December 8, 2002:  On a cold winter day, the sky was dominated by massive cumulous clouds that cast blotchy shadows on the surface of Lake Michigan.  I took this picture from the back seat of the Decathlon while Dave was maneuvering into the traffic pattern at South Haven Regional airport. 

May 29, 2003:  As dusk nears, sailboats return to marina in South Haven, MI as silhouettes.  This photo is all about texture and detail.  For example, the morphology of waves and the way that the mast shows through the translucent sail of the boat in the upper left corner of the frame.

January 24, 2004:  Looking straight down from 3000 feet at broken ice along the Lake Michigan shoreline near South Haven.  The more solid white along the bottom of the frame is the snow-covered beach.

January 24, 2004:  During my final flight in Cessna Two Seven Uniform, I circled the Lake Michigan shoreline near South Haven looking at broken ice along the snow-covered beach.

May 16, 2004:  After leaving Torchport, we flew across the northernmost end of Grand Traverse Bay.  The colors in the water seemed almost unnatural (and, no, this is not a trick of Paint Shop!).

May 16, 2004:  Looking south from the north end of Grand Traverse Bay.

May 16, 2004:  This photograph was taken near Holland, MI.  Variations along the bottom of the lake create the impression of swirling colors along the Lake Michigan shoreline.  Somehow, this photo always makes me think of coloring Easter eggs...

May 19, 2004:  At first, I was quite puzzled by the number of sailboats clustered outside of the harbor at Holland, Michigan.  Cap'n Dave later explained to me that sailboat races are held near Holland every Wednesday night.  From my perspective at 110 kts, nobody seemed to be moving very quickly...

July 10, 2004:  From an altitude of 1000 feet AGL, Cap'n Dave's boat Fairwind looks like little more than a toy in a bathtub.  Fortunately, Kristy and I got to alter our perspective that evening when we watched the sun set over Lake Michigan from Fairwind's deck.

November 6, 2004:  Little Sable Point is a sandy little not-quite-peninsula along the western edge of Michigan.  The inland lake is Silver Lake, a place where my wife used to vacation as a little girl.

November 6, 2004:  During times of excess electrical capacity, Lake Michigan water is pumped into this 27 billion gallon elevated swimming pool near Ludington.  When additional power is needed, water is allowed to drain from the basin through electricity-generating turbines to make juice for air conditioners and other creature comforts.  It's essentially the biggest battery in the Midwest.

January 23, 2005:  In the winter, the dense foliage along the Lake Michigan shoreline gives way to the stubble of bare trees and reveals a wrinkly landscape.  The photo was taken somewhere between South Haven and Holland.