What did you do this weekend?

Took my sweetie to a concert on a snowy Saturday night here in Michigan. It was my Christmas present to her. It was a great evening with two very accomplished singer-songwriters and it was a completely sold out. The format was wonderful -- both came out on stage together. John Hiatt would play a song, then Lyle Lovett would play something to compliment it. Sometimes they assisted each other (mostly Hiatt playing background for Lovett). Acoustic to boot -- no drums, synthesizers, etc. Hiatt's gravelly voice and story songs were both funny and thought-provoking. Lovett's songs ranged from light-hearted to serious and sober. The conversation between songs was enjoyable -- Hiatt played the straight man while Lovett acted simple and self-deprecating. Both were gracious, Lovett particularly so, perhaps to the credit of his Texas roots. At the end of the concert he thanked all in attendance for their support in light of the uncertain times and economic conditions we are living in. This was all the more poignant given the huge challenges facing the major employers in our area.

The Blue Angels in Traverse City

Our family went up to see the Blue Angels at Traverse City, Michigan this last weekend. Despite big crowds and a long wait they provided a great show. The jets were going about 600 MPH or more and they came close enough to the Cherry Festival grounds to provide amateur photographers like me an opportunity to click a few photos. The planes are Navy F-A 18 Hornets.

To see a larger image just double-click on any of the photos.





























All images were shot with a Kodak EasyShare DX7590 camera.

Ouch!

After a couple weeks of absolutely beautiful weather this was bound to happen.

The forecast was for temperatures around 29F but at 6:30 AM our thermometer showed 25F. Who knows, maybe they will recover to their former glory. Otherwise we'll just have to wait until next year.














I'm still waiting to put in my garden for this very reason. My next door neighbor has lived in the area all of his life (except when he was in Europe from July 1944 - 1945 until the end of World War II). He says that he has seen a killing frost as late as July.

Sick of Winter?

This is for all you ice-fisherman out there.

Check out this short video of ice conditions in northern Canada. This was filmed in May. Puts our weather into perspective.

Sugar Bush 2008

When my parents down-sized a few years ago one of my brothers and I split up the basic equipment they had for making maple syrup. My last attempt to make maple syrup was about seven or eight years ago and I only enjoyed moderate success. Until this year I did not have much time for anything.

Spring 2008 in Michigan was perfect for tapping trees. We had a run of about two weeks where the daytime temperatures were above 32F and nighttime temperatures dropped below freezing. This result in lots of high quality sap. Here is a photo of some of the trees I tapped out back:

My original goal was to build a wood burning boiler yet I ran into some roadblocks. I began making plans in January but just couldn't get the thing completed by early March. Thus I resorted to propane and a three burner camp stove I picked up at a local sporting goods store. Here is a photo of that operation (and no, it is not a meth lab).

My final tally was about 4 gallons of pure maple syrup. I did not bother to keep a close count on on how many gallons of sap I collected but it was somewhere between 150 and 200 gallons. Here is a photo of some of the final product.

North American International Auto Show, Detroit 2008

My son Nick and I went to the NAIAS this year for the first time. My brother Tim, who loves cars, is a veteran of this show. This photo gives you a taste of what you'll encounter: in a relatively small space you will see domestic cars alongside some of the most expensive cars in the world. Here you can see the logos of Chrysler, Acura, Maserati and Ferrari.

Ever see a million dollar car? This Lamborghini reportedly sold at a private sale (held after hours) for $1,000,000.

This Rolls Royce starts at $540,000.

This Maserati will set you back about $160,000.

Here is a Bentley. Didn't catch the price on this one.

Sick of high gas prices? Most of the displays showed some sort of hybrid vehicle. Here are a couple of intriguing models that I found at the Honda display.

The FCX Clarity is car is fueled by hydrogen. Buy the car and Honda throws in a home fueling system complete with a pump (they grey device on the left actually creates the hydrogen). I loved the concept and the car! I wish that I had a better picture but people were blocking my view and kept walking in front of the camera.



This car is fueled by natural gas which is what most Americans use to heat their homes. Buy the car and Honda throws in a home fueling system that hooks up to your natural gas fixture outside the house. The pump is barely visible in the back of the car. Again, the crowds kept me from getting a better picture.

There was so much to see and after three and half hours we were beat and decided to go have lunch at the Coney Island on Lafayette Street (that's worth a separate post but I forgot to take a picture). Anyone who remembers the old Saturday Night Live skit about immigrants running a diner will instantly know what this place is like. I still laugh when I recall John Belushi shouting out, "Hamburger, Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Coke, Coke!"