Blue Flag Irises in Belleville

So I ended up taking a pretty convoluted way of getting home from Crosswinds.  I was hoping to stop at the other eagles nest but I didn't realize that Haggerty takes a weird path back to I-94.  Somehow I ended up in Belleville.

 As I was passing through Belleville, I saw a flower garden with the some blue flag irises.

 I like the blue flag iris, so I stopped to get some pictures.

 I don't think they are quite fully bloomed but they still looked pretty cool.

 Some of the flowers were getting different light but I'm not sure if that is why they look different.

I kind of like this one.

 this one looked more like what I'm used to.

 I was trying some different angles.

And one more flower before heading home.

A Robin at Crosswinds Marsh

I was thinking about heading down to Monroe.  I read that there are bunch of eagle nests there but I also realized it was getting pretty late in the day.  Since it was on the way home, I decided to stop at Crosswinds Marsh.

Crosswinds Marsh is pretty close to Detroit Metro Airport.  It was created when they expanded the airport and had to clear out some wetlands.  When you remove an acre of wetland, you have to replace it with an acre and a half.   That replacement is Crosswinds Marsh.
I think there is an eagle's nest there but I'm not sure if it is abandoned or not.  I saw the nest but I didn't see anything in it.  I did however see the robin above and took a picture of it.  I think I'm gonna go back on another day when it isn't as busy.

The Federal Champlain at the Nicholson Dock

Occasionally, I will see ships unloading at Nicholson Dock.  Most of the time they are salties and I think they are unloading steel that they bring over from Europe.

 Today,  I saw the Federal Champlain.  I'm not sure if they use the ship cranes in unloading but it's pretty neat looking.

I pulled the camera back a little bit to get the Champlain and Arthur M. Anderson.

Catching the Arthur M. Anderson

I saw that the Arthur M. Anderson was upbound today.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to Detroit today because of the protests that are happening all across the country.   At the end, I figured they wouldn't be protesting anywhere near where I would be going, so I went to Detroit.

 My first stop was Del Ray.  That was a bit of adventure as they are doing bridge work over I-75, so I had to take a round about way of getting there.  By the time I got there, the Anderson was already passing.

 As I was looking at Marine Traffic, I figured that she was stopping for fuel, so I headed over to Riverside Park because that gave me a good spot to see her going into Mistersky Fuel Docks.

 The lighting was fairly cooperative although it was a little behind her.  I think if you look closely, you can see her fleet mate, the Great Republic, behind her.

 The Anderson slowly pulls into the dock here.

 She was on her way back from delivering a load to Conneaut, Ohio.  I think it was iron ore but I'm not 100% sure.

After she finishes fueling, she is on her way up to Stoneport to pick up a load of stone for somewhere.

Next Stop Durand

So after heading east on M-46, I thought that maybe I could go through Shiawasee.   So I headed to M-13 and then headed south to get to the Shiawasee Game Reserve.  When I got there, I found out that it was still closed for flooding and I turned around.  I continued south on M-13 to get to Durand.  Even though I got a picture of train in St. Louis, I was hoping that I could get some in Durand.  If I did, that would be great.  If I didn't, I had some pictures so the day wasn't a total bust.

 As I was getting ready to leave, I heard the sound of a train leaving the yard that is close to the station.  I think this particular train is a local train.  It was pulling some cars out of that yard.

 It turned to head east on the main line.  I thought it was going to do what they usually do when they leave this yard.  Head down the track a little bit and back in to pick up some new cars.

 Sadly, I was almost shooting into the sun, so the light wasn't the most ideal.  I still think I got some decent pictures of this engine.

 One thing nice about this spot, is the ability to get different angles.

 Like with other vehicles, I like the quarter shot.

 It continued down the track.

 This is the new color scheme for the Huron and Eastern trains.  Like I said, I think they are owned by a different company but I'm not sure of its name.

 So anyway, the train headed east on the track and got past the signal and started to back in.  It was backing in on the track that crosses to the front of the station (kind of).  It makes for a picturesque shot, so I headed over there.  It helped that it was way out.

 the lighting was better for me over here.

 And always remember that when you see one of these signs, there might be a train in the area.

 So it was backing into the other track.  I'm not sure if it was taking these cars to store over there.

 The light was just about perfect for this.

 So  I got a few different angles.

 And it looks like it about to jump out and attack.

 As I was leaving, I saw a train approaching the area, so I turned around to head back to the station.  I barely was able to get some pictures because it was moving at a pretty decent clip.

 I wish the wires weren't above.

Like everything else, I'm not a face of stern shots but I do like this one.

An Engine in St. Louis

My mom and I were going to head up to Traverse City today but we got a pretty late start.  We also took a very indirect route before heading north.  This route took us by Embury Road  but all of the trillium were gone and pretty much what was left was wild geranium.  Then I took a circuitous route to get to M-52 in order to head north.
So then I got on I-96 to continue west until I reached US 131.  I turned north on 131 and then headed to Lakeview because I heard there was an eagle's nest there.  I wasn't exactly sure where it was.  It was almost four in the afternoon when we got there.  So we decided to head east on M-46 to head home.

 After I passed through St. Louis, I saw a chunk of track heading south and I saw this engine on it.  The engine belongs to the Huron and Eastern railroad but it looks like it's been there a while.

 I got out of the car and walked over to get some angles that I wouldn't get with a moving train.  As I looked at the track, it looked like this section of track hasn't been used in a while.

 I also think this may be an older paint scheme as the newer engines that belong to this company are an orange (because they were bought by a different company).

 Looking up at the cab.  I kind of liked the different angle.

 This is an angle I don't normally get.

One more picture before moving on.

Chessie in the Window

Chessie likes it when I open the window.  She likes the fresh air.

She also likes to survey her domain.

The Waxing Crescent Moon

So I looked up at the sky as I took the trash out tonight.  I thought the moon looked pretty cool.  And I don't remember if I took any moon shots with my new camera.  Well, I took some pictures of a crescent moon but that didn't show much.

 This is either a waxing crescent or a half-moon.  A waxing crescent means that there is going to be a full moon.   A waning moon means that the full moon has passed.

Anyway, I am amazed at the detail I can get with this camera.  I don't think I've ever noticed the little craters before.

And the Federal Elbe

Surprisingly the next ship is a new visitor to this page.

 The Federal Elbe was built in 2003 in Jingjiang, China.  She is powered by a diesel engine.

 She is owned by Federal Navigation out of Montreal but is registered in the Marshall Islands.

 That practice is known as a flag of convenience.  It is used so that the shipping company can skirt the labor laws and maritime laws of the country they are shipping to.  Many of the foreign ships are registered in countries other than their origins.

 I'm not a fan of the practice.  Especially when the owners of these ships require the services of their host country to protect them from pirates or whatever.

 This practice is typical on cruise ships.

 Again, I'm not sure where she originated but she is heading up to Duluth.

 Typically salties will sit outside the harbor until they are ready to load.  They don't have to pay while they are anchored outside the harbor.

 There is also a pilot change as she passes Port Huron.  I think there is a pilot change as she approaches Detour and there is another as she leaves the Soo Locks.

 Pilots are required on the Great Lakes.  Not for navigation but for adherence to the regulations.

She continues on her way.  Again, it will be about 48 hours before she arrives near Duluth.