - or fall - and I actually have a photo of a solitary fallen leaf on my other website - Grumbleeze. I took this photo since then though, and so now is as good as any time to share it. This is leaves from a zucchini plant I grew this year. Weirdest thing I ever saw... it hardly bore any fruit! This was a first for me; usually I have so much zucchini I'm just throwing it away this time of year!

Lady Starlight's fotopherrets challenge this week...

Here is the inside of my boat... it's a pontoon boat so the roof is actually just a canopy. Nonetheless, it is inside. Oh! The fotopherret theme is Inside. Okay so it's not a brand new photo either, but I like it!

Here are my August Favorite 5 Photos...

...hoping this will motivate you to choose your favorite five for the month! This first photo shares my joy of finally getting outdoor plumbing! Yeah, I know...


Took this photo during the photo expedition with Sharba... the one with the photography lessons. This leaf was floating along the Tittabawassee River... showing the wonders of a fantastic zoom feature on my camera.


This is a long shot of the lower fishing dock near the bridge at one of my favorite parks along the Tittabawassee... taken with no zoom whatsoever. Click the pic and you will see a couple fishing down at the end... and look at all those angles!


Queen Ann's Lace... currently on the screen of my desktop computer.


Found this old Kodak Brownie camera in a cupboard during a cleanup expedition.

It's foto pherrets hump day...

...and the topic is 'friend'



My friend knows I can't do some things around the yard as well as he can. Springtime clean up is a biggy around here - especially because we typically have a flood in the back yard every year at least once. Not only did he gather up tree branches and trash that floated downstream, he also trimmed back some trees to make it easier for me to mow the yard! His wife is my friend too - and she knows I don't really want her husband, or anybody else's; I just like to borrow one from time to time! ;-)

foto pherrets hump day challenge...

..well, it's not the next Wednesday yet! I'll get in on time one of these days. The challenge is 'fountain' and I've taken photos of many fountains but this one is in my back yard! You need to click on this photo to actually see the water but, oh well... it brings enjoyment to my neighborhood birds.

This photo was taken last September and the flowers are really big this year. Haven't gotten around to turning on the fountain yet though. I will. ;-)

Beth at Midland Daily News challenged us...

...to suggest cost-saving ideas for the holiday weekend. Read her article and join in with comments and/or photos at the article called Day Trippin'

Why not visit a lighthouse near you? Daughter Shar and I walked this pier yesterday in Ludington. First photo is a view from a bench near our parking space in the City Park.



...and then it still seems far away on the first 'leg' out


Chose not to use zoom on this view..... it sure seems a long way away.


Actually there were lots of people coming and going during our stroll. There was even a family with a bunch of young teens swimming at the very end of the pier.


Frank & I often photographed sunsets with this lighthouse in the background... from the walkway near the public boat launch area. From a distance the lighthouse appears to be lopsided. Now, up close, I can see why. It has a peculiar shape to the base... sort of boat-shaped.


Here... a truly awesome view of Lake Michigan in the shadow of this great communication tool to boaters. Actually there was nothing money-saving about this trip. Had to fill up my gas tank at $2.979/gal (a bargain yesterday) and used it all on the 5 hour round trip. Got some business taken care of in town and spent some quality time with Shar... all in all a worthwhile investment!

Haven't been to foto pherrets lately...

..but OttO reminded me when she gave us a challenge at Monday Madness this week. The foto pherret challenge last Wednesday (Hump Day Hunt) was 'statue.'

This statue in Grand Rapids, MI is referred to simply as 'The Calder' - referring to the artist's name. The actual title is 'La Grande Finesse.'