WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

A “Walktober” stroll that was …

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Linda Schaub

… both merry AND scary.

October stretched before me, my favorite month and favorite season. What’s not to like about October? You have the wee nip in the air, the tastes, the smells, abundant colorful leaves, even the sound of the crumpled-up leaves crunching under the soles of my walking shoes as the month wears on.

And another bright spot that I discovered a few years ago is the concept of Walktober, where anyone and everyone can embrace walking or simply basking in all that October has to offer. Do you want to take photos, write about the experience and post it on your blog – well that’s even better!

So, on Friday, October 3rd, off I went, in full Walktober mode, eager to do a “round robin” at three large woodsy venues.

It was blessedly cool, sunny, with a flawless blue sky – a perfect day in my opinion. To be honest, my expectations were not all that high for a colorful walk, as Southeast Michigan had endured moderate drought the entire month of September. Days stretched into weeks without a drop of rain. The no-rain part helped boost my sagging steps count and kickstart my walking regimen into high gear once again, but, what was good for me was not good for the trees which were faring poorly, stressed from lack of moisture, dooming their leaves to lack color and simply fall to the ground, brown and brittle.

Not surprisingly, Council Point Park’s trees were still cloaked in green, with the exception of a few Maples that were tinged with yellow but were not really “showy” yet. So, admittedly I had some trepidation about which venue would become my Walktober post.

First up – Lake Erie Metropark.

Well, this was a first for me. I’m sorry to say I never even parked the car as I rolled past the marshes and saw dried-up reeds, low or non-existent water levels with each marsh devoid of waterfowl and shore birds. A few Egrets were perched in the trees. Where was everyone hanging out this morning? I shook my head and drove to the park exit.

Next stop – Elizabeth Park.

I drove the perimeter road, a/k/a Elizabeth Drive, at this lovely island park and decided I would make Elizabeth Park my Walktober venue. I spent about two hours walking around, racking up almost four miles as I happily clicked away at the Canada Geese with their near-perfect reflections in the Canal and then watched Ring-billed Seagulls swoop and alight along the boardwalk railing, just begging to be photographed. However, with the exception of a few trees with hints of yellow illuminated by the sun’s rays, I realized I would need to return in two or three weeks to capture the Maples’ flaming red hues and the Oaks’ brilliant gold tones. Thus, the post recounting the beauty of this walk will be in the Wintertime when we need it most.

I didn’t even try for a third venue as planned and decided to just call it a day, but, I knew where I would go next ….

I headed to Heritage Park on Sunday, October 5th and …

… here is where I found my Walktober. 🙂

As I crossed the parking lot enroute to the historical area I checked out the trees and knew that color-wise I would fare no better here, but my main intent was to visit the aftermath of “The Scarecrow Stroll” festivities held the day before. I’ve been here in the past to photograph the scarecrows displayed around the Botanical Gardens.

But first I paused for a photo at the lamp post with its festive flag.

When these Mallards waddled over to see me, I told them they were “Halloween-ready” with their bright-orange webbed feet.

See how this Mallard drake is almost back to normal plumage colors with its head feathers? The last time I was here they were still in eclipse phase where males and females are all a drab brown.

While rounding the bend at Rosecrans Picture Perfect Photo Studio, a small black critter scampered across my path. It ~~scared~~, startled me as I didn’t recognize it was a squirrel right away, a poor squirrel which was minus a tail!

The Petting Farm’s rooster was crowing repeatedly, but was nowhere to be seen – momentarily I wondered if its voice carried throughout the nearby residential neighborhood?

Two other residents of the Petting Farm greeted me, first Binx, the black barn cat which studied me as he guarded the Farm’s fence …

… then Binx came over to see me, …

… followed by Minnie, this pretty white and gray barn cat. I’m glad they decided I wouldn’t bite and soon both began nuzzling my legs.

Whew – no hissing black cat with an arched back crossed my path, so the moment was merry, not scary.

I continued wending my way to the Botanical Gardens, site of yesterday’s event.

There was definitely a harvest vibe going on.

I guess I should have known when there was a bicycle rack positioned across the entrance to the Conservatory that something was going on, but I saw no signs about an event closing the area to visitors as is usually done, so I just bypassed the rack and began meandering around and taking some harvest decor photos.

Look at these carved pumpkins – how unique are these?!

Here are some close-ups.

The Snowball bushes were still hangin’ in there …

… however, much more impressive was this beautiful Mum.

Now it was time to look for the scarecrows. I scanned the Gardens’ grounds and didn’t see any scarecrows, so I stopped someone that was bustling around and toting a brown cardboard box. I asked if the scarecrows were in a new location and she responded “we put them away as there is a wedding today that will last until 10:00 p.m.” “Thank you” was my response, but as I walked away, I muttered under my breath “good thing it is early in the month – today won’t be my Walktober either!” I was wrong though as you’ll soon see – patience is indeed a virtue sometimes.

Yes, “Your Roving Reporter” has a nose for news!

In the distance, by the Woodland Trails, did my eyes deceive me or did I see a couple of witches wearing pointy hats with wide brims? It was sunny, so I shaded my eyes with my hand and hustled over for a closer look, lest these witches be whisked away to the same holding area as the scarecrows were.

Then I noticed the Woodland Trails were decked out with lots of spooky beings – so join me on this spooktacular stroll, won’t you?

At the beginning were some skulls on a rock ….

Once I passed under the archway, I feared there was no turning back!

I was bewitched by these witchy things along the way, like big, pointed hats that bobbed on a wire overhead …

… and even lacy hats like this one …

… and, of course, the witches themselves.

There were black cats with green eyes that might have “done me in” in the dark …

… but I really would prefer an encounter with Binx, a black cat that is NOT scary.

There were friendly ghosts gathering along the pathway and, …

… for a fleeting moment it became a nod to my youth and “Casper, the Friendly Ghost” with me remembering a Casper costume donned many moons ago.

A few spooky-looking skeletons were thrown in for good measure.

All too soon my scary stroll was over and I was in the bright sunlight once again.

So, was this stroll merry …

… or scary? I’ll let you decide.

If you’re disappointed you didn’t see a scarecrow on this stroll, no worries, just click here!

I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Scary and Dawn’s official Walktober post.

Posted in #Sunday Stills Challenge, nature, walk, walking | Tagged #Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, #Walktober, Halloween, Harvest, nature, walk, walking | 62 Comments

The Dog Days of Summer are finally gone. #Wordless Wednesday #It was ruff, doggone it!

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #ChalkYourWalk, #Wordless Wednesday, Seasons | Tagged #Chalk Your Walk, #Wordless Wednesday, Dog Days of Summer, Seasons | 34 Comments

Mother Nature’s gift: the ditch bouquet.

Posted on October 19, 2025 by Linda Schaub

As mentioned in previous posts, on July 21^st I returned to Lake Erie Metropark after a six-week absence due to the heat, humidity, stormy weather and wildfire smoke. On July 21^st I visited this venue, not once, but twice. The first time was early morning, as I stopped at the marina to get some shots of the Osprey family in their platform nest, but evidently they were gone fishing, so I drove right to the DNR Headquarters at Point Mouillee where I knew there was also an Osprey platform nest. Happily, I had success photographing that family and the DNR Headquarters’ bed of flourishing American Lotuses.

Several hours later, I arrived back at Lake Erie Metropark. In last week’s post, I told you how I was wowed by the beautiful Mute Swan family near the Offshore Fishing Bridge. Well, I wanted to make that post all about them, not me. So today’s post is like the late, great Paul Harvey’s feature “The Rest of the Story” because following my encounter with the swan family, I went off to explore, albeit on a relatively short walk as temps were already creeping upward – it was 71F/22C at high noon.

At the parking lot near Cove Point I was surprised to see this new pollinator garden and I wondered aloud “so, when did all this happen?”

After all, I always park at the same spot on that side of the park and a mere six weeks earlier it was just a ditch, like several other ditches around this venue – nothing special, except a place to collect rainwater and, if you’re lucky, you will get a Springtime serenade by the singing frogs.

Hmm – so, did someone plant some native flower seeds back in the Spring and the abundance of rain we had in June and July caused a proliferation of blooms?

Or, were those tiny native flower seeds whisked around the park on all those many windy days we experienced all Spring? This was the more likely reason, as those featherlight Black-eyed Susan seeds went airborne and ended up in the moist soil and began to grow.

In pursuing more photos of the Monarch, I whirled around and saw another pollinator garden in the distance.

The pollinators paused here while sipping nectar.

As I zoomed in on a few flowers, I saw this Monarch butterfly gracefully flitting from one Ironweed (a/k/a Vernonia) plant to the next. The featured image shows this graceful creature and here are two more shots of it, including alongside a bee, before it eventually moved on.

A wasp or hornet decided to take a dainty swig of the Ironweed.

There were a few other wildflowers with shades of purple like Chicory and Loosestrife, as well as this somewhat faded, bedraggled Wild Bee Balm (Bergamot).

A Cabbage White butterfly nestled into some greenery.

The fuzz was flyin’ from the Creeping Thistle, its downy-looking fibers …

… glomming onto the sticky leaves of this still perky-looking Black-eyed Susan.

On this Queen Anne’s Lace plant, several flies and other winged insects appeared to be sunning themselves on the lacy-looking blooms.

I spent about 15 minutes there, hoping to see a few more pollinators, but there were no more, so I headed to the wooden overlook to find and photograph a few Barn Swallows. I had no luck back on June 1^st and similarly no luck today either. The old dead tree where they often perched for a breather from their exhausting in-flight insect grabs had become quite dilapidated – so much for that perfect photo op location.

The overlook is quite long and there were several anglers hunched over the railing, seemingly with high hopes for catching “a big one” by the looks of this large net.

I didn’t see any fish in pails, so maybe these were catch-and-release guys? I chatted with a couple of these young anglers as I searched the shoreline for a glimpse of any Lotuses in the usual two beds – there were no blooms and the plants were nonexistent as you see below.

All I saw was some seaweed, duckweed and some mottled-looking Pond Lilies.

Good thing I had gotten my “Lotus fix” earlier that day.

I left the anglers, intending to extend my walk, but there was really nothing more to see beyond that point and it was full sun – ugh, so I crossed back over the overlook. You know me – if I’d seen a doe and fawn, I’d have pursued that photo op, but I was a weenie, wilting with this increasing heat, having traipsed around for four miles already.

As I started back onto the overlook, one of the fishermen I had chatted with moments earlier, pointed to a Great Blue Heron that was just landing in the marsh, all the while squawking and screeching its head off.

This Great Blue Heron enjoyed posing.

I thanked him and soon focused on capturing some images of this wading bird after it settled, its stunning reflections in the surprisingly clear water on this side of the marsh.

I think this Heron likes what it sees as it peers into the marsh water.

As I focused on the Heron, the Heron focused on fishing and soon it was more successful than the fishermen, having downed a fishy snack, a fact I did NOT point out to the fishermen. 🙂

I decided to leave and head home, having secured enough photos for several posts at this park alone. The heat had now turned my walk into a trudge.

As I passed the “two-mile” sign …

… I glanced at the pedometer – a little over 8,200 steps and soon I would call it a day.

I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Autumn (or Spring) Plant Life.

Posted in #Sunday Stills Challenge, birds, nature, walk, walking | Tagged #Sunday Stills Challenge, birds, nature, pollinator garden, walk, walking | 49 Comments

This Mallard’s head tilt translates to: “Humans be weird sometimes!” #Wordless Wednesday

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, Mallard Duck, nature | 44 Comments

Beauty and grace still exist in our sometimes-upside-down world.

Posted on October 12, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Ever since I was a little nipper, I have been fascinated by swans.

Was I captivated by their majestic beauty in the images found in my fairy tale books?

Or was it because when we still lived in Toronto, my parents often bundled me up, plunked me into my stroller …

… and off we went to visit Toronto’s High Park. I thought the swans were the prettiest of the waterfowl at High Park – sure there were geese and ducks along the shorelines too, but in my mind – swans ruled!

After all, what’s not to like about that graceful, curved neck, black “mask” around the snowy-white face and bright-orange bill? Many a prize-winning photographer has captured images of two swans, their bills touching and necks arched in the shape of a heart. This hobby photographer has not captured such a beautiful photo … yet.

That early fascination with swans (and geese and ducks too) never waned and here I am, almost seven decades later, still appreciating and photographing these beauties.

Part of my Labor Day weekend 2025 was spent going through my old albums to digitize some photos and scrapbook items not included in my four-day scanning marathon over Thanksgiving weekend 2017.

As I flipped through, paused and reflected on the items on those pages, I gleaned many images I had deemed necessary for future “Stir the Memory Pot” posts and happily, I also located my Mute Swan photos taken many years ago.

Mute Swans at Hidden Lake Gardens circa June 1983.

In 1983, my grandmother spent most of the Summer at our house. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you already know that Nanny loved her flowers, whether she grew them, or just admired them, so my parents thought she might enjoy a Sunday drive and stop at Hidden Lake Gardens, a botanical garden and arboretum in Michigan’s Irish Hills.

**Visitor Center & Conservatory, Hidden Lake Gardens (1983)**

The day before we visited that venue, I had returned from a three-week vacation in four Scandinavian countries and Russia. I had not used up the last roll of film, so I toted my 35mm camera along to finish off the roll.

Of course, there were the usual poses by family members in and around Hidden Lake Gardens and a Mute Swan family captured my attention that day.

**Mute Swan, Hidden Lake Gardens (1983)**

**Mute Swan and Cygnets, Hidden Lake Gardens (1983)**

Flash forward 42 years ….

I have seen plenty of Mute Swan pairs, some with their cygnets in tow, since that Summer day back in ’83 and my joy was renewed as I followed a swan family and watched the cygnets growing in leaps and bounds throughout the Summer/early Fall of 2025.

In retrospect, had I ventured to Lake Erie Metropark more times than I did this past Summer, I may have been able to document the cygnets’ growth spurts in less-dramatic fashion, but, over the course of five visits, they went from tiny fluffballs struggling to keep up with their parents, to sleek-looking cygnets mimicking their parents’ graceful demeanor.

In September and October, they had positioned themselves in the same location where I’d found them previously, but unfortunately, even though the cygnets were almost full grown, the reeds had grown so high and thick, all I could glimpse was white images interspersed with green.

While standing at the edge of the marsh, hoping the family would move on and nibble some reeds elsewhere, a woman came over near me and we chatted about this Mute Swan family. It turned out that Vicky was similarly monitoring the family, only on an everyday basis, as she lives near the park and walks here daily. Just as I observed, they always stayed in that area of the marsh.

Together we marveled at the beauty and grace of the young cygnets that mimicked their parents in how they dipped their heads to sip water, nibbled on reeds and even turned upside down to explore and find more reeds beneath the surface of the water.

After Vicky left, I stayed a short time for a photo op, but, whether the Mute Swan family was merely camera shy or content to remain in the shelter of this little island and tall reeds, they did not budge, so I have no pictures from the last two sightings, but I have some to share from previous meanders.

My first cygnets sighting was on June 1^st.

I first saw the family when the cygnets were still fluffy young’uns wedged in between their parents.

My second cygnets sighting was on July 21st.

Due to the heat, humidity, rain/storms in July, not to mention occasional wildfire smoke, I did not visit Lake Erie Metropark from June 1^st until July 21st, but, when I returned, I headed straight for the North Shore Fishing Bridge to look for the Sandhill Crane pair (MIA since Spring and Vicky concurred with that observation).

On a tiny “island” of marsh nesting materials and nestled in the tall reeds, clear across the marsh, I saw the swan family, clustered around Mama, with Papa “patrolling” nearby.

Even from afar, it is easy to distinguish between the male and female Mute Swan by the predominant black knob at the base of the bill; it is not as predominant in the female. Notice Mama and Papa switched places for this photo!

I liked this photo the best of the bunch that day.

My third cygnets sighting was on August 28^th.

My, how those babies had grown!

Lucky for me, the cygnets strayed from Mama and Papa’s watchful eyes, so I got this shot.

I finally got a clear shot of the nest as some of the reeds were gone. The cygnets were nearly full-size and it looks like Mama was enjoying a little “me time”. 🙂

I returned to Lake Erie Metropark again on September 8th, but as stated previously, no cygnet pics were taken.

On my last visit, October 3rd, it was still shorts and shirt-sleeves weather. There was NO swan song as to our Summer-like temps! This time I only saw one swan in the usual hangout and I think it was Mama basking in the sun and enjoying some more “me time” but there were some other sights to see and photograph – you will see them in next week’s post.

Will I see the family this Fall or Winter? I hope so, because, unlike the Trumpeter Swans and Tundra Swans that only spend a portion of the year here in Michigan, the Mute Swans stay year-around.

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I am joining Terri’s Monthly Color Challenge for October: Black and/ or black and white.

Posted in #Monthly Color Challenge, birds, nature, walk, walking | Tagged #Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge, birds, Mute Swans, nature, walk, walking | 46 Comments

Confucius say: “Man who sit on bench while wearing shorts get splinter in bum!” #Wordless Wednesday #Confucius REALLY said: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #Wordless Wednesday | Tagged #Wordless Wednesday, Taylor Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Wise words | 41 Comments

“Adulting” ain’t easy sometimes!

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Ya, some days life is just ducky …

… and other days there are obstacles to overcome, dilemmas like when you get into a pickle and sadly neither Google nor chatbots have an easy fix.

I think we never knew how easy we had it when we were kids … no responsibilities, no worries, just pure bliss.

Do you ever wish you were a kid again?

In today’s world, being an adult sure is no walk in the park. My daily walk at Council Point Park to escape the noise of the news and everything that is happening beyond the confines of my humble abode is no longer the same ambiance it once was, but I remain confident it is “gettin’ there” slowly but surely. I’ll fill you in on my peanut-eating pals in a future post.

Sometimes it’s just plain fun to act like a kid again.

Over the years, while walking around the Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park, bees and butterflies were not the only critters that end up on my camera’s memory card. If you’ve followed me for a while you might remember those four Lavender Guinea Pea Fowl strolling around. Click here in case you missed the post.

I frequently see the Farm’s chickens and the resident rooster at the Gardens’ Pavilion area as they hunt, peck and scratch. And, back in July 2018, I attended the Petting Farm’s “Christmas in July” event where Santa donned tropical duds and one of Santa’s reindeer was to be available for pics and petting. It was all good fun, except the weather was stinkin’ hot and the reindeer’s handler did not allow their charge to participate until later in the day when it cooled off – sigh. Here’s a flashback to that post.

So, let’s fast forward to July 18, 2025. I was at Heritage Park doing a walkaround and visiting the Botanical Gardens when one of the chickens crossed my path and, on a whim, I decided to walk over to the Petting Farm for a short visit – what’s wrong with feeling like a kid again?

The Heritage Park Petting Farm.

The website for this venue touts that 90 critters call the Petting Farm home, among them alpacas, goats, sheep, ponies, cows, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, and piglets. They’re just waiting for you to visit, or so the sign on the gate says anyway.

I’ve been inside the big red barn where they all live, but it’s a wee bit dark for picture-taking, so unfortunately there will be no piglet or bunny pics today.

Besides the barnyard critters, there is a nature pond filled with Koi. There is a small bridge that crosses the pond so you can peer at the Koi and the various domestic ducks that paddle alongside the Koi, all amicably sharing their space. I’ve seen Mallards wrangling a fish, then downing it, so I was happy to see these domestic ducks did not look at the Koi as an easy lunch and were neighborly.

Though I didn’t “pet” the critters, I observed some barnyard antics, which I captured with the camera. Like this critter playing peekaboo while peering at me from all angles.

So, were the critters willing to pose sans treats? Um, well some of them, others not so much.

Very bummy, er … funny. Well I fixed that little problem and took a side profile.

Did I lose any fingers?

Nope, all ten digits were present and accounted for at the end of my visit.

So I spent a delightful hour, trading the world’s calamities and noise for whinnies, baas, moos, brays, cackles and quacks. 🙂

Join me on a different type of nature stroll and I guarantee by the end, you will feel young at heart again.

I visited the barnyard first.

I was NOT sheepish about taking pictures of some of these critters – after all my astrological sign is Aries, the Ram.

There were several alpacas, some which clustered together and/or plunked down in the middle of the barnyard …

… while others ventured over to the fence while exhibiting a variety of expressions on their fuzzy faces.

Alpacas are known to spit on people if they feel stressed, or you get too close to them. Happily I remained unscathed by alpaca spit. Since I sometimes visit the Gibraltar Bay Alpaca Farm, I learned to avoid getting spat on by speaking softly and keeping my distance i.e. I let the camera zoom in and I zoom out.

Clearly, this was a MOOdy cow that refused to kowtow to me and leave the confines of the big red barn for a photo session, so I took this shot hurriedly before its MOOdy self walked back into the barn.

Have you ever seen/heard of screaming goats? I have seen the videos and their blood-curdling cries could raise the dead. The goats at the Petting Farm were relatively quiet, content to look for grass beyond the barnyard fence – no screaming goats in this group.

The goats had a big plastic rock for climbing and some toys like balls to kick around, but they were not being used. I did not let the bored-looking goats get MY goat.

This miniature donkey looked old and tired – or maybe it is supposed to look that way? It sidled over to see me with a disinterested look and just stood there. Well, okay then, have it your way.

The pony needed a “mop chop” for its bangs during our hot Summer. It was not too interested in me, but like some of the other critters, it found some innovative ways to eat since barnyard grass was non-existent, i.e. the grass was definitely greener on the other side of the fence, so you grab it however you can – yikes!

A chicken wandered along the walking path at the barnyard – did it recognize me from all our other encounters at the Botanical Gardens since it is a frequent escapee?

After touring the entire barnyard area, I headed to the nature pond.

Oh boy – Koi!

There were lots of huge Koi in the pond and they swam back and forth this narrow passage, under the bridge, all the while popping their heads (and lips) above the water’s surface while looking at me expectantly, so …

… I concluded either I resemble the person who feeds them, or I look like I might be toting fish food.

Some of these Koi were longer than the ducks.

The last part of my “nature walk” was visiting Tony the tortoise. Admittedly, my walking stats are not stellar for 2025, but I am happy to say I still could leave this tortoise’s steps count in the dust.

This South African tortoise was huge, 100 pounds/45 kilograms and first he stared me down …

… before lumbering toward me and he moved more quickly than you would think through the tall grass. Tony’s world is a fenced-in area, with a bridge and wading pool with sprinkler, but apparently, this human was a diversion for him.

Sometimes it’s good to step back a little and have a little fun. While I don’t condone removing animals and birds from their natural habitats for humans to gawk at, zoos and petting farms have existed for years – the first zoo was established in Paris in 1793. They will continue to exist long after we are gone. Yesterday was World Animal Day, a day geared to bring global awareness to improve animal welfare. I have always been an advocate of improving animal welfare and support several organizations to do my part. World Animal Day is the subject of Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge this week.

Posted in #Sunday Stills Challenge, nature, walk, walking | Tagged nature, petting farm, walk, walking | 80 Comments

Time’s a’tickin’ to make that walking goal! #Wordless Wednesday #Need more pep in my step and pop in my bop! #Keep on truckin’, er … duckin’ … forward march!

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, walk, walking, year-end goal | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, nature, walk, walking, year-end goal, Yikes! | 35 Comments

What do Winslow, windows and …

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Linda Schaub

… walking have in common (besides alliteration)?

You’ll need to read on about my artsy-fartsy scavenger hunt of sorts taken August 26^th wherein I spent half a day locating, admiring, then photographing various paintings on Grosse Ile, one of the locales for the 16th annual Detroit Institute of Arts (“DIA”) “Inside/Out” event.

You may recall from previous posts about this event that the DIA installs weatherproof paintings, (the same paintings as those found inside the museum), at various venues around the tri-county area in Southeast Michigan. The paintings are on display from May through October. Sometimes these reproductions are grouped together in one park, like in 2023 at Dingell Park, or scattered around a city, like in 2022 when multiple paintings were installed in my city. Both of these walk-about events were easy-peasy for me, as I just strolled from painting to painting, while clicking away.

This year there were several cities nearby hosting DIA Inside/Out, but I picked Grosse Ile, an island located in the Detroit River. Initially I planned to park the car and walk from painting to painting, that is, until I looked more closely at a map and realized the Township is a little bigger than originally thought, i.e. 9.60 sq mi (24.9 km).

I studied the DIA’s map of the painting locations, made my own map of the order I wanted to visit, along with anything of interest at each spot. So, with map in hand and camera tucked in my fanny pack, off I went.

It was a picture-perfect day.

Grosse Ile’s picturesque shoreline along the Detroit River is problematic in that it is strictly private property along East River Road, so parking anywhere along that winding street is a big no-no.

I knew about the parking conundrum beforehand, having been to Grosse Ile multiple times in the past. I once saw a couple of bucks crossing the main drag and I couldn’t stop, nor could I pull over to get a shot. Visits to the Grosse Ile Open Space Woods or the Grosse Ile Wildlife Sanctuary, both on the other side of the Island, necessitated parking at schools and walking from there, but those were weekend jaunts and there is nothing much to see.

“Art is the window to man’s soul. Without it, he would never be able to see beyond his immediate world; nor could the world see the man within”. ~ Lady Bird Johnson.

Painting #1 – The Grosse Ile History Museum.

The Museum, which faces Stony Island, an uninhabited island in the Detroit River, was once a bustling train depot that functioned as a hubbub of commerce for railroad and shipping.

I visited the Museum back in 2019 in conjunction with a tour of the Grosse Ile Lighthouse. You can read about that lighthouse adventure by clicking here.

Our tour group gathered at the depot, then traveled by bus to the lighthouse. The owner of the lighthouse and pier opens his private property venue once a year and the tour profits benefit the Historical Society.

I pulled into the parking lot despite signs stating parking was only for Museum visitors – hmm. I decided the painting was on the Museum’s property and the Museum was closed anyway, so I dashed out front, got the shot and ran back to the car.

The painting is: “Still Life: A Letter Rack” by Edwart Collyer (1692)

Now to locate and photograph the remaining seven paintings.

As I tootled along East River Drive I saw at least thirty-five seagulls perched on a dock, some still roosting, others gazing at the water, a very blissful scene. The soft morning light on the old wooden pier with a boat tied up alongside it was picture-perfect, but there was nowhere to legally stop – no, I wasn’t about to get a ticket, so I moved along.

The next two stops were churches – query: all churches have parking lots, right?

Painting #2 – St. Anne’s Chapel.

This historic church was on the corner of Church and East River Road, high on a hill.

There was no obvious parking area behind the church that I could see, but then I noticed some people admiring a painting in what I assumed correctly was the church parking lot, so I parked near them. I later learned that the painting location is not just the parking lot, but it is a/k/a Dooley Park. With only parking spaces for a handful of cars, I didn’t think it was wise to walk back and find those seagulls, so once again I let that idea go (albeit reluctantly).

The painting is: “Seascape: Sunset” by Martin Johnson Head (1861).

Painting #3 – St. Thomas Lutheran Church.

I hopped back into the car and drove to St. Thomas Lutheran Church which was at a busy intersection and took up most of a city block.

Parking was in a large lot, so I wandered the grounds, admiring their landscaping, then got my shots of the painting that is the featured image in this post: “Girl and Laurel” by WINSLOW Homer painted in 1879).

The car was in a secure spot which got me thinking about that blissful seagull scenario again, so, because it was such a gorgeous day, I set out to retrace the two or so miles I’d driven, only on foot. Upon my arrival, the pier was empty, not a seagull in sight. Grrr!

Back in the car, A/C blasting from my long walk to/from the pier now in the full sun, I consulted my trusty map – okay, three down, five to go.

Next on the agenda was three paintings located along the main drag in the central business district known as Macomb Street.

The light pole flag said “Explore Macomb Street” …

… so I did.

This time I parked at a Kroger grocery store, so I felt free to take my time, meandering along this busy street in the heart of town.

Painting #4 – Macomb Commons.

This venue was the town square with statues and park benches – very nice.

The art installment was unfortunately near a tree, so it was partly shaded.

The painting is: “The Piazza San Marco” by Canaletto (1739).

Painting #5 – Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy.

I am familiar with the Conservancy as I follow them on Facebook, one day perhaps I’ll attend one of their programs.

There was a small pollinator garden out front, but no bees or butterflies.

I liked the wise words on this bench.

I guess they chose the painting to match the Conservancy’s garden beds.

The painting is: “Rounded Flower Bed” by Claude Monet (1876).

As I ticked off these three paintings on my list, I did take time to enjoy my stroll down Macomb Street. I saw this building which appeared to house two different places, both with vintage bicycle themes, The Bicycle Museum and The Old Spokes Home.

I crossed the street to check it out but it was only open by appointment.

Later, I found a fun video of the inside of the “Old Spokes Home” which you can view here.

I took several shots of the vintage bicycles through the windows – although this post is already groaning with photos, I’m including them in this collage.

Painting #6 – Lyons Park.

My last stop on this street was at Lyons Park, a rather nondescript park, which, if I had driven past, I likely might have missed it. The humungous letters “G” and “I” representing “Grosse Ile” featured a map of the Island and the Lighthouse.

It’s a sure bet the big crowd of people milling about in this painting could not fit into Lyons Park.

The name of the painting is: “A Day in June” by George Wesley Bellows.

The afternoon sun was getting downright hot and I hurried back to the car, happy to cool off again before driving to the last two destinations, on the other side of the Island.

Painting #7 – Grosse Ile Township Hall.

I was familiar with this area of the Island as the Gibraltar Bay Alpaca Farm is just down Groh Road. I would have stopped to see the baby alpacas, but the farm was closed.

The Township offices are located near the Grosse Ile Airport, next to the Grosse Ile Naval Air Station.

The paintings were right on busy Groh Road, so I parked in the Township parking lot and walked back to the main road.

The painting is: “Jockeys on Horseback before Distant Hills” by Edgar Degas (1884).

Painting #8 – Water’s Edge Country Club/Tipsy Fish Restaurant.

My last stop was the Water’s Edge Country Club. I parked behind the club and took a photo of the view from the Tipsy Fish Restaurant.

I was close enough to the Grosse Ile Free Bridge to hear the clanging noise made from the many cars passing over it. I had heard that same noise earlier when I was crossing to the Island. The noise was loud enough to give me cause to pause – this bridge has been closed many times in recent years for structural issues, including in the Spring of this year.

The paintings were on the restaurant’s property, likewise aptly chosen for meal time as a theme, though I hope The Tipsy Fish doesn’t allow parrots to mix and mingle with the diners and their food.

The name of this painting is: “Merrymakers” by Carolus-Duran (1870).