That was what it looked like at the Writing Studio and Bait Shop the other day and that is what it looks like today. Just to be clear, that is not a blurry photo. It is a rainy photo. You don’t need any more pictures of that, right?
Thought not.
I trotted out to the mailbox in the rain and came back with a present—the 2011 Friends of the Jordan calendar. This was pretty clever, as I liked it a lot and have decided the least I can do is buy it, which is sort of what the Board had in mind when they sent it out to supporters. John Richter, President for Life of FOJ, is sneaky. Tell you what, though—he gets the job done. FOJ is really good at protecting Michigan’s very first Wild and Scenic River.
Each year FOJ has a photo contest with very good prizes. The best of the best are used in the calendar. This year there were 142 entries. I have three favorites: Grand Prize Winner Synchronized Flight, Youth Award Winner First Day Out, and River Dance, the selection for September. First Day Out is my favorite favorite. Go see it. OK, back now? Can I have an Awwwwww . . . ? Thought so. You can go to the FOJ home page to see all of my favorites and other people’s favorites too.
FOJ has some kind of Treasure Hunt adventure going on in October, and the map is in the calendar. I am too befuddled by the plague to really understand it today. There are prizes, however, and an opportunity to extract a prize from that sneaky John Richter is not to be sneezed at. Well, OK, everything is something to be sneezed at today, on account of I have no choice, but by October that should be over. Furthermore, the Jordan Valley in October is stunningly beautiful. Even if I don’t win any prizes, I will have a wonderful time wandering about in it. You can come too.
I went looking for some photos from my wanderings in the Jordan Valley and found something else instead. Once upon a time I had some photo software that was a lot of fun to play with. I seem to have lost it, but some of the examples are still kicking around. Voila.
Torch Lake Views 
dmarks
September 25, 2010
Hi Torchy. Did you ever read any Julian May?
Gerry
September 25, 2010
Hey, d, how the heck are you? I do not recall reading any Julian May. On the other hand (I looked her up in Wikipedia) she has apparently written so much and under so many names that I must have read something of hers at some point. Now I will make a point of it. You always point me toward something curious. I like that about you.
P.j. grath
September 25, 2010
Now THAT was a neat trick, Gerry!
…Gotta go look at the FOJ photos now.
P.j. grath
September 25, 2010
Those photos are all beautiful, and the grand prize photo is (I don’t use this word often) AMAZING!!!
Gerry
September 25, 2010
Isn’t it wonderful? I loved it too. But not as much as the other one. And then there’s the other one I loved. Yup. People should go see ’em. I don’t see how they can go wrong.
dmarks
September 25, 2010
Thanks! I just found an old post on my blog in which you commented that you were going to read Julian May this summer. Or was that last summer? haha.
Gerry
September 27, 2010
I cannot remember. That is the trouble. I forget everything. Maybe I did go read some Julian May–or maybe I went looking for Julian May and got distracted by something else, you know how I am. However, now I am on a mission. I will read a Julian May novel before the end of October, with luck one that I haven’t read already. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Cindy Lou
September 25, 2010
Oh – they are beautiful….each with it’s own specialness, but I’m with you on ‘First Day Out’ 🙂
Gerry
September 27, 2010
I’m glad you liked it too. I just couldn’t get over it.