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All Things Michigan

Michigan travels, events, photos, and more

What is your favorite winter activity in Michigan?

Andrew Norton

We are past the halfway point for winter and by now people in Michigan start to count down the days until spring. Others have so much fun skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and other activities that only take place in the winter that they wish for spring weather to hold off so they can keep having fun in Michigan's Winter Wonderland. Personally, I'm okay with winter, but when the calendar rolls over to March I start to get the itch to work in the garden and not have to bundle up in layers to spend time outside. How about you?

Take a second to vote in this week's poll for your favorite winter activity:

[poll id="39"]

To those who think being neighborly is dead

Andrew Norton

We have a wonderful older gentleman in our neighborhood who happily uses his tractor and attached snowblower to plow out all of the surrounding homes. It's a trick after each significant snowfall to finish using my Yooper Scooper on my driveway before he helps. It's not that I don't want his help, I just like to challenge myself to see how quick I can clear my driveway :). Anyway, he helps everyone young and old get their drives cleared. You don't even have to ask him, although he has said if he doesn't make it down to yours and you need his help to just stop on by or give him a call. There must be about a dozen driveways of varying lengths that he spends the entire morning plowing out after each snowstorm.

I know what you might be thinking. How much does he charge? Well, he won't take money, but he has yet to turn down a handful of fresh-baked cookies. I've helped neighbors get their cars unstuck or shovel a driveway during the years that we have lived here and it hasn't cost me much except a little time.

Before you complain about how unfriendly your neighbors are, think about this. What have I done to extend friendship and to be neighborly? Just think how much better our communities would be if we all asked ourselves this question and then acted upon it.

Have faith, dear readers, for this world isn't as selfish and cold as the news reports would make it out to be.

Detroit Newsreel from 1917

Andrew Norton

This 1917 newsreel mainly features footage from Detroit, but there is a bit of footage from the Traverse City area showcasing their blossom parade. A motorcycle climbing challenge in Lansing also makes its way into the footage. Also in this newsreel:

  • Charitable organization hosts a picnic for hundreds of kids
  • Detroit traffic cop chases down a speeder & hops on the running boards
  • The scofflaws are sent to the House of Correction Farm to atone for their nefarious act of speeding.
  • Scenes from a polo match featuring the Gold Hats of Detroit
  • Trap shooting at St. Thomas
  • The newsreel was silent, of course, so I took it upon myself to add some wonderful selections from Django Rheinhardt - quite arguably a guitarist well before his time.

    Detroit Newsreel 1917 from Andrew on Vimeo.

Happy 92nd Birthday to Ernie Harwell

Andrew Norton

Happy birthday, Mr. Harwell! I know he has good days and bad days so here's to hoping that today is one of the good days. In honor of Mr. Harwell's 92nd birthday, here is the audio from his 1981 Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech (also known as 'Baseball Is') -

Here is the video from the Ernie Harwell tribute at Comerica Park on September 16, 2009 -

Happy Birthday, and God Bless!