Recycling

A Saturday morning ritual -- a trip to the recycling center.

Yup, Sky Still Up There

And blue, too.

Camera (or, I hope, battery) woes are leaving me behind a few days...

Find links to this week's Skywatch Friday participants at http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

Night

Last night I went to the Riviera Theater in downtown Three Rivers to see Così fan Tutte, filmed at the Salzburg Festival in July of this year. It is a creepy take on Mozart's disturbing comedy, this version focused on Don Alfonso as a demonic force determined to separate the young lovers from their innocent optimism and drag them into cynical despair. The advantage of seeing it at the Riviera is in being able to take your glass of wine into the theater (from the theater's attached wine-bar)... or popcorn, if you like! The mezzo playing Dorabella (Isabel Leonard) was a real standout for me, but they were all wonderful.

On the way home I took this shot of the downtown lights, not despairing at all.

Bridges

More kayaking from yesterday - but not today, it is raining! Paddling up river, I came to the mysterious remains of a bridge. The bridge abutment leads to a narrow, high ridge, as were constructed for narrow gauge railroads in the 1800s, but now overgrown with huge trees. It would not be visible in the summer undergrowth. In the distance is the Fisher Lake Road bridge over the Portage River. Also mysteriously, Fisher Lake Road does not go to Fisher Lake. So many mysteries!

Home Sweet Home

I've been thinking about starting a series of photos of the many interesting homes in Three Rivers, but the morning was sunny so I went out on the Portage River - and found an interesting home... well, it is for wood ducks, but has a great location!

Sunset, again

I didn't mean to post yet another sky picture - but there it was yesterday evening, monochrome. A sense of scale comes from the trees and power lines in the lower right corner, (click image for a larger view.)

See more of the world in monochrome at The Monochrome Weekly, presented by Aileni.

Michigan Tiki

"Tiki" as a decorating style, idealized to ridiculous adaptions of decorative elements from a broad range of Pacific cultures, was popular among restauranteurs and suburban homeowners in the US in the 1950s. When I was growing up in California there were still some remnants of the style, especially "Tiki-torches", decorative garden lamps for outdoor parties, and in the decor of moldy old restaurants and bars. Moving to the midwest, I was very surprised to find "Tiki" still "alive and kicking" in rural areas, with Tiki-themed restaurants and Tiki-themed rest stops along the highway. I even once spotted a "Tiki" gas station.

Yesterday was a lovely sunny day, and I went out on the Portage River here in Three Rivers. Along the river this property-owner has a nice dock with comfortable chairs - and a palm-frond decorated "Tiki" umbrella! Looks so jaunty with the bare deciduous trees, don't you think? :-)