Photo of the Week: Fierce Looking Lake Erie

Rough gray waves wash up on the Lake Erie shoreline, a fallen brown tree limb lays across the wet beach. In the background, grayish clouds cover the sky with only a small sliver of bluish-gray sky on the horizon.

This week in southeast Michigan seemed to be a never-ending run of cloudy and chilly days. I love fall in Michigan, with clear blue skies and trees covered in bright orange, red, and gold colors. But fall in Michigan also brings days with clouds, rain, and gray skies. Which is when I visited the Lake… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Fierce Looking Lake Erie

Picturing Michigan’s Past: Transcribing Handwritten Postcards

Postcard depicting two white boat on the greenish-blue waters of the Saginaw River. Several people in canoes can be seen on the river. In the background are several homes and large green trees along the shoreline.

For the past few months, I’ve been looking for a volunteer opportunity. Something that I feel connected with and where I can contribute an hour or more at a time.

A project that doesn’t require huge blocks of time.

In the past, I would volunteer at a local school library. But I haven’t done any in-person volunteering since before the Covid pandemic.

What I wanted was a virtual volunteer opportunity. And my goal was to find something local to my community or state.

Which is what I found when I discovered Picturing Michigan’s Past, a Zooniverse volunteer project at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan.

Given my background working at and volunteering at libraries since I was a teenager, I’m not surprised I found a research project at a library.

Continue reading Picturing Michigan’s Past: Transcribing Handwritten Postcards

Photo of the Week: Ring of Fire 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse

A large golden-orange ring against a black background. The black inside the ring is the moon; the outside ring is the Sun.

Like thousands of other folks this weekend, I couldn’t wait to see the annular solar eclipse and ring of fire. The solar eclipse would cross parts of the United States on October 14th, starting in Oregon on the west coast and arching down to Texas before heading to Central America and eventually Brazil. While Michigan… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Ring of Fire 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse