Leelanau Up North

Photo Courtesy Of Don Minard Photography - Traverse City, Michigan This time of year, especially, the little denizens of the woods and water come out in force. I mean insects. In addition to the usual varieties, Leelanau is home to some pretty unique species: Like the Spotted Cucumber Beetle, the Isabella Tiger Moth, and the Green Stink Bug. Sadly, in my younger days, I would swat or stomp these critters without hesitation - if they were so bold as to venture into "my" territory. Now, having mellowed and matured, I've taken to gently scooping up the little trespassers and ushering them out the door. I'll tell you why. If the Author of Nature, in Her infinite wisdom, has taken the time, perhaps millions of years, to carefully design and nurture these creatures, ... With their tiny, exquisitely crafted brains, musculature, circulatory systems, and more, … Who am I to destroy this divine handiwork? And then there's the little matter of ka

Empire Beach - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Imagine strolling along Empire Beach at dusk, the last golden rays of a summer day shimmering on the lake. The cool water caresses your feet.  A lone gull circles high above the blue green forest. The evening is serene, and all is right in the world. Then, ... Y our eyes are drawn to an unbelievable and terrifying sight - the silhouette of a man hanging by his neck from a tree on the bluff, his body gently swaying in the breeze. A true account of this hanging was reported in the Leelanau Enterprise a few years ago. Ever since, I've tried to imagine what it would be like to come upon a scene of such overwhelming incongruity ... B etween the beauty and contentment of one moment, ... and the ugliness and anguish of the next. How could this be … in the Land of Delight? It could not be. Evil could not prevail in Leelanau, ... not on this enchanted evening. As if by miracle, a smartphone signal alerted the