Travelogues

Finally spring arrived in Michigan. At first it seemed that spring had been forgotten when temperatures soared into the 80s for a few days. That was followed by a night and morning of snow at the end of April and finally a more leveled day in the 70s. I decided to take advantage of a little extra time I had by going down to Fairlane Manor, the estate of auto baron Henry Ford.

Fairlane Manor is a sprawling estate in Henry Ford's hometown, Dearborn, that is now operated by the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The grounds are much smaller than they once were but still very sprawling. Many trails wind through the woods and meadows along the Rouge River and by a large artificial lake. The entire estate was designed by famed landscape architect Jens Jensen. He loved the midwestern landscape and he artificially created that type of landscape for Henry Ford. He was able to naturally merge the hydroelectric powerhouse, the mansion and numerous other structures into the environment to create a very peaceful and totally natural look.

On this day I just went for a very brief walk since I had only a short period of time. I went on a small loop that just went around the mansion and powerhouse and only touching on the fringes of the woods. I ran into many other people taking in the beautiful weather and the budding trees and blooming flowers. I also ran into numerous other creatures. I saw some of the reclusive woodchucks. And I even saw one climbing a tree which is something I did not know they could do. I was also able to get within a foot of a Canadian Goose without it running away. The last time I tried this the goose hissed at me and charged. But the geese here were very comfortable with my presence. I also ran into a Robin taking a bath in a puddle that at first seemed anxious a person was so close but after I calmly approached it and stayed still it decided it was safe to continue its bath thus allowing me to get a few closer shots of it bathing. Another creature I kept running into was one that totally eluded me. I have no idea what it was and could never pinpoint exactly where it was. I only heard a creaking and buzzing sound from somewhere under the ground foliage.

I wish I had had more time, but unfortunately this was squeezed into an hour and a half I had nothing to do. So many of the trails that go into the woods just call people in. The golden lighting of the woods under the canopy was very warm and inviting and offered so many twists and turns in the distance. Twists and turns that just begged to be walked toward to see what was around them. For that, though, I will have to go back another day. For now I'll just have to wait for another warm, sunny, afternoon, to go back there and explore even further.

I wanted to try to practice some nature photography since this is an ideal setting. Nature photography is something I try but never really have much success with. So I guess I felt like posting some of these shots to improve on it. I'd like to know what I am doing wrong and what I'm doing right. If I'm doing anything right.