“Best of 2017”

This year has gone by really quickly. So much so that I didn’t think I would actually have time to get together my usual end of the year post. These ten images are my personal favorites for the year, or my “Best of 2017”.

This is the 6th year that I have done a “Best of” at the end of the year,  and I would like to thank Jim Goldstein for graciously hosting the Best Photos Project each year. You can check out mine and many many other photographers end of the year posts on his blog!

If you would like to see my “Best of” for 2016, you can find that here.

Also if you’d like to go back to 2015, you can check that out here.

“Silo Sunset’
One of my favorite sunsets of this year!

After a very stormy spring day in SE. Michigan I was happily surprised by an amazing array of clouds as they moved quickly by during a sunset on a local farm!

 

“Peace of Autumn’s Song”
Beautiful reflections on an early autumn day!

You’ll see this lake featured twice here in this post. This image was on a cloudy and extremely still, fall day. The trees, especially the birches gave beautiful reflections in the water!

 

“Leaves in Gold and Bronze”
Fallen leaves in shades of gold.

After all of the leaves had fallen and nothing was left except the crunch of brown and gold underfoot I decided to make just a few images of these beauties!

 

“Effervescent Glow”
Lovely sparkling dewdrops on the grass in the early morning!

I had a lot of fun during a couple of fresh and dewy mornings this year photographing the sunlight as it danced off of the dewdrops in the grass. As a lot of you know, I love nature abstracts!

 

“In Love with Life”
Lovely tulips at the 2017 Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan.

I was extremely happy to have had the opportunity to go to The Tulip Festival in Holland, MI. this past spring!

 

“The Stones”
Beautiful and very colorful stones from Lake Superior!

Every time I’m in Marquette, Michigan I always enjoy the beautiful assortment of rocks and stones in the area. These colorful stones on Presque Isle are some of my favorites!

 

“Presque Isle Sunset Glow 2”
A wonderful sunset from Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Michigan.

While at Presque Isle Park I almost always make time to stay for the sunset. It almost never dissapoints!

 

“Munising Falls Gold”
A golden start to autumn at Munising Falls in Munising, Michigan!

Munising Falls is beautiful no matter what time of year, but fall is always my favorite!

 

“When in Love”
This was an especially beautiful day along Lake Plumbago in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

Lake Plumbago is one of those places I pass by quite often while in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I would have to say that for me it has almost always been foggy and or raining when I pass by. That of course has its own beauty, and I have plenty of photos from that type of weather, but this time there was a striking difference, and actually quite welcomed!

 

“Windermere Hotel Mackinac Island”
One of my favorite places to stay on Mackinac Island!

I have always loved the look of yellow houses with white picket fences, so naturally the first time I set eyes upon the Windermere Hotel on Mackinac Island, it became a must for me to stay there! It is filled with Victorian charm and has such a lovely presence on the Island.

It just happened that this year while on the Island I was graced with bright blue skies which made a wonderful contrast to the beautiful yellow color of the Windermere!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed a tiny glimpse into the year of 2017 with me. I wish all of you a very Happy and prosperous New Year, both in your lives and in your photographic adventures! 🙂

 

I’d like to end this post with one of my favorite quotes.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.  ~ Edward Abbey ~ 🙂

 

 

 

“Yes, I Am Thankful”

Yes, I am thankful!

Not because this is Thanksgiving in this very tiny part of the world.

In fact I do not single out one day of the year to be thankful. I choose instead to keep this day as any other, and be grateful as always for the many blessings that I continue to enjoy all year long!

I thought I would though, take a moment and acknowledge just a few of those people, and things that I am so very blessed with.

I am so very thankful to be alive! Do you realize how totally amazing that actually is? We are alive!

I am so grateful to have a wonderful family, a roof over my head, plenty of food  to eat, not just today, but all year long, warm clothes, and the freedom to pursue my dreams! Yes, my dreams! That is amazing also!

I want to thank all of you that have been my friends and supporters through all of these years. I may not know all of you in person, but you’ve made a difference in my life, yes you have!  I count you among my friends, and I hope that I have made even just a tiny bit of difference in your lives too!

I am thankful to be put on this earth at this time, the time that was meant for me to be here. Even with all of the problems facing us as a human race  today, we still have more opportunities for personal growth, the ability to enjoy better health, we are able to make more choices for our lives, and most of all we have the ability to help others.

In helping others it can be something as little as a Smile given in charity to a stranger, kind words of encouragement given when someone is having a bad day, or donating time and money to a worthy cause. We can make a difference! We in this year 2014 and every year after, have the opportunity and responsibility to give of ourselves to help others. I am thankful for the ability to do that!

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes on being thankful and having gratitude. Enjoy!

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.
These are but trifles, to be sure;
but, scattered along life’s pathway,
the good they do is inconceivable.

~Joseph Addison~

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~Melody Beattie~

The best and most beautiful things in this world
cannot be seen or even heard,
but must be felt with the heart.

~Helen Keller~

If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation,
you will discover that your life will
suddenly be filled with gratitude,
a feeling that nurtures the soul.

~Rabbi Harold Kushner~

 

"In Red and Gold"
“In Red and Gold”