exploring nature’s infinite connections
In May, I spent some time in an expansive dunescape on Michigan's western shore. Silver Lake Dunes is an exciting place near the small town of Mears, Michigan. "Expansive" is quite a relative term, though. If you look for it on a map of Michigan, it is just this tiny...
This week's solar eclipse summoned me to return to Michigan's Silver Lake dunes, where I was for the eclipse in 2017, to witness the emergence of ancient dune dragons. The 2024 eclipse would be extraordinary, as I noted back then, as it was happening in the Year of...
Michigan has the largest concentration of freshwater coastal sand dunes in the world, spanning 230,423 acres. Approximately 32 percent of them are classified as "Critical Dune Areas" as designated by State legislation efforts. As defined in this legislation, Critical...
Shoreline erosion is a growing concern in the Great Lakes area, especially after having record high lake levels in the past few years. Beach Grass, also known as Marram Grass, is quite symbolic of Michigan shorelines. Anyone that has walked the beaches of the Great...
The US National Park system celebrates its 104th birthday on Aug 25, 2020. Here in Michigan, we are fortunate to have 5 National Parks and 2 other national sites managed by the NPS. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, near...
I have such a large body of undeveloped work that it seems inevitable whenever I am searching for something specific, I stumble upon photographs just sitting around for their turn in line. Unfortunately, I tend to not do this in a very orderly way, such as by date. I...
A confluence of historical stories, science, and circumstance is where this story left off in Part 3. Nine dragons shot down from the sky in banishment. This rare solar event initiated nine of those absorbing energy in 2017. All of them are in a...
Dune Dragon Bi An Light. It's a fantastic conduit of energy. It transfers life into so many things. Light allows plants to grow, produce sugars, and ultimately share energy with consumers. It impacts how our minds work, how we interpret the world around us,...
Nine is a symbolic number rooted deep in Chinese culture, particularly for dragons. Nine is the number for the Emperor. The Dragon King had nine sons. Chinese dragons are described with nine unique character traits. The number is deeply associated in many ways with...