Old Photographs: Mostly Cats, Plus Some Other Things

16 April 2018Darrell Leave a comment

I’m continuing to work my way through photos from the last few years, rediscovering some fun moments, attractive scenes, and my cats. Enjoy!

I would say that Wembley was surveying his domain, but he’s not really brave enough to hold territory.

Spice Girls lyrics always make me happy. Don’t judge.

Ursula works hard to keep up her appearance.

Gobo always has such a serious look about him.

When we lived in Marshall, Wembley loved that spot on the stairs.

Running in Lansing often offers wonderful views.

Photos: Cats, a Squirrel, Tater Tots, and a Mailbox

3 April 2018Darrell Leave a comment

Our cats are particularly brave when they are protected from the outside world by a pane of glass. Here, they’re aggressively stalking a squirrel. The squirrel is completely unconcerned by the felines who are aggressively … ummm … “pursuing” him.

Cats: “We’re really aggressive!” Squirrel: “Yawn.”

Long out of service, this is the best mailbox ever produced. It is not the droid you’re looking for, though.

Minor League Baseball games are pretty much all great.

When you add cheesy tots to Minor League Baseball, it’s pretty much an unstoppable evening.

Wembley occasionally looks very regal.

Gobo is basically the only lap cat in the house.

Wembley lying on his back is the best Wembley.

Road Trip: Marquette, 2014

9 March 2018Darrell Leave a comment

In August 2014, I was part of a quick trip to Marquette, Michigan. It was a quick trip, but it nonetheless took me to several interesting places. Because of the distance involved, the trip north involved a few stops; my favorite was in Clare.

Cops and Doughnuts

Cops and Doughnuts has never disappointed. The baked goods are always excellent, and the staff are always friendly. The shop’s existence is also a great story, with the city’s police officers having bought the bakery when it was at risk of closure. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a stop.

Things got historic in the Upper Peninsula. There are so many amazing sites to visit, and I always feel like I missed so much even when I visit a lot of different places. The ore dock in the lower harbor is one of the great landmarks in the entire UP, in my humble opinion.

Lower Harbor Ore Dock, Marquette, Michigan

Engine House #3 at the Cleveland Mine, Ishpeming, Michigan

Michigan Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee Township, Michigan

The Iron Ore Heritage Trail offers some great views. This one is in Negaunee Township, Michigan.

All trips end one way or another. This one ended with Wembley doing Wembley things in my suitcase after I had (mostly) unpacked it.

He’s so very special.

Non-Road Trip: Alabama, 2016

7 March 2018Darrell Leave a comment

In June, 2016, I traveled down to Alabama to help take care of my mom while she recovered from a knee replacement. Normally, I would have driven to Alabama, but my doctor discouraged that, given that I had surgery scheduled a little more than a month from when the trip started. So, I flew to and from Alabama, making this a non-road trip, even if I did some driving while in Alabama. I still took photos of things during my travels, because that’s just what I do.

When this trip took place, we didn’t have Chick-fil-A restaurants popping up all over Michigan, so this sign was a welcome sight, because I knew waffle fries were in my immediate future.

This is the post office I visited when I was growing up.

This is Phoebe. She allows my sister and brother-in-law to live with her.

She also felt the need to carefully inspect my camera.

The folks who named this place were doing it right.

It was nice to explore a bit of history while awaiting my flight home.

This is Fisherman by Frank Fleming.

My mom sent me home with toys for the cats. Here, Wembley shows his approval.

Photographs: Trains, an Observatory, and Two Cats

6 March 2018Darrell Leave a comment

As I go through the photos that I want to post and share, I’m randomly selecting photos from the virtual pile, organizing them, posting some to my Flickr account, and then sharing a few here. I’m not going in any particular order; actually, I’m avoiding it by letting a random number generator pick the photos that I work with on a given day. Here are the things that I thought were share-worthy from this batch.