Tales From Northern Michigan

Tales from Northern Michigan is a new feature that will appear irregularly here on the blog. The point of it is to share cool stuff from one of my favorite areas- northern Michigan. As many of you are aware Michigan actually has an Upper and Lower Peninsula, linked by the Mackinac Bridge, and I'll be showcasing the area that we in lower Michigan affectionately call "Up North." It could be anything from music to wildlife to bookstores- you never know what you'll find Up North, so who knows what will turn up here? 

So without further ado, here's a look at the beauty of northern Michigan. 

A snowy owl where the owl, as it turns out, didn't need rescuing.  

And here's a rescued eagle being released into the wild after recovering from an injury. It was a victim of icing- literally part of its lower quarters were frozen and it would probably have died- if not for the diligent efforts of some rescuers. Some have wondered why they made such a big production of freeing it- after all there are Native Americans drumming and quite a crowd- but I guess the eagle is sacred to the Native Americans and this was ceremonial for them. 

On the other hand, does all the activity aggravate the bird? I don't pretend to know, but to me the takeaway is- the bird is free. 

Here is the rescue video, and then the release. 

And here's some pics of favorite moments for me Up North. 

A butterfly on the sand

River and Main in Leland (aka Fishtown)- nice place to relax on their gliding picnic tables or wooden chairs

Leelanau Books in Leland, MI

They have a little cafe -  and you can read here about their book club.

Brilliant Books in Traverse City- another fabulous indie bookstore. 

Shopping in Traverse City 

A fun place to grab coffee and a snack

Pizza- one of my favorite places and a nice place to eat pizza on the back deck