peace out

Rifle Paper Co.

Illustrator/Designer Anna Bond creates pretty, feminine work, that's cool.

personalized calling cards and stationary too.

Susanna Salk on The Skirted Round Table + a book giveaway

This week Susanna Salk stops in to chat with us about her newest project completion {she's already onto book number 4} Room for Children- stylish spaces for sleep and play. Susanna's extensive tenure in the design and publishing world, has positioned her as one of today's most visible style reporters.

Room for Children is her third book, preceded by A Privileged Life and Weekend Retreats. The book is chock-full of great ideas for anyone, no matter the age. It's so refreshing to see page after page of doable, vivid and creative interior ideas that look nothing like those glossy mail order catalogs {with the equally glossy, matchy-match furnishings}

Room for Children Publisher, Rizzoli has graciously provided a book to give to one of our listeners. Hop on over to The Skirted Round Table for details.

Fair Trade on ebay

I just read about ebay's new {or at least "new" to me} World of Good, program. All items on these pages fall under the World Fair Trade Organization guidelines, which means, that all of the products are traced back to sources that have standardized labor and social policies. But here's the thing, we're not talking macrame, ear cones and incense {although I'm sure you could find that too} check out some of the awesome finds, like these:

And great prices too. Who needs to pay $150.00 on a Handmade Ceramic Garden Stool when you can get this great one for $78.00.

source & more info over at:: shelter pop

beach house blues

Man it's been gray around here lately.

I know, you've heard me whine,

"I hate the constant sun",

"somedays it makes me feel like punching the cheery blue sky in it.s white fluffy clouds"

" I like moody weather, it suits me."

How quickly I've forgotten the actual mood altering power of a socked in gray day that seems to go into infinity. My head aches, softly in that area right behind the eye sockets. I'm tired, and would rather crawl back into bed and channel surf than do something productive. blah. Gray May, blah beach days.

..... alas and woe is me....at my, bad-ass, little beach house.

This great, bad-ass little, British beach house was actually a battery at one time. The Seasalter beach house, located on the North Kent coast of the UK, has seen its fair share of June Gloom - but the uplifting, not-so-serious interiors make it seem like such a happy little place to be.

now excuse me while I go for a run on the beach....because I can. gratitude. in the end it's what gets you through it all.

photos:: 1st option & russell kleyn

Contents of Michigan Birds and Natural History (Volume 16, Number 4)

Here’s an annotated summary of the contents of Volume 16, Number 4 (September-October 2009) of Michigan Birds and Natural History—The Journal of Michigan Audubon:

DR. LAURENCE CHARLES BINFORD: 1935-2009, by Joe Kaplan (pp. 157-158).—A tribute to ornithologist Laurie Binford, who passed away at his longtime summer home in Agate Harbor, Keweenaw County, Michigan, on September 21, 2009, at age 74. Laurie graduated from the University of Michigan in 1957 with a B.S. in zoology before continuing his studies at Louisiana State University, where he earned a doctorate in 1968 for his work on the distribution of the birds of Oaxaca, Mexico.

RECENT BIRD RECORDS FROM THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA, MICHIGAN, by Laurence C. Binford (pp. 159-186).—This article updates Binford’s “Birds of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan” (2006) by providing an annotated listing of “subsequent records and their significance for 229 species, especially in regard to high counts, early dates, late dates, breeding, and vagrancy.”

MICHIGAN BIRD SURVEY, SPRING 2009 (MARCH – MAY), by Jack Reinoehl (pp. 187-223).—A total of 308 species was reported during spring 2009, one less than in 2008. Highlights of the season include Michigan’s first Fish Crow (in Berrien County) and a remarkable tally of 40 Smith’s Longspurs (also in Berrien County). Ross’s Goose, Cattle Egret, and American Avocet were also seen in very unusual numbers. Other excellent finds were White-winged Dove, Black-legged Kittiwake, and multiple White-faced Ibises.

More information about Michigan Birds and Natural History is available here, and a secure online form for submitting subscription requests can be accessed at this link.

Sandhill Crane Vineyards

I’ve just got to plan a trip soon to sample some of the Sandhill Crane Vineyards’ offerings at their tasting room in Jackson, Michigan. I wonder if they actually have images of Sandhill Cranes on their labels?

Annual Midwest Crane Count

The Annual Midwest Crane Count, sponsored by the International Crane Foundation, will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Started on a local scale in 1976, the count included most of Wisconsin by 1982. Since that time, it has expanded to include 3,000 volunteer participants spread over 100 counties in five States, and is touted as "one of the largest citizen-based inventories in the world."

For some reason, Michigan's participation in the count has been modest at best. For example, in 2009, 100 observers counted 726 Sandhill Cranes (190 pairs) at 153 sites in 10 Michigan counties.

West Michigan Birding Festival

The 2nd annual West Michigan Birding Festival will be held May 14-16, 2010, in Ludington under sponsorship of Sable Dunes Audubon.

Founding of Michigan Audubon

In the March 1904 issue of the Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club (Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 27), we learn that "The Michigan Audubon Society [now simply Michigan Audubon] was organized at Detroit on February 27th [1904], as an auxiliary to the Michigan Ornithological Club."

The stated objectives of the Society were as follows:

(1) To disseminate information respecting the economic value of birds to agriculture, and their importance to the welfare of man.

(2) To discourage the purchase or use of the feathers of any birds for ornamentation, except those of the Ostrich and domesticated fowls.

(3) To discourage the destruction of wild birds and their eggs (except for scientific purposes).

(4) To establish Bird Day exercises in the schools of the State of Michigan, in connection with the celebration of Arbor Day, and to encourage the introduction of bird study in schools.

I find it of particular interest that Michigan Audubon was originally founded as an auxiliary of the Michigan Ornithological Club.

Birders as Suspected Terrorists and Criminals

The eccentric behavior of birders (e.g., lurking about in the wee hours of the night or early morning with suspicious-looking spotting scopes or long camera lenses in hand, often adjacent to secure facilities of one sort or another) can sometimes arouse the suspicions of local law enforcement officers, as described by Bob Gosford of The Northern Myth blog in a hilarious post about one woman’s unfortunate encounter in Queensland, Australia.

Bob’s posting has engendered quite a response on the BirdChat listserv from North American birders with similar experiences. To view the discussion, start here and hit "Next in topic" to advance chronologically through to the end of the thread.

Synopsis of Precipitation in March 2010

March 2009 was relatively dry in the McCoy Creek watershed of Buchanan Township, Michigan, with just 1.98 inches of precipitation, including 0.3 inches of snow. We had a maximum of 6.5 inches of snow on the ground, and snow cover equaled or exceeded 50 percent on 9 days. There were 11 days of measurable precipitation and 1 day of measurable snowfall. In the tables below, figures from March 2009 are provided in brackets for comparison):

Total Precipitation—Rain and/or Melted Snow: 1.98 inches [4.65]

Daily Variation:

≥ 0.01 inches – 11 days [8]

≥ 0.13 – 2 [7]

≥ 0.25 – 2 [5]

≥ 0.50 – 1 [5]

≥ 1.00 – 1 [1]

New Snowfall Totals: 0.1 inches [0.3]

Daily Variation:

≥ 0.1 – 1 day [1]

≥ 0.5 inches – 0 [0]

≥ 1.0 – 0 [0]

≥ 2.0 – 0 [0]

≥ 3.0 – 0 [0]

Snow on Ground:

Daily Variation

≥ 0.5 inches – 9 days [0]

≥ 5.0 – 4 [0]

≥ 10 – 0 [0]

≥ 15 – 0 [0]

Maximum Snow Depth: 6.5 inches (March 1) [T]
Maximum Precipitation: 1.41 inches (March 12) [1.41]
Maximum Water on Ground as Snow/Ice: 2.26 in (March 2) [T]
Days with Snow Cover ≥50%: 9 [0]