This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
~Elmer Davis

Today's photo and quotation is provided by luna.nik and I think that it pretty much sums up what is asked, what is given and what we are called to remember and honor on Veterans Day and all the year long.

If you don't get a chance to get out to Veteran's Day parades or ceremonies to hear some veterans speak, you can see some interviews with veterans from the Southfield Veterans Commission that were produced as part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. This one features Herbert Howard of Southfield and there are many more right here.

Much more Michigan Veterans Day information.

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Detroit Gargoyles by The Whistling Monkey
part of a set of detroit Gargoyles

Among all the impish offspring of the Stone God, wizards and witches, that made Detroit feared by the early settlers, none were more dreaded than the Nain Rouge (Red Dwarf), or Demon of the Strait, for it appeared only when there was to be trouble. In that it delighted. It was a shambling, red-faced creature, with a cold, glittering eye and teeth protruding from a grinning mouth. Cadillac, founder of Detroit, having struck at it, presently lost his seigniory and his fortunes. It was seen scampering along the shore on the night before the attack on Bloody Run, when the brook that afterward bore this name turned red with the blood of soldiers. People saw it in the smoky streets when the city was burned in 1805, and on the morning of Hull's surrender it was found grinning in the fog. It rubbed its bony knuckles expectantly when David Fisher paddled across the strait to see his love, Soulange Gaudet, in the only boat he could find--a wheel-barrow, namely--but was sobered when David made a safe landing.

It chuckled when the youthful bloods set off on Christmas day to race the frozen strait for the hand of buffer Beauvais's daughter Claire, but when her lover's horse, a wiry Indian nag, came pacing in it fled before their happiness. It was twice seen on the roof of the stable where that sour-faced, evil-eyed old mumbler, Jean Beaugrand, kept his horse, Sans Souci--a beast that, spite of its hundred years or more, could and did leap every wall in Detroit, even the twelve-foot stockade of the fort, to steal corn and watermelons, and that had been seen in the same barn, sitting at a table, playing seven-up with his master, and drinking a liquor that looked like melted brass. The dwarf whispered at the sleeping ear of the old chief who slew Friar Constantine, chaplain of the fort, in anger at the teachings that had parted a white lover from his daughter and led her to drown herself--a killing that the red man afterward confessed, because he could no longer endure the tolling of a mass bell in his ears and the friar's voice in the wind.

The Nain Rouge it was who claimed half of the old mill, on Presque Isle, that the sick and irritable Josette swore that she would leave to the devil when her brother Jean pestered her to make her will in his favor, giving him complete ownership. On the night of her death the mill was wrecked by a thunder-bolt, and a red-faced imp was often seen among the ruins, trying to patch the machinery so as to grind the devil's grist. It directed the dance of black cats in the mill at Pont Rouge, after the widow's curse had fallen on Louis Robert, her brother-in-law. This man, succeeding her husband as director of the property, had developed such miserly traits that she and her children were literally starved to death, but her dying curse threw such ill luck on the place and set afloat such evil report about it that he took himself away. The Nain Rouge may have been the Lutin that took Jacques L'Esperance's ponies from the stable at Grosse Pointe, and, leaving no tracks in sand or snow, rode them through the air all night, restoring them at dawn quivering with fatigue, covered with foam, bloody with the lash of a thorn-bush. It stopped that exercise on the night that Jacques hurled a font of holy water at it, but to keep it away the people of Grosse Pointe still mark their houses with the sign of a cross.

It was lurking in the wood on the day that Captain Dalzell went against Pontiac, only to perish in an ambush, to the secret relief of his superior, Major Gladwyn, for the major hoped to win the betrothed of Dalzell; but when the girl heard that her lover had been killed at Bloody Run, and his head had been carried on a pike, she sank to the ground never to rise again in health, and in a few days she had followed the victims of the massacre. There was a suspicion that the Nain Rouge had power to change his shape for one not less offensive. The brothers Tremblay had no luck in fishing through the straits and lakes until one of them agreed to share his catch with St. Patrick, the saint's half to be sold at the church-door for the benefit of the poor and for buying masses to relieve souls in purgatory. His brother doubted if this benefit would last, and feared that they might be lured into the water and turned into fish, for had not St. Patrick eaten pork chops on a Friday, after dipping them into holy water and turning them into trout? But his good brother kept on and prospered and the bad one kept on grumbling. Now, at Grosse Isle was a strange thing called the rolling muff, that all were afraid of, since to meet it was a warning of trouble; but, like the feu follet, it could be driven off by holding a cross toward it or by asking it on what day of the month came Christmas. The worse of the Tremblays encountered this creature and it filled him with dismay. When he returned his neighbors observed an odor--not of sanctity--on his garments, and their view of the matter was that he had met a skunk. The graceless man felt convinced, however, that he had received a devil's baptism from the Nain Rouge, and St. Patrick had no stancher allies than both the Tremblays, after that.

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It's rights for the title of the state, state champions, who's the best in the state, it's huge, big for the fans, big for the alumni and big for the players and coaches.
~Ryan Van Bergen, UM Defensive End

This Saturday at 12 noon the University of Michigan Wolverines head to Spartan Stadium in East Lansing to face the Michigan State University Spartans . The Paul Bunyan-Governor of Michigan Trophy is awarded to the winner of the game between the Wolverines and the Spartans. U of M holds the series edge at 67-31-5, but the Spartans won again last year, 34-17 comeback to hang onto the trophy for the third straight year. For the 2nd year in a row, both teams are in the AP Top 25, with the Spartans at #23 and UM ranked #11. This game is always a fierce rivalry , but mLive explains that in 2011 it takes on another aspect due to the new Legends & Leaders division structure of the Big Ten¹²:

...all you have to do beat out five other teams to win your division and you've got a shot at the Rose Bowl. Nebraska isn't what we thought they were, and Iowa just isn't that good. The winner of Saturday's game takes control of the Legends.

If you're looking for tickets, stubhub has them for $188 - $499.  The Sports Bank has a brutally honest preview that leads with Spartan DT and NFL Prospect Jerel Worthy's Anti-Michigan Wolverines Tattoo and breaks the game down very quickly and insightfully, and as always the folks at The Bleacher Report deliver with their slideshow of keys to the game and predictions for UM v MSU. The Freep calls it a smash-mouth showcase while the Detroit News lets a pair of former players, Michigan safety Marcus Ray and Michigan State quarterback Tony Banks, lay down the smack. On the blogs, A Beautiful Day for Football wonders if it's "Little Brother No More" and gives some interesting rivalry facts. As Bill Simonson says: "I hope this sports ride never ends."
MSU vs U of M Video Spirit Rally

Choose sides and get in on the discussion over at SpartanTailgate.com or MGoBlog. These are great resources with all the news and updates you need regarding MSU and U of M sports.

Michigan in Pictures has a couple of posts from awhile back about Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (where Saturday's game will be played) and Michigan Stadium aka The Big House.

Somewhere we have to note Whack-a-Wolverine from the Lansing State Journal and we definitely want to hear what YOU think about the rivalry and the game!

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The Fenton Hotel, a former inn-turned-gourmet restaurant in the small, mid-state town of Fenton in Genesee County, is an establishment that prides itself on hanging onto things from its historic past. All the original tin ceilings still adorn the dining room, and the foyer looks much as it did back in stagecoach days. The second story's glory days still exists in its tile-floor ballroom, the communal men's and women's bathrooms and the dingy corner room once reserved for Emery, the place's late, longtime custodian. But the old brick building retains something far beyond old chairs and ancient porcelain fixtures in its aging halls.

Many people say the Fenton Hotel still hosts Emery, himself, along with an entire cast of ghostly hangers-on. People can hear Emery walking around in his former upstairs digs, his footsteps reverberating in the tin ceiling. Sometimes he thumps on the walls after customers leave, as if to tell the staff to get a move on. But Emery was a gentleman, say staff members at the Fenton. That's how they know it's some other ghost that sometimes gropes the arms or buttocks of unsuspecting waitresses.

And there are other spooks, each specter with his or her unique "signature" activity. The restaurant hostess told Weird Michigan in hushed tones that the incidents are not a thing of the past, either. "Things are still going on," she said ominously as she seated us at one of the green linen-covered tables. We ordered baked brie from the extensive menu and waited for the unseen hotel guests to arrive and float around us. Surrounded by intricate stained glass windows and well-preserved architecture, it was easy to envision patrons of yesteryear enjoying the evening alongside the contemporary crowd.

Built in 1856, the Fenton boasts its own official state historical marker, which explains that the interior is still much the same, although the exterior's old front porch fell victim to a team of runaway horses in 1904. The side of the building that faces the parking lot is embellished with paintings of ghostly inhabitants from another time, which only adds to the feeling of having stepped back into another century.

The bar area on the other side of the foyer is probably the building's hottest ghost spot. A bartender named Brittany told Weird Michigan that she was standing at her work station one evening when one of the wine glasses hanging by its stem from a slotted nook suddenly flew off its perch and sailed across the bar, crashing and breaking. She has also heard someone call her name when no one else was in the room, felt something brush her leg, and on several occasions, customers have told her they saw someone hugging her at a time when she could see or feel no one.

Besides the phantom cuddler, there is the recurring case of the mysterious man at table 32. Every now and then, a man seated there will order a shot of Jack Daniels on the rocks and the bartender will duly pour one, but upon attempting to serve it to the "customer," finds nothing but thin air. Speculation is that one of the house ghosts wants a drink badly enough to show himself and order one, but ultimately lacks the cash to pay for it and the throat to gulp it down.

The dining room is active, too. Two waitresses have spotted a disappearing black cat running across the floor. One staff person told us that last December, one of the ghosts decided to make merry by grabbing the posteriors of several waitresses, who invariably whirled around only to find no visible face to slap. December seems to be one of the restaurant's most active months for hauntings, said one waitress. "It's like they get excited with all the decorations and the parties," she noted. She also said that staff have heard ghostly voices admonishing them that "no personal calls" are allowed, and that sometimes a man's voice comes out of the bar speakers, either singing along with entertainers or making comments to customers.

Weird Michigan was able to take a guided tour of the closed upper level, which generally is not allowed since it is used for storage and many of the old rooms are no longer in good repair. We didn't see anything unusual; even Emery's small, cold room was quiet, although we couldn't help but wonder if the old custodian was upset at our intrusion. But while standing in the darkened hallway, one of us heard a female voice whispering close by that we could not explain. Strangest of all was the fact that after we descended the stairs, we found a small glob of melted candle wax near the viewfinder on our digital camera. There was no candle on our dining room table, and we saw none on the second floor. The wax globule was not there earlier while we were shooting other pictures. Perhaps one of the old hotel guests was examining us at closer range than we realized, using the lighting methods available in 1856! Or maybe someone was trying to tell us not to look at the upper story inhabitants through that viewfinder.

The book Haunted Michigan by Gerald S. Hunter devotes an entire chapter to the multi-spirited Fenton Hotel, and includes tales of various apparitions seen by staff and customers, including the face of a bearded man outside a second story window, a tall man in a black top hat, and a strange figure who actually took payment from several customers.

One other strange incident happened as Weird Michigan enjoyed the bizarre ambience of the Fenton Hotel. A dining room guest said she was in the ladies' room, sitting in the third stall, when she felt someone touch her hair and lift up a few strands. She thought that was odd, so we asked the waitress about it and her eyes grew wide.

"Back when the hotel was open," she said, "the cheaper rooms on the third floor were rented by working girls in the town. Rumor is that one of them got pregnant by a hotel patron, and she hung herself in the hotel. Other people have seen her in that third stall."

According to a hotel brochure, several séances have been performed on the premises, but the ghosts seem determined to stay. Perhaps for them, the Fenton Hotel is like the Eagles song hit song Hotel California… "you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

You can order Weird Michigan online from Barnes & Noble and at fine bookstores everywhere. Check out a whole lot more Michigan oddities from ghosts and goblins to people and places that are just a little bit - or a lot - strange!

Linda Godfrey grew up in Milton, Wisconsin, spending the majority of her time doing the same things she does now; reading, writing, making art and reading comics. She continues to create commercial art (represented by Tom Stocki at artfactoryltd.com) and fine art, and often illustrates her own books, specializing in cut paper collage and forensic drawings of strange creatures from witness descriptions. She lives in rural Elkhorn with her husband, Steven, with whom she has two grown sons who are remarkably tolerant of their mother's weird career.

Artwork for this article by Andy McFarlane, who enjoys Photoshop probably a bit too much.

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at Mackinac :: a composite from -3 and -43 by Emery Co Photo

Sea Monster of the Straits

The authorities tried hard to convince the public what they saw were only giant catfish, but even the oldest, orneriest cats would be hard-pressed to attain a length of forty-five feet! The owner of a resort along the Cheboygan lakefront reported seeing something of just that size, and two of them, frolicking in the Mackinac Straits on Lake Huron in front of his property, about 600 feet from shore, according to an article in the June 25, 1976 Grand Rapids Press. The day after the resort owner called authorities about it, Cheboygan County Sheriff Stanley McKervey stopped by to have a look for himself. To his surprise, he also was able to observe one of the creatures. "I went down to the beach, and sure enough, I'm looking at something 20, maybe 30 feet long, swimming just below the surface," he said in the article. "I was amazed. I didn't know what it was, but it sure wasn't a publicity stunt."

The sheriff continued watching the creature through binoculars. It only rose about an inch above water level, he said, but any disturbance on shore would cause it to dive deeper again. And that's exactly what happened when the sheriff ordered a couple of deputies to surveil the thing in a canoe. It was gone long before the pair got there. Unfortunately, rough water conditions set in the next few days and no one could go out for another look. It wasn't observed again, and other experts theorized that perhaps it was a giant eel or carp. But neither of those sound like what the sheriff and the resort owner saw!

Lake Leelanau Monster

The story of an early 20th Century sea monster sighting was sent to The Shadowlands Web site by a reader whose great-grandfather was the witness. The boy was fishing for perch one day in 1910 in the shallows of Lake Leelanau in Leelanau County. The lake had been dammed in the late 1800's to provide water power for the local mill and to enable logging. The dam also flooded much surrounding area, turning it into swamps and bogs punctuated by dead, standing trees.

On that particular day, the young great-grandfather, William Gauthier, rowed out to a new fishing spot near the town of Lake Leelanau. Looking for good perch habitat, he paddled up close to a tree that he estimated to stand about five feet tall above the water, with a six-inch trunk. He was in about seven feet of water, and after deciding this would be a good place to stop and cast a line, began tying the boat to the tree.

That's when young William discovered the tree had eyes. They were staring him dead in the face at about four feet above water level. The boy and serpent exchanged a long gaze, then the creature went, "Bloop" into the water. Gauthier said later that the creature's head passed one end of the boat while the tail was still at the other end, though it was undulating very quickly through the water. The writer noted that Gauthier always admitted to having been thoroughly frightened by his encounter, and that the event caused him to stay off that lake for many years.

The writer added that his great-grandfather came from a prominent area family and was very well-educated, and that he knew others who would admit privately but not publicly that they, too, had seen the creature. No sightings have been reported in recent times, but who knows how many people have believed they were passing by a rotting old cedar when in fact they had just grazed the Leelanau lake monster?

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Surfing Michigan by farlane

We've pulled together a great collection of Great Lakes & Michigan surfing videos with a few links:

• The photo was taken on Lake Michigan at Leland. You can see more surfing photos on Michigan in Pictures and also on Northern Michigan Surf on Facebook and in the Surfing slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool!
• The best of the bunch is below, a TV special on Grand Haven filmmaker Vince Deur's movie Unsalted. the 7 minute short introduces you to the history and present day of Great Lakes surfing. There's also a couple of outtakes that take you to surfing hot spots like Michigan's Lake Superior shore in winter! Last December we ran Michigan Film: Unsalted: A Great Lakes Experience that has all the details (including where to get it!) and tons of clips from the definitive work on riding the freshwater wave.
• The Roxy Get Outside Tour recently visited Grand Haven, Michigan with a couple pro female surfers. They also answered the "Michigan question" and visited the Great Lakes Surf Association (more Michigan footage including waterskiing at the Roxy blog)
• Surfing isn't just for lakes any more, there's also the Grand River Surf (featuring some cool Police tunes...)
• If surfing isn't fast enough (or the waves aren't big enough) there's always kiteboarding. Boarding Lake Michigan Waves from South Beach in South Haven shows you highlights of surfers, kiteboarders and windsurfers. Every September, the King of the Great Lakes Kiteboarding Competition is held in Grand Haven. You can visit Mackinac Kites for information on the event.
• Pure Michigan gets in the act with the Fresh Water Surfing page.
• Check out Absolute Michigan keyword surf for surfing articles and surfing-related businesses! Might as well try Absolute Michigan keyword kiteboard too!

Did we miss something? Of course we did!! Tell us and/or add a link in the comments.

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emil hates rhubarb by yodraws

Taste the Local Difference says that rhubarb is in season. They note that rhubarb is high in Vitamins A and C, calcium and fiber and that one cup of diced rhubarb contains about 26 calories. It's often called the "pie plant and for centuries, the dried root of the plant was used for healing purposes and so prized that Russian czars had a state monopoly over "crown" rhubarb. The leaves of rhubarb contain oxalic acid and are unsafe to eat in quantity (so don't).

Whenever I hear rhubarb, I think about strawberry-rhubarb pie and also baseball announcers saying we've got a real rhubarb on the diamond". I wondered about that (because that's apparently what i get paid to do) and found the best explanation of the origins of that slang and a whole ton more about rhubarb at everything2.com:

Today a rhubarb is synonymous with melees and free for alls, but in Shakespeare's day when a play called for a crowd scene, the director gathered an assembly of actors and had them noisily mutter something akin to "Rhu-bar-bar, rhu-bar-bar ,rhu-bar-bar, which reverberated through the theatre like the sounds of an angry horde. " Try it. I'll bet you sound pretty threatening,   especially if you've got a couple of friends with you. From this "rhubarb" eventually came to be theatrical slang for "commotion." Rhubarb meant 'to make crowd noises', and actors who did it   were called "rhubarbers." This standard stage practice then became a verb "rhubarbing", eventually "rhubarb" came to mean, "fight."

I think we were talking about rhubarb as food, though, so here's a recipe for Lizzy's Rhubarb Bread from MyNorth.com:

Tag Team by dailyinvention

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced rhubarb (or more to taste)

Topping:

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Mix together all bread ingredients. Pour into two 6-inch greased and floured loaf pans. Before baking, mix together and sprinkle topping over batter. Bake at 325 °F for 40 to 60 minutes or until an inserted broom straw [or toothpick] comes out clean. Makes two 6-inch loaves.

For all things rhubarb visit the rhubarb compendium website...

On the photo above, Stefan writes: My grandparents do almost everything together. They're inseparable and an unstoppable team when it comes to making rhubarb pie.

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View from Chateau Chantal by troyryans

Their next Tweet & Taste takes place tomorrow night (Monday Jun 7 @ 8 PM). Sorry about the late notice. Featured will be the wines of the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City. The wines they will be tasting are:

• 2 Lads 2009 Pinot Grigio
• Black Star Farms Sirius Cherry Dessert Wine
• Bowers Harbor Vineyards 2006 2896 Langley (Meritage)
• Chateau Chantal 2009 Pinot Grigio
• Chateau Grand Traverse 2008 Ship of Fools
• Brys Estate 2007 Signature Red
• Peninsula Cellars - 2006 Gewurztraminer

Over at #TTMI on Twitter, Michigan Master Sommelier   Claudia Tyagi aka winegenie is educating folks on the wines of Old Mission. Here's a couple tweets - definitely try and pick up one or more of the bottles above and take part - it's fun and you can do it in your PJs! (check the video below for a step by step explanation of TTMI).

RT @cortcase @tweetandtastemi: Read up on Wineries of Old MIssion Peninsula to prepare for TTMI WOMP on Monday #ttmi http://ow.ly/1Utz0

CGT began it all http://ow.ly/1UJ8C 1st OMP winery, 1st Vinifera #ttmi Leadership! #wine #Michigan Go Riesling!!!!

For more about the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula, see their web site at wineriesofoldmission.com and also check out this Winery Report on the Old Mission from Toledo Wines & Vines.

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Scoreboard by mollyali

The Game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes starts at noon on Saturday, November 21, 2009. It doesn't have quite as much on the line, but it's always a big one. Read on for the our massive post on history of this rivalry with tons of links to historical and present-day info.

Originally posted November 11, 2006

According to ESPN, UM vs Ohio State is the #1 rivalry in sports. As even today a picture of Woody Hayes is enough to send me into the berserkergang, I'm not going to argue.

Both Michigan and OSU cruised to victories yesterday, setting up a November 18, 2006 showdown of #1 vs. #2 teams and causing ABC television execs to do the ad dollar dance. We are gathering links, stories, video and more.

1940 UM vs. OSU Program Cover
from the Art of Football
Bentley Historical Library

ESPN says that when Ohio Stadium opened in 1922, Michigan christened it with a 22-0 thumping of the Buckeyes. Wikipedia chronicles this historic rivalry (and what does it say that the rivalry merits a page?), saying that many refer to it as simply "The Game". Since 1935, it's been the final regular season game on both schools' schedules. This year, as is often the case, both schools are at the top of college football's rankings, adding fuel to the fire. The best site on the UM vs. OSU Rivalry from the UM Bentley Library and the OSU Library.

The two modern symbols of the rivalry were OSU coach Wayne Woodrow Hayes and UM coach Bo Schembechler. Bucknuts, an OSU fan site, says Woody Hayes was a "hot-tempered, difficult, and aggressive man". I think they also described the surface of the sun as "a bit warm". Hayes was the perfect arch-enemy: he hated Michigan (check the Bucknuts link or scroll to the comments for a great story illustrating this) and Michigan hated him back. What many may not know is that Schembechler was an assistant to Hayes at OSU from 1959-1963. There really isn't a great site about Bo, but Wikipedia's entry on Bo Schembechler probably has the best info including great trivia like the two teams have evenly split the last fifty seven meetings (from 1949 to 2005), with 27 wins apiece and three ties. Tiebreaker!
There's a whole lot of multimedia out there. The best video we found is at the bottom of the article. On the photo front, you can click the photo to the left for a great shot from Andrew Morrell. There's a great set of photos from Michigan vs. Ohio State 2003. and (just added) photos from the 1927 UM vs. OSU game opening Michigan Stadium on Michigan in Pictures. You can hear "The Voice of Michigan Football" Bob Ufer recite Burying Woody Hayes and other classic calls.

On Google video, there's a great 3 minute intro to an hour-long special from TFN on the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. From YouTube, you can see the 1968 thrashing at the hands of OSU and Desmond Howard running back a 91 yard punt return in his Heisman season. On the musical front, you can learn about the history of the Hail to the Victors song and see it sung from the top of Ohio Stadium. There's also a photo montage to The Victors. On the slightly strange side, how about Jean Luc Picard's orders regarding the Buckeyes? (Check out this photo of Patrick Stewart at the game!)

When you put together "musical" and "strange" and add a triple the recommended dose of "Ohio State", you get something that we have to give an "R" rating but also have to admit is pretty darn funny. Via Deadspin (language, crude humor) was a link to Schembechler in good spirits, back cheering for Wolverines in an Ohio newspaper. In the article, Bo reacts to a band called The Dead Schembechlers (language, crude humor x2). All we can say is that if it turns into a battle of the bands, Michigan could be in trouble.

U of M vs. Ohio State
by Fellowship of the Rich

Radio, Television & News

The game will be shown on ABC at 3:30 PM on Saturday, Nov. 18. For radio stations, check out Michiguide.com's University of Michigan Sports Radio list.

In Let the Hype Begin Michigan TB Mike Hart says: "It feels great. It's going to be probably the biggest game in everyone's lives on our team. It's a huge game. We're undefeated, they're undefeated. We're playing for a Big Ten championship and a national championship. I don't think there's a bigger game out there."

The Freep's sports blog has History Lessons by Bill McGraw that talks about the history of the rivalry and adds that ESPN Classic will show seven of the best recent games starting this morning at 10 a.m. (1974) and 2 p.m. (1995), but they won't be airing one of the best in memory - 1969, when the 12th-ranked Wolverines upset the top-ranked Buckeyes, 24-12.

University of Michigan Wolverines Blogs & Forums

the M Zone
M Go Blog
Blue Cats & Red Sox
Michigan Football Saturdays
UM Official Athletic site
The Fort
Schembechler Hall
Mr Wolverine

Ohio State Buckeyes Blogs & Forums

BuckeyeCommentary.com
Around the Oval
OSU's Beat Michigan Week site
The Buckeye Extra
The Horseshoe Lounge
Official OSU Athletics site
OSU Expat Blog

Here's a cool Bo Schembechler commemorative video from last year:

All that reading make you thirsty? Check out the First Annual Ohio vs Michigan Wine Clash!

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Red, White and Chrome Dream Cruise by kelley girl

The 15th annual Woodward Dream Cruise happens this Saturday, August 15, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. It's billed as the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture, and with more 1.7 million visitors and over than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles, it delivers. Be sure to check out their Woodward Dream Cruise history page!

Speaking of history, Michigan in Pictures has an excerpt from Cruisin' the Original: Woodward Avenue from Arcadia Publishing that features some excellent photos from the 1950s. Did someone say photos? Check out this Flickr slideshow of Woodward Dream Cruise photos.

The Detroit News are official sponsors of the event and are featuring extensive Woodward Dream Cruise coverage of the activities, photo galleries, live video on Cruise day and live blogging as the event unfolds. Do not miss their Interactive: Your guide to the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Absolute Michigan's video correspondents Scott Allman and Jim McClain visited the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2008 and got some great shots of the cars along with interviews with the interesting and colorful characters that make up the world's largest one-day car event:

It's definitely worth clicking over to see the high quality version.

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The photo is Midcentury Mondo Atomic Modernism from docksidepress. You'll probably want to see it bigger

We'll get back to Linda's Weird Wednesdays next month! In the meantime, check out Happy Birthday to you, Traverse Colantha Walker on Michigan in Pictures.

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Lori Larson (Daylily18) has some of the most amazing bird photography I've seen. As an added bonus, she uploads photos like this "biggee-sized"!

In addition to a great set of Bluebird photos, her sets include Woodpeckers, Warblers and Finches, Redpolls and Sparrows. It's not just birds though - be sure to check out her Nature, Macro and Explored set (slideshow).

Here's her Flickriver.

PS: For more about bluebirds, head over to Michigan Bluebird on Michigan in Pictures!

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Click this photo from Brooke Pennington for the Spring slideshow from our Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!

Here's the link to Brooke's photo (which you can see bigger in his Spring photo gallery) and here is some Spring wallpaper from Michigan in Pictures.

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Geithner then went on to lay out an innovative plan wherein all bonuses and pay for financial companies would now be paid in autos from the struggling Big Three. "We recognize that the major problem facing the car companies is that too few people are buying cars right now, both due to economic uncertainty and the fact that it's pretty much impossible to get a loan right now, at least until we give the banks another couple hundred billion. That's the beauty of this plan: the Government will buy cars from the Big Three which we will then turn around and give to financial companies, spurring demand and sales of pent-up inventory."

Recently ousted General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner expressed support for the plan and remided everyone to come on down this Saturday & Sunday for their 'Buy one, get one free' Sales Event.

AIG CEO Edward Liddy, reached at his private island fortress, responded "This is an outrage. We're trying to untangle the largest financial mess in history here and now the government is stepping in and trying to tell us how to pay the people who created this mess. Do you have any idea what kind of mind it takes to fritter away $173 billion? There's a lot more coming and can't just pull in any schmuck off the street and expect them to be able to blow it."

The office of Citibank's Vikram Pandit responded that while Pandit was unable to offer comment because he was busy deciding between "the red yacht or the blue one," he did feel that a partial payment in Hummers might be acceptable, especially if they could be charged to Citi's new Ratejacker line of credit cards.

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Canadian Freeze Ray Wreaks Havok - weird science from our Northern neighbors

Massive trade sends Legislature, Governor to Guam - things are looking up for Michigan and the Tigers

Five Things You Need to Know for Friday, April 1st, 2005 (Google, Izzo, Michael Moore & more)

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caterpillars (Laura) has a degree in anthropology and studio arts, many cameras (mostly film) and a yard full of lionhead rabbits. She will also totally shoot your wedding, event, or portrait, so contact her.

Check out her Michigan slideshow. Her photo sets include metro-detroit, MCS and SuperSampler you may just want to dive into her Flickriver.

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The Real Fab Five, photo by Dave Hogg.

For any successful organization or business, you have to have integrity, and you have to make everything as straightforward as you can make it.
~Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson

(via Michigan in Pictures) Sometimes when I don't know what I'm going to post on Michigan in Pictures, it's a happy thing. Other days, like today, it's not.

Last night we lost a man who has done as much as anyone to bring athletic excellence to the Palace and the state of Michigan. On his photo from December of 2005, Dave wrote "These five guys have brought a lot of joy to the Motor City in the last 18 months." I think that Detroit Pistons owner William "Bill" Davidson certainly merits consideration as a sixth man.

William Morse Davidson was born on December 5, 1922 in Detroit. He played football in the Navy during World War II and was a member of the track-and-field team at the University of Michigan, where he majored in business, following it up with a law degree from Wayne State in 1949. He eventually transformed the family business, the Guardian Glass Co., into Guardian Industries, one of the world's largest manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass.

From William Davidson's Wikipedia entry, I learned that Davidson was only the second owner the Pistons have ever had and that his name is on the Palace floor along with Piston legends who all played during his tenure: Dave Bing, Bob Lanier, Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Chuck Daly, Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas. The Detroit Pistons web site tells the story of his involvement with the Pistons and the WNBA's Detroit Shock:

Mr. Davidson owned the Pistons since 1974 and won three NBA Championships (1989, 1990, 2004), three WNBA Championships (2004, 2006, 2008) and one NHL Championship (2004). He became the first owner in sports history to win championships in three different professional sports leagues during the 2003-04 calendar year (NBA – Detroit Pistons, NHL – Tampa Bay Lightning and WNBA – Detroit Shock). In September 2008, Davidson's contributions to the game of basketball were honored when he was officially enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (view his induction speech)

In 1988-89, the Pistons began play in The Palace of Auburn Hills, a state-of-the-art arena built with Davidson's financial support: a privately-financed facility, which when combined with the Pistons, formed the foundation of his entertainment business.

...The Pistons have played in the postseason in 19 of the past 25 years, including 11 of the past 13 seasons. Davidson acquired the Detroit Pistons in 1974 from the late Fred Zollner, the man who founded the team in Fort Wayne, Indiana in the 1940s. With a franchise-record seven straight seasons of recording 50 or more wins, the Pistons have won 384 regular season games (.669 wining percentage) since 2001, including a franchise-record 63 wins in 2005-06. The club has compiled 73 playoff wins in that same span and made six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Detroit has won six Central Division titles in the last seven seasons and nine overall since 1987-88. Only the San Antonio Spurs have won more division titles in the same 20-year span.

The Detroit Shock joined the Washington Mystics as the first two expansion teams in the WNBA in 1998 and the team was an immediate success in the upstart league. The Shock have won three championships since their inception (2004, 2006, 2008) and set a WNBA attendance record (22,076) in Game 3 of the 2004 WNBA Finals while also becoming the first team since 1890 to go from the worst team in a professional sports league to the best team.

The Detroit Free Press has a nice article on Bill Davidson that tells more of how Davidson presided over the transformation of a team that was "basically a laughingstock" into one that has won 3 championships and appeared in the post-season far more often than not. You probably will be happiest, however, with Mitch Albom's September 2008 interview with Bill Davidson. They also have a nice photo gallery as does the Detroit News (the second photo in the gallery is great!)

Be sure to check the above photo out bigger and see more great work from Dave in his Your Favorites slideshow.

More links as they roll in... (and please add ones you find in the comments!)

• Mitch Albom's column from Sunday, March 15
• Detroit Bad Boys Bill Davidson, 1922-2009
• Need4Sheed RIP Mr. Davidson - Thank You for the Memories and Championships, You will be missed.
• Bill Davidson's NBA Hall of Fame Induction speech via Need4Sheed
• WDI Namesake, Bill Davidson, Dies has a lot of information about his charitable works in Detroit - over $200 million in donations and more in his time given.
• Farewell, Mr. D from the Pistons & NBA TV
• Definitely watch this tribute to Bill Davidson from WDIV for some great footage of Bill Davidson and of the Pistons.

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fotek is working on a great set of Photomatix HDR photos of St. Anne's Church in Detroit (slideshow). He says that it's such a beautiful church that pictures will never do it justice, but I think he may be wrong.

Some of his other sets include Detroit and Mt. Clemens and you should check out his Flickrriver too!

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Weird Wednesday already? Nope. Huge piles of ice were pushed by NE winds into homes along Linwood Beach (just north of Bay City), forcing evacuations and causing damage. Linwood Beach residents return to find ice piled around, inside and atop their homes from the Bay City Times begins:

"I was making a grocery list in the kitchen and the next thing you know, we had this," said Angie Hughes, nodding at the ice resting inside her kitchen.

"Once we saw the first two piles of ice coming over the seawall, we just ran," Steve Hughes said Monday, returning to assess the damage. "I just remember hearing the kitchen window explode and the kitchen table getting thrown back.

"It was just incredible to see. It's got to be about 50 tons of ice that came up here in less than a few minutes."

It has some great photos from this latest ice incursion from Saginaw Bay and also from a similar incident in 1946 when Lake Huron ice devastated homes along the bay.

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I actually don't know what my dad would have titled this photo, but I think that because he was a fan of words, he probably would have titled it something. You can check out a few more of his photos (including another shot of this maple tree & bucket from further away) or allow me to pull out the projector and cue up the slideshow.

All over Michigan people are driving spiles into trees and collecting the sap that spills out. If you have a maple tree or two, I encourage you to seek out a few spiles and try tapping a maple tree or two and making maple syrup. It's pretty easy and a great way to connect with Michigan.

Michigan in Pictures has a bunch more about syrup.

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Our latest Photo Friday comes to us from above Traverse City and shows the west and east arms of Grand Traverse Bay, divided by the Old Mission Peninsula. Be sure to check this out larger.

Matt (Airplane Lane) has a bunch of sets from all over the world, but if you're specifically focused on Michigan, check out sets incuding Union City Lake, Saline and Aerial Photography (slideshow)

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Apparently, the long layoff from baseball has affected our bat speed, and we missed the opening of Spring Training 2009.   In 2008, the Detroit Tigers dropped like a fly ball at a peewee game. They began the long climb back to the top last week with spring training at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.

Brandon Inge by Peggy

Spring Training Schedule & Tickets

You can get the Tiger's spring training schedule and tickets from Spring Training Online. We used to link to MLB.com for this but they decided to go after bloggers a couple years ago and we're scared of them! The home opener is Wednesday and Justin Verlander has the start. As Roar of the Tigers reports in comic strip form, Justin also has a birthday ... and a special surprise!

Meet your 2009 Detroit Tigers

Mack Avenue Tigers has decided to take on the fool's errand of projecting the Tiger's achilles heel bullpen. He also offers his thoughts on the Tigers rotation and likely batting order. Brian at Tigerblog.net weighs in on who he thinks will assume the mantle of fifth starter for the Bengals. Ian over at Bless You Boys went on his morning prowl and found some tasty morsels including Tiger prospects, Jack "I think I belong in the Hall of Fame" Morris and a little something about Adam Everett's glove. At the Daily Fungo, Mike is profiling Tigers, wishing Tiger legends and   happy birthday and also doing an interesting podcast.

Something went haywire with the 40-man roster page at Tigers Central but you can weigh in at their forums on all kinds of topics including your expections for the 2009 Tigers.   Bob Wojnowski from the Detroit News thinks that while the quieter Tigers of 2009 have some promise, he's not going to get all giddy ... yet. The Freep takes a video look new Tiger left fielder Carlos Guillen.

Tigers on TV, Tigers on the Field

I think the MLB operatives have probably wandered off to check for steroids in the water cooler, so I'll let you know that the Tigers will be featured in MLB TV's 30 Clubs in 30 Days tonight at 8 PM. All 162 Tiger games in 2009 will be televised, mainly on FOX Sports Detroit, which will also show four spring training games on March 16, 19, 22 & 29. The Detroit Tigers 2009 Schedule has them opening away (at Atlanta on Friday, April 3) with the home opener on Tuesday, April 6 at 7:15 vs the Blue Jays. You can see more Tigers video from their web site and also

Here's a cool local blog from Lakeland, FL called "Lakeland Local". In addition to spring training coverage coverage from a Lakeland resident's perspective, the blog features photos and links to photographers, local news & blogs and a nice Lakeland area event calendar (perfect for the spring training visitor who might not be all that interested in spring training). For the duration of spring training, you'll be able to find Lakeland Local in the Absolute Michigan blogroll to the right!

photo: Lakeland Flying Tigers by Lakeland Local

Lakeland, Joker Marchant Stadium, Tiger Town and Tiger Spring Training history

The Detroit Tigers began coming to Lakeland, Florida for Spring Training in 1934 and have been coming back every year, making for the longest lasting relationship between a Major League baseball team and a Spring Training host city. According to Lakeland's page on Joker Marchant Stadium, "Joker" Marchant was the longtime and popular director of Lakeland's Park and Recreational Department. When not hosting the Detroit Tigers, the stadium and Tiger Town complex are the home of the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Also see the google map of Tiger Town and check out Ballpark Digest's visit to the Joker Marchant!

Get your Tiger on with these Bengal bookmarks...

• Mack Avenue Tigers, Detroit Tigers Weblog, TigerBlog.net, Roar of the Tigers, Bless You Boys and The Daily Fungo are all excellent Detroit Tigers blogs
• If you're looking to talk it up with other Tiger fans, check out TigersCentral.com (great history there too!) and MotownSports.com's Tiger Board
• The Tigers official web site through MLB always has great photos and video
• Photos: Keep an eye on Detroit Tiger photos at Michigan in Pictures, the Detroit Tigers photo group and recent photos tagged with "detroit tigers".
• Even MORE photos: the photostream of MLB photographer Emily Smith!
• Absolute Michigan keyword "tigers" has a bunch more Detroit Tigers stories & links.
• Got another link? Add it below! Also, if you go to spring training or come across any stories we miss, please post a comment below!

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Snow Plow by Seeking Michigan

As the wind howls through the state this morning, I thought it might be a good time to shovel out a few stories - you can see a photo a snowplow in Bessemer from the Archives of Michigan over on Michigan in Pictures this morning!

Last week mLive reported that the Saginaw County Road Commission became the first road agency in the state (and maybe the country) to use GPS to display where the plow trucks have gone. Road Commission Manager Brian J. Wendling acknowledged ''It's not a foolproof means of knowing what the road conditions are, but it will at least allow (motorists) the ability to see if a plow has been through the area." Check it out on the Saginaw County Road Commission web site. It's a little crude, but on days like today it's probably useful!

You might also be interested in this article about Michigan road salt and salt mining on Michigan in Pictures. For a look at what plowing was like in the days before modern plows (and when the plow operator had a taste for whiskey), check out Old Harry in the Northern Michigan Journal:

Fifty years ago in Leelanau, so the old timers tell it, the winters were much rougher than what we have today. Whether this is really so or merely the result of memories changing over the course of time is open to debate, but without the modern snow fighting equipment we have now-a-days, it's for sure that the winters back the must have at least seemed tougher.

Anyway, back then few people had their own snow plows, snow blowers were unheard of, and the primary weapon in the war against Old Man Winter was the shovel. Harry drove plow truck for the county in those days; a great big old Osh Kosh monster that roared and belched black smoke as it pushed the snow off the roads.

Seeking Michigan posted this 16mm demo film of the Armstead Snow Motors Company concept snow vehicle. It was filmed in 1924, and the concept is applied to a Fordson tractor and a Chevrolet automobile. The original film is part of the collections of the Archives of Michigan. In case you're interested in how this wild machine works, here's the text of the original patent.

Armstead Snow Motors from Seeking Michigan on Vimeo.

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Star Trek: The Experience by Ralph Krawczyk Jr
Ralph's Trek slideshow

David Coates has produced a great preview (be sure to watch in high-quality) of the Star Trek exhibit at the Detroit Science Center. It opens tomorrow (February 14) and runs through Labor Day 2009:

The show will cover about 12,000 square feet on two levels. Visitors will be able to wander around a replica of the original Enterprise's bridge or the transporter room from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (and have your picture taken). They can see re-creations of the Guardian of Forever set from the classic episode "City on the Edge of Forever," along with Capt. Picard's quarters. Or ride one of two flight simulators. Even the elevator will be decked out.

More about the exhibit in Final Frontier Wednesday: Star Trek in Detroit, Agreements in DC on Absolute Michigan.

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I solemnly swear that I didn't intend this photo by digital viking to be any kind of commentary on Valentine's Day when I picked it as our this week's Photo Friday. I will, however, roll with it!

Be sure to check out this shot larger. It's from his Cold as Ice set (slideshow), that includes some brilliant black & white work like this shot of some frozen piers. His other sets include Feathers and Fur and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

I'm guessing from his Flickriver that he enjoys photographing the natural world and the things we have built as they fade away.

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I'm pretty sure that this week's Photo Friday would make awesome wallpaper since it's my wallpaper and it does indeed look awesome.

Chris (hardyc) lives downriver and work in Ann Arbor. He says he's a photo hobbyist who is interested in all aspects of photography and finds a good part of his life either taking pictures, using Photoshop or just trying to be creative.

He's got a bunch of sets. A few that caught my eye were Huron Metro Park - Oct 2008, Lake Michigan Lighthouses and the seasonally appropriate Roses - definitely view the slideshow!

You can get more of his pics, including videos, blog and more at hardyc.com.

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Matt (iraceonpedals) says he's a guy who loves to travel, ride bikes, take pictures, be with his dog, girl and finds most things generally interesting.

In addition to his sets like A-Deuce (slideshow) and his collection of photos from Northern Ireland (which I of course can't link to it being all Michigan, all the time and all), I think you'll find The Adventures of Ripley Rockwilder (and friends) interesting, including her latest in Dotbama's Secret Service.

View this photo large to see the crazy duck explosion and check out Matt's Flickriver!

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Ice Rink by Allan M

The event started in 2005 as a tuneup to Super Bowl XL and was called the Motown Winter Blast. It's now called Detroit's Winter Blast and it happens February 6-8, 2009.

In what has become typical Michigan media fashion, the Detroit News fills the glass half full, dwelling on what you won't get. They grudgingly allow that 40 musical acts, 60 restaurants and three downtown hotels (including the newly-renovated Book Cadillac) offering discounted rates to families just might make it worth the trip. Not to be out-glummed, the Freep leads with the 2 of clubs as well but does finish nicely:

"We could have taken the philosophy, if you can't do it the way you did it in the past, then you shouldn't do it," (Festival organizer John) Witz said. "We took the different philosophy. We tried to create as much magic as we can for as little cost as possible ... "We are featuring more made in Michigan products this year. The wine tasting is going to be with Michigan wines," Witz said. "The ice sculptures will have a Michigan theme."

The festival will include ice-skating exhibitions, marshmallow roasting, ice sculptures, and an arts and crafts area. Festival-goers can skate in Campus Martius Park for free, courtesy of michigan.org.

The MetroPCS Dine in the D program is back. The program offers diners a 15% discount at some of Detroit's finest restaurants. This year, the participating restaurants will each donate up to 10% of their sales (before tax) to Michigan's Children's Center.

MSNBC adds that a major attraction will be the ice slide at Campus Martius Park. It's called the Arctic Blast and it opened last Friday and you can get a live look-in at it on the Campus Martius Park webcam.

More information and full schedule of performances are on the official site for the Detroit Winter Blast. If you want to see more photos, check out Detroit Winter Blast by Rohn Photos and Motown Winter Blast by Pasque.

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The 55,000th photo was added to the Absolute Michigan group on Flickr yesterday. It's titled MI snow by joojanta and is pretty darned appropriate for the snowy, snowy winter we've been having!

As always, we are amazed and gratified at the fact that so many of you share photos of such great quality and diversity with us. Without you, Absolute Michigan wouldn't be anything close to what it is.

Thank you one and all!

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Pete Meade is from Lansing. He says this photo offers a slightly different view from last week's snow storm. You can see more of his snow shots right here and get this photo gigantilicious-size too!

His photo sets include Winter, Autumn,  Mackinac Island, The Asylum and Americana (view slideshow).

Check out Pete's Flickriver too!

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2008_03_04_UofM_HistoryMuseum_Walking
by Andy Tanguay

Jack Lessenberry writes about the frustrations of journalists at the bare cupboard of swag at this year's Detroit Auto Show and the seeming idiocy of holding an event like this in sub-arctic Detroit in The fossil show in the Metro Times. He then says:

However, I actually think I might go to the auto show for the first time in years, and not just because I have been thinking of replacing the 1927 Bugatti convertible Wayne State issued me. No, I think this might be a really fascinating year, somewhat like a trip to the end of the Cretaceous Era, when the dinosaurs were on their way out, but not quite extinct. Most people's attention would be drawn to the surviving giant lizards, still stomping and thrashing around. But I would go to see the primitive mammals.

They would have been mainly little rat-like things, nondescript, but they would have been the future, much like the hybrids and electric cars are now. My analogy isn't perfect: The dinosaurs, scientists now think, died almost all at once, thanks to a meteor or a comet, sort of that era's equivalent of a Republican-controlled Senate. Vehicles powered only by petroleum will be with us for some time. But it is not at all clear how long any of the Big Three will last; the experts don't expect a stand-alone Chrysler will make it to 2010,

But there will still be cars of some sort, and the next generation of hybrids will be on display, as will further examples of the supposedly soon-to-be-available electric cars. Some of these things will flop. Others may not.

That's an interesting take on a Detroit tradition that is fallen on hard times. And given that some of the mammals are made in Michigan, I don't think that's an altogether depressing take on the matter.

Speaking of dinosaurs...

...now even huskier!

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