Nature from my downtime during retreats

For work, I participate in retreats with the kids. When they have free time, I tend to stroll around the grounds of these wonderful Christian retreat centers and snap a few shots. Here are some from the two retreat centers I visited in 2014. 

Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo

My wife and I ventured to Detroit Zoo's "Wild Lights" last weekend, along with a family outing the size of which had never been attempted!  There were lots of kids, millions of tiny bulbs, and plenty of wonderment. 10/10, would walk around again.

I didn't think that children would really appreciate light displays at a young age. Chase, my nephew, proved me wrong. 

Ben's Encore - Chili Cook-off Benanza!

The final Ben's Encore event of the year is the Chili Cook-off Benanza. Scholarships are awarded, volunteers are thanked, taste buds are scalded and we sing happy birthday to our late friend. The event was a delicious success, held at Dragonmead for the second year in a row.

Ben's Encore - Bennyfit!

There are many excuses for why you haven't seen posts from me lately, but I won't trouble you with them. Let's just go ahead and get things started with two posts about Ben's Encore, a simply fantastic organization that provides music lesson scholarships to kids. I've spoken about them before with the Hamtramck Music Festival and I also covered their back to school event this year -- actually, in the end I covered every event this year, and ended up getting awarded for it. I'm humbled to be considered their Volunteer of the Year for 2014, and here's a display of their work to support them further.

Part I: Bennyfit. This was a huge charity concert at Small's Bar in Hamtramck. Many bands, including Ben's former outfit of Karenin's Smile, graced the stage that night, and I got some of my best concert shots since Blowout.

Ben's father rocking with his former band.

Okay, be right back with part two!

Mackinac Island!

Three weeks ago, for the first time in over fifteen years, I made it to Mackinac Island! I could regale you with the history (seriously, I could), but I will simply let the photos do the talking and then get back to work.

It rained. Here's a person on a walk through said rain.

First time taking a horse ride around the island. These were the horses. Team Oreo.

Walkway to the site of a former fort in Mackinac State Park.

Arch Rock with the bike path below.

Pretty Grand.

Mighty Mac.

This was part of a trip I took with my wife, her mother, Aunt Shelly, and cousins Ryan and Jake. Ryan has lived with us all summer and is departing tomorrow with the conclusion of his internship, and I'm sad to see him go. There will be more posts from our trip to show him Northern Michigan Beauty in the coming days.