AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT

 I had spotted these morning glories climbing the fence at our local steam train "graveyard" display a few days earlier, but could not stop to make the photo.

I really wanted to capture the fresh blooms, delicate against the backdrop of massiveness and rusty paint. The morning I returned I was in luck, because this time the sun was at exactly the right angle to give a refurbishing intensity to the old metal.

I had never seen these relics with such a fervent presence.

Sun complimented the complementary colors:

In this part of the Northwest, things can grow just about anyplace.  This is the land of "nurse trees" in rain forests, and of saplings sprouting from fence posts and from cracks in concrete.

I had stopped to photograph the morning glories, but as I strolled the length of the old iron horses, I chuckled to see green things growing from the rust:

A sapling in the middle:

Ferns and moss and rivets:

There is beauty in improbable places

... and remarkable color too.  Here, the siding of a rail car has aged to resemble a child's finger-painting:

The sun that morning was the choreographer for a brief show just for me.

I pass by the line of trains nearly every day, and I have not seen the life I saw in them that morning, before or since.

FISHTOWN (More Michigan)

Welcome To Fishtown, an historic and lively little place on the Leelenau Peninsula, "Up North":

This was one of my favorite places!  The ambiance, aromas, sounds and sights reminded me of places near to my family's property not far from Cape Flattery in Washington.

Fishtown is authentic.  It was established as a fishing settlement in the early 1830s at the site of one of the oldest Ottawa villages in Michigan.

Now the shanties and wharves still serve the fishing tugs.

The local type of fish nets is much different than those of the Pacific Northwest, and offered great photo ops:

I had to chuckle at this one bit of non-authenticity.

First of all, the rope casings look modern, compared to the genuine Japanese floats my family has collected from remote Pacific beaches; secondly, how can an inland lake cough these up?

However, the proprietors laid no outward claims; it was only inferred.

The best part was, the opportunity for a photo "still-life":

To me, the reflection of this boat house was more interesting than the building:

SOME WILDLIFE

When on our hikes we would come to a boggy area or a pond - of which there were many - the atmosphere would change considerably.  Suddenly there would be a hush and a coolness as a respite from the hotter woodsy areas and the sand dunes.

We walked less briskly; more reverently .

Which may have been a good thing, as we came upon some wildlife which did not run away or plop into the water at our approaches.  Lucky us!

Painted turtles, which I had never seen before:

And in the muffled marshland we heard the most unearthly sound, like rusty hinges on a loudspeaker.  We stood stock still as we waited to see if we could identify it.  "It" identified itself!  Our reward for being stealthy was to see a pair of Sand Hill Cranes coming to water's edge!

Mr. and Mrs. Crane were prodding their only-child-chick into the pond.

Pat was in a good perspective to get a photo of the chick, but I didn't dare move from where I was.

Was the noise because they were cross with their offspring, or because they were warning something else to keep away?

We were in awe.  These birds stood about 5 feet tall, and were pretty huskily-built.

These cranes are on the endangered bird list, so this sighting became a highlight of our trip!

We noted and commented on how other hikers, whenever we would see them, seemed not to be enjoying the details and the experience of being in such wondrous surroundings, but rather were tromping almost disrespectfully through nature as if bent on connecing Point A to Point B.

Our approach gave us the above rewards, and this too, so very close:

Hee, hee.  No, not wildlife.  But I loved his hairy chinny -chin-chin!

MORE deLIGHTful HOUSES

This is the White River Light, which was erected in 1875:

Pat and I were charmed by its castle-like structure:

With the remnants of a sailing vessel that was perhaps not fortunate enough to see the light, or more likely one of those that met its end before the lighthouse was erected:

From inside:

And this, the Ludington Light in Pere Marquette Harbor.

It was erected in 1871:

It is a mile-long walk from the beach to the lighthouse itself, along the breakwater pier:

This particular evening, these shots were taken in that hour after the sun went down, called "the golden hour". To me, it was the "pastel hour".

Every evening when we returned from a day of adventure, the light at Ludington was like our own beacon to home:

This is the same evening, same harbor, but moments before the other photos were taken: 

COME 'N "SET A SPELL" (More Michigan)

The homes in Ludington and other little towns are lovely grand old Victorians.

The most charming parts of any home - and they all have them - are the porches, which seem to offer an open invitation.  Here are only a few examples of the down-home welcome:

Of course, there is always the beach, though if we sat here, we might have to empty sand from more than just our shoes!

This is more inviting:

Whaaaaa?  Well, it is not as it seems.  Pier-less, yes, but the water here was so shallow, that one would not get wet above the knees to get to this dock.  Gives "Stranded on an Island"  a whole different meaning!

Or there is always one of my favorite places, near a barn: