Category Archives: Walkabout

St. Joseph Piers in Ice

Walkabout, Water-Related

Went for a little walk-about today to see what lake Michigan was up too! It was obvious that there would be NO scuba diving today or for quite awhile.

View looking North from Silver Beach
Walk way from the parking area to the south pier
If you we out there on the ice, it would be difficult to get out.
Make’s me think of polar bears and seals on the ice
End of the railed/ enclosed south pier and looking at the North pier Lighthouse

Wintersday Walk & Fly About

Fly Days, Walkabout

Winters Day Walk About- (1) Around St., (2) In the Air, (3) Niles Power Plant, (4) Niles River diving areas.

As you can see, we have a bit of sand encroachment approaching the South Pier
This is todays “Free” Ice Rink – If you dare!
Cold Weather Fisherman – Some people have other names for them.
SAMPLE OF TODAYS CATCH – ONE PER HOUR HE SAID
Michigan Farmland in late December (2020)
Interesting structure – Had no idea what it is. Have been informed that it is Tribal property.. Rodgers lake campus
Section of Magician Lake Icing over – Doing a ring recovery in the spring there.
Over Sister Lakes in Dowagiac looking toward South Haven, MI – Very good visibility day
Benton Harbor shore line at the top, Marina Island in the back ground – Eaton Park (St. Joseph) is the snow covered area in the S pattern.
Today’s update photo of the new”Indeck Niles Energy Centerpower plant”.
If you follow the RR tracks from the power plant it takes you to downtown Niles, Mi. The Niles Airport (3TR) is at the top of the picture.
The RXR tracks goes across the St. Joseph River as it flows thru Niles. The MUD Club does a “drift” dive from just below the French Paper Dam along “River View Park’ and exit’s at Marmont Street (bottom street going left & right .
Bottom road is “Front St”, “Marmont St.” to the river and “River St.” along the river bank. The Niles Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is by the DNR Launch.

Today’s Walk About – From the Air and on the Ground!

Fly Days, Miscellaneous Ramblings, Walkabout, Water-Related,

 

Paw Paw Lake (beginning to ice up) and Watervliet Airport (40C) below. Great place to visit in the summer but the grass strip is not so great when they have had heavy rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dowagiac, Mi: Round Lake is beginning to ice up – you can see the shallow sand bar in the ice line. Its part of the Sister Lakes chain of Lakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marina Island between Saint Joseph and Benton Harbor. All the boats are tucked in for their winter nap.

 

 

 

 

Saint Joseph river bank on the Benton Harbor side. Waters cold but not hard yet! Surface visibility was about 3 feet today.

 

Boat house along the river by the Whirlpool Campus. Not floating now but the surrounding land is still quite soupy!

 

 

From the Lions Park area breakwater pilings. Not a great place to swim today and way past being just a tad chilly!

 

 

 

 

 

Rip rap installed along the shore as you approach the Lion’s Beach Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight’s sunset at Lions Park. No clouds to reflect the rays. Still pretty though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec 07- 2019: Morton House Holiday Open House

Misc:, Walkabout

Morton House Holiday Open House

Homemade sweets, tea and wassail served – homemade cookie bake sale and the Morton House decorated for the season.

Morton House , 501 Territorial Road, Benton Harbor MI, 49022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Dinner Table Set

 

 

 

 

Christmas Tree Set & Decorated

 

 

 

 

 

homemade cookie bake sale

 

Server in period  dress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Munching In progress desert table.

 

 

 

 

Christmas Mantle setting 

Mr & Mrs Claus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 19 – Fly Day Walkabout

Fly Days, Misc:, Walkabout, Water-Related

This was a nice day for flying and just generally cruising around. Sometimes the pictures I take are of the same general area’s but  at different times of the year so one can see the differences,  especially when comparing them to  pictures from years ago.

Devries Farms- Cleveland Ave.

 

Ghost, Gobblins, and Straw creatures – Devries Farm

Lake Shore HS & Sports Complex

Golf Course – Lakeland Medical Center both off Napier Ave.

Shoreline Erosion is horrible this year – filling in the shoreline with rip/rap.

How much are these “beach” house worth now? Look rather close to the water’s edge even when the lake is calm.

Take away the base and the top comes tumbling down.

Tough being in the middle- The water just creeps around the sides.

Benton Harbor Walkabout

Miscellaneous Ramblings, Walkabout,

As often as I drive thru downtown Benton Harbor going to the Benton Harbor Regional airport I realized that it had been a long time since I had actually walked around the downtown area. So today, being a great blue sky day, meaning lots of sunshine, I decided to walk down town and photograph the streets and buildings. By the time the walkabout was completed I had taken several hundred shots.

Since I am not that good of a photographer it takes me at least 100 shots to get a “good” one, least ways that’s the way it seems. I sorted the pictures into folders labeled Arts District, looking down 5th St., looking down Main St., Round About #1 and Round About #2, and last Territorial St & road.

Between 1970 and 1985 thousands of jobs were lost in the Benton Harbor area due to closing or downsizing of local manufacturing plants. Retail activity downtown evaporated. The Liberty Theater and the Vincent Hotel were closed in 1975. The Fidelity Building, onetime business hub of the city, was closed in 1976. The Orchards Mall, situated on Pipestone Road near I-94, opened in 1979 and delivered a final blow to downtown retail business. Various efforts to revitalize the downtown area are still in progress.

With the exception of the area around the newer Whirlpool Campus and the “Arts” district the majority of down town Benton Harbor is rather deserted and run down.  The new Whirlpool Campus on Riverview Drive opened in April of 2012 and was designed to consolidate 15 Whirlpool properties into three centralized campuses. Those being the Administrative Center, Technology Center, and Riverview Campus.

The new three buildings of the Riverview Campus cost 70 millions dollars, contains over 245, 000 sq/ ft on about 12 acres and can house approximately 1,100 employees. Of those 1,100 employees it has been said that a good number of them actually work from home remotely.

Here are a few pictures of main street coming in from St.

A-Round-about-Riverview-Dr-Main-Facing-the-bridge-too-see-Whirlpool-Campus-

Looking-left-down-Riverview-Drive

Looking-right-down-N-Riverview-Dr.

Now-looking-down-Main-St.

Driving thru Saint Joseph

Miscellaneous Ramblings, Walkabout, ,

Today, as I was driving thru St. Joseph from the Benton Harbor Airport, I decided to see what the lake looked like from the bluffs.  Just driving by the bluffs, seeing the tents, the colors, and the crowds of people were enough to peak my interest  to stop and look around a bit.

If you live around St. Joseph have not been doing much on the weekends or you are wondering what there is to do take a look at https://www.stjoetoday.com/.

You just might be surprised at the variety of events available and many at little or no cost.  And more than likely you will find something that peaks your interest.

St. Joseph Michigan Farmers Market on Lake Bluff Park

Lake Bluff Park – St. Joseph, MI