My Boeing 757-200 Model

A couple of months ago I wanted to get a plastic model of a 757.  I have one of the airport gift shop versions on my desk at work which is pretty nice but I wanted a kit to build myself.  I stopped in Model Cove in Ypsilanti (which is a pretty good model shop btw) but they didn't have one.  I did end up getting a 787 model which is pretty nice (I'll post pictures of that one at some point).

 When I was going to Hidden Lake Gardens a couple of weeks ago, I stopped in the Hobby Shop in Tecumseh (which is also very nice btw).  As luck would have it, they had the Air Force II version of a 757 (VC-32 in case you care).  While I wanted a 757 model, I didn't want to use that livery.

 Then I remembered that there are shops online that sell custom decals.  I stumbled across this company called Draw Decals and I figured that I would try them out.

 I decided to go with Delta decals because that is the airline I see most frequently.  If I had a little more talent I would have tried to replicate one of the Iceland Air planes that resemble the Aurora Borealis.  Maybe I'll try that for the 757-300.

 Anyway, the kit is a Minicraft kit and it wasn't too bad to put together.  I had to do a little putty for some of the seams but it wasn't too bad.  I kind of screwed up the decals on the other side but again not too bad.  Given that I really haven't built a model in a long time, I'm fairly pleased with how this one came out.  Especially given that the decals behaved differently than what I'm used to.

The tail number is N534US is one of the planes owned by Northwest.  This is an older version of the 757.  The newer ones have winglets and two doors over each wing.  At some point I plan on building a 757-300 to go with this one, I'll do a newer one then.

Going back to Magee Marsh

After the airport I went down to Ohio to catch some flying things of a different sort.

 First up is a blue flag iris that was by the stream.

 The blue flag iris was nice but it was the egret that caught my attention.

 Unfortunately, I closed within his bubble.

 And he took off laughing.

 I was able to catch up with him a little further down the stream.

 But then he got clearance from the tower and took off.

 It made for a nice picture though.

 So then I headed over to the boardwalk to catch some other birds.  First up there was a Baltimore Oriole.  Not sure which one though.

 Wasn't sure what kind of bird this was but after posting a picture on Facebook, I found out it was a yellow warbler.

 Just went for a couple more shots.

 I'll have to admit, he looks pretty happy when singing.

 Looks like the bird is saying, "Hey what are you looking at?"

 A young eagle.  I'm not sure if this is one of the ones born earlier this year though.  Something tells me not.

I think this is a Canada anemone

 I'm pretty sure this is an eagle.

 Another set of blue flag irises.  These were on the way out of the park.

 And one more.

 Then I headed over to the Ottawa National Wildlife Reserve.  A family of geese.

 A soon to be family of Sand Hill cranes.

 An egret hiding in the reeds.

If I hadn't been driving at the time, I would have gotten a much better shot of a trumpeter swan.  I'd swear it flew about 6 feet in front of the car.  These birds look huge when they are that close.  Anyway,  I guess this picture isn't too bad.

Missing the Dream(liner)

Since Monday was Memorial Day and Monday is also one of the days that I can catch the 787, I decided to head over to the airport first.  As it turned out, the 787 arrived about an hour earlier than expected, so I missed it.  I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get some plane pictures though since I was already at the airport.

 First up was an Embrear 175 belonging to Republic Airlines but operating for American Express.  It was coming in from LaGuardia.

 And flying in next was an MD-88 that was arriving from Boston.

 Next was a 737 from Fort Lauderdale.

 Of course the plane that would make me stay is the 757.

 This particular 757-200 was arriving from Southwest Florida International Airport.

 One of my favorite shots that I can get at Detroit Metro.

 And this particular A319 was arriving from Dallas Fort Worth.

 A robin that was arriving from no particular place.

And we have an MD-88 that was coming in from Windsor Locks, CT.

 I saw that there was at least one more 757 coming in.

 This particular one is the 757-300 which is the stretch version and I think it was coming in from Orlando.

 I'm not sure what kind of plane this is.

As I was heading back to the car from the grocery store, I looked up and saw this 747. 

A Moth of Some Sort

As I was leaving work on Wednesday night (last Wednesday btw), I looked near the entrance and saw this moth.

My friend said that his mom called these Miller's Moth.  Trying to look it up, I think it is a pebble moth but I'm not sure since they are so close.

A Trio of Ships

I ended up taking M-25 from Bay City to Port Huron.  I was hoping to catch the Callaway as she made her way down.  Sadly, that didn't work out as she was pretty close to Algonac by the time I hit Port Huron.

 As I was heading down M-25, I looked out at Lake Huron and I saw a pair of ships working their way up.  The first was the Mississagi.

 She was followed pretty closely by the Algoma Enterprise.

As I was passing through Port Huron, I saw this ship as she was unloading in Sarnia.  I think she is the Esta Desgagnes based on looking at MarineTraffic.  Evidently this is the Bro Alma.

A Lone Robin

I went up to my cousin's for a cook out yesterday.  I saw some song birds flying around his backyard so I grabbed my camera.

The songbirds proved elusive, but this robin didn't.

Catching Up With the Algosteel

One of the ships that I was hoping to catch a fair amount this year is the Algosteel.  I believe that she is going to meet the same fate as the Algoway and Algorail.  So I have a feeling that I will not be seeing her again after the end of the shipping season.

 In the time that I've been doing this blog, the Algosteel has become kind of a fixture on here.  There was one year that she was both the first and last ship that I caught.  I think there was even one year when I caught her when it wasn't shipping season.  I think it was that year that I realized she wasn't long for this world because she was doing salt runs.

 She still soldiered on for a couple more years though.

 There was one year I even caught her passing through some fireworks.

 I'm not sure how many times she's appeared on this blog, but it's quite a few.

 It will be sad to know that I wont see her on the lakes again but I guess I will always have the memories.

 The sad reality is that she doesn't look that bad.  Nor did it seem like she sounded that bad.

 But the ship she will be replaced with will be more fuel efficient and probably have other newer features.

 A shot of her bow and the Algoma logo.

 A couple crew members on her deck.

 A shot of her pilothouse.  I think after the Algosteel, Algorail and Algoway are scrapped, the Frontenac will be the last Canadian classic laker left on the lakes.

 A shot of her Plimsoll markings.  There is quite a bit of rust but I've seen ships in worse shape.

 Another shot of her name.

 A shot of her stack.

 And her rudder.

 So I headed back to the park near the Calumet.  I figured that I would have better lighting there.  And sure enough I did.

 She makes the turn towards the other part of the river.  She had a narrow passage between the Calumet and the other side of the river.

This is the last shot of this series.  Hopefully it's not the last I get of her.