Runnin' on the River

Jet skis on the Portage River in the late fall sunshine. Watch out for those rocks...

Hoffman St. Bridge

A view from the water of the Hoffman St. Bridge over the Portage River, with a bit of the old abandoned powerhouse showing.

Bridge Walk - Hoffman

Some Bridge Walkers on the Hoffman Street bridge over the Portage River. According to the Passport, the bridge is 91 feet long and was built in 1917. You can also "drive" over it on Google Maps.
My favorite part of the walks was talking to people who had stories to tell about growing up in the area and their memories of the bridges and rivers. Here a woman told me that just upstream was an old swimming hole where kids would swim 'au naturel' and "get in trouble for it!"

A look downstream, where a sandbar has formed under the bridge. Hazard to navigation?

Portage River Bridge

This is my favorite bridge to paddle under, with those big cool arches. At the mouth of the Portage River, where it flows into the St. Joseph. Highway M60 passes over this bridge and into downtown Three Rivers.

Aliens?

Mysterious lights out on the water in Three Rivers, strange shapes creeping about.
Carp fishermen!

More snow (Portage River)

After yesterday's beautiful blue skies and sun (and I had to be indoors!), more snow today. White snow, silver sky, gunmetal grey water.
Portage River in Three Rivers.

Ice Shadows

Brittle ice still holds some nice shadows. The resident pair of swans are visible in the distance. This is the section of the Portage River in Three Rivers called "Hoffman Pond" - here's another shot from the same spot taken last September: Morning Mist.

Cheery Cold

A lovely day for a stroll (at Hidden Marsh Preserve) by the Portage River. The weather has warmed up to a toasty 35 degrees F/2 degrees C. The sun reflecting on the snow and river ice is dazzling!

A Bit of the Past

Spotted stuck and abandoned in a marsh along the Portage River, this ancient example of horse-drawn farm machinery reminds us of when agriculture extended to well inside the Three Rivers city limits.

Waiting

December's theme is "Waiting". Dogs are good at waiting. They wait for us to come home, wait for their walk, wait for someone to come paddle the boat.

Click here to view thumbnails for all City Photo Theme Day participants

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!

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? :-)

Saturday Morning

After last night's peaceful sunset, the brilliant colors of this morning's sunrise were a surprise. It has been a beautiful day, so far! View over Hoffman Pond on the Portage River in Three Rivers.

Phone Call

A kayaker braved the chilly day and cold water on the Portage River, but had to pull over to make a phone call. (Below the Boys' Dam in Three Rivers.)

Hidden Marsh in Pink and Yellow

It warmed up some so I took my canoe out on the Portage River and Took this shot while paddling past the Hidden Marsh Sanctuary in Three Rivers, a nature preserve of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. A little shaky - hard to photo with one hand while steering clear of a sand bank with the other! The pinks are dogwood, and the yellow, a maple; an enormous oak with gold-brown leaves hovers above all.

Hidden Marsh

One of the stops on tomorrow's Three Rivers Color Tour is the The Hidden Marsh Sanctuary along the Portage River in Three Rivers. Most of the color I saw walking through the preserve today was the glowing yellow of the big hickories and maples, accented with pinks and purples of the dogwoods and the bright red of small oaks. At this peaceful spot overlooking the river and fens, the sassafrass contribute copper and gold. (Click the photo for a larger view.)

The Hidden Marsh Sanctuary is one of the preserves of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, whose mission is "to permanently protect the natural, historic and scenic landscapes to ensure the health and quality of life for the people of southwest Michigan."

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Today is Divali, Happiness to all who are celebrating!

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Today is also the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, which started at 5:03 and lasted the longest period of time in my life.

Hobo Hotel

This old barn by the Portage River was known locally as the "Hobo Hotel", a place where hobos would stay during the great depression of the 1930s, when many unemployed young men wandered about the country.

B/w gives the image a ghostly quality, a remembrance of the history of those old hard times.

See more people's monochrome takes on their world at The Monochrome Weekly.

Monochrome River

The Portage River, looking downstream from the Hoffman Street Bridge. It could be 100 years ago - or even longer. Is that a fur-trader camp there on the bank?

More of the world in monochrome at The Monochrome Weekly.

Theme day: contrast

The moon rises, brightly reflecting the setting sun; the Portage River in the sun, seen from the darkness inside an old barn above the river.

CityPhoto theme day; Click here to view what others are doing with this theme.