I’ll tell you where, right into the beautiful Blandford Nature Center (please see previous post for google map link and more information.) The whole nature center is filled with lush, peaceful woods.
So today I’m just sitting outside minding my own business and this most incredible butterfly flutters on by. I wound up chasing it all over the place trying to get a perfect picture of it. Anyone know what kind of butterfly this is?
By the way, I’ll be showing you another of my Blandford shots soon. Tomorrow night I’ll be at Art Attack in Lowell thanks to my friend Sue. Maybe I’ll get some good pictures there too… I’m bringing my camera!
One thing I love about nature is that just a slight change of an angle can give an interestingly different perspective. Like this photo of the same log in the post before this one.
I took this photo on one of the nature trails in the Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids. The other day a friend commented to me that most of the places on my website are free. The Blandford Nature Center is another of those free sweet spots. I remember the first time I went to Blandford, I was blown away that such a nice place was free and so accessible.
I’ve spent a lot of time there and what I treasure about it, is the ability to get in touch with nature and yet be in the city. I used to try to go to Blandford a few times a month when my boys were little. We’d walk along the nearly 5 miles of nature trails, talk and get a workout all at once. Here’s a google link, the nature center gate closes at 5:00pm, but you can still enjoy it in the evening. Just park in the little lot at the entrance in front of the gate and walk on into the park.
As if you couldn’t tell by the photos, I really love the Frederik Meijer Gardens. I took this photo behind the amphitheater. The amphitheater is the best open air venue I’ve ever been to, it hosts summer concerts that are probably one of the best kept secrets in west Michigan.
Okay, this time it’s for real! This is the Little Point Sable Lighthouse. It’s located near Silver Lake in Mears, MI and is one of the oldest brick towers remaining on the Great Lakes.
This sculpture of children playing graces the entry to the children’s park at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. There is a fountain in the center of it that children can run and play in.
Have you been to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park? If you live within an hour’s driving distance and haven’t stopped by, you’re punishing yourself!!! This place is a gift of love from Fred and Lena Meijer and what a gift it is. The pictured sculpture is one of many that you’ll find there. I’ve got several photos of this place that I’ll be sharing over the next few weeks.
Scary dad swan? Read the post below, you’ll understand.
I took this picture in Whitehall with my friend Lisa. The swans were off in the distance but Lisa managed to score some bread from someone on a docked boat and bribed the swans over to us. The funny thing is that once they were right up to where we were she kept warning me, “I didn’t know they would get this close! Don’t let the dad get too close! I mean it Ann, he’s getting awful close, see how he’s looking at you. Oh! I’m not kidding you, watch it!!!” Apparently Lisa was attacked by a goose a while back and it was not a good experience for her due to the 7 foot wingspan and bruises it inflicted.
Aren’t they pretty though?