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Posts Tagged ‘houghton’

One of the reasons I love the Keweenaw and will probably never leave is because of the awesome berry season we have in the area.  Strawberries come first, usually starting at the end of June and going through the beginning of July.  Shortly after strawberries are out of cycle, wild blueberries, thimbleberries and raspberries start to ripen. Stacy and I took a trip out to Big Traverse Bay on Saturday to see how the blueberries were doing, and the berries were not quite ready, but we said they would be ready in a few days.

Yesterday we decided it was time…a few of us went out to Hungarian Falls with the goal of picking thimbleberries for jam making, however, they were not quite ready in a lot of shady spots, and the patches that were ready were mostly picked by other people.  We gave up on the thimbleberries, and went out to one of the most beautiful beaches in Michigan, Big Traverse Bay, and picked enough blueberries to last us quite some time.   Below are some pictures courtesy of my good friend Michael Blanchard.

While an inmate breaking out of jail happens once in a blue moon, I hope people start to realize the immediate threat a jail has to the Houghton area. This proposed new Justice Center will hurt downtown businesses, with a jail towering over Shelden Avenue. It will be visible to all of Hancock and Ripley and Keweenaw waterway visitors, looking like a permanent bruise on a beautiful town. Homes in the neighborhood will depreciate in value with a huge jail on site. There are many other options that are way cheaper (Camp Kitwen, Keweenaw Academy, etc…) and can be considered and make a lot more sense. The state of Michigan closes justice centers and let them rot into ruins, and the county wants to build them and avoid monetary efficiency and common sense. Furiating.

Houghton County Justice Center
www.houghtoncountyjusticecenter.com

Ahh, yes, concert season has arrived, and what a year it is going to be.

As most of you know, Phish, my passion above and beyond any other band, has returned to the stage after a four year hiatus.   I get to see them in June.   Recently, I just bought tickets to Coldplay, the worlds most popular band today.   Tonight, I went to my first of many gigs, Trampled By Turtles.

Trampled By Turtles was very good, as expected.  There were only a couple hundred people at the show, but these guys really know how to rock out and improvise.  Their performance shows why they are one of the more predominantly known Newgrass groups touring today.

April 18 TRAMPLED BY TURTLES

June 20-21 PHISH

The most anticipated weekend of the year, at least for me.  I expect Phish to pull about 60 songs out of their hat this weekend, with extended jamming and a polished sound.   This is the last two days of their early summer tour, so I assume they’ll do something ecstatic.   Can’t wait!

July 24 THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND

This one just came to my attention last night.  These guys are coming to the Calumet Theatre.   A perfect prerequisite to what who I get to see the following evening, Coldplay!

July 25 COLPLAY

Claimed to be the most popular band in the world, when these guys come to the United States, its a must-see.   These guys put on a magical show.

August 22 GAELIC STORM

These guys are something else, and I’m pretty excited they are coming back up to the Copper Country.   They have some talent when they really let loose, though this song does not necessarily expose that talent.

TBD EVE 6

Then you have Eve 6, the pop-punk band from the late nineties.   I used to listen to these guys all the time, and as my values changed, I don’t really keep up with the punk rock genre of music much anymore.   Nonetheless, its a show in Houghton, and I’m all for seeing these guys as they should put on a pretty good show.

Well, thats the arsenal for the year 2009 at this point.   I’m pretty pumped.   Maybe, if Phish plays in Chicago or Minneapolis for New Years Eve, I can spend my NYE party with them, but those days haven’t been released yet.   Dave Matthews Band should be playing songs off their new album, so if the price is right, I would like to see them this year as well.   Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and The Faces are also on my radar, but those tend to be $200 tickets a pop.   Maybe next year….

For my Usability class, we have had a semester long project in which we were supposed to make a set of instructions and develop a usable product. Our group decided to focus on Kayak Rolling in a multimedia instruction format.  We are still on a first draft, but we’ve come a long way.   Check out the full website at: http://oap.mtu.edu/kpc/pages/resources/rollingPrimer.html

I think it turned out pretty well.   I posted the videos for you to look through…

Kayak Roll Above Water from Greg Maino on Vimeo.

Kayak Roll Underwater from Greg Maino on Vimeo.

Kayak Roll Attempt from Greg Maino on Vimeo.

Outdoor Enthusiasts,

Now’s the time! Bring your gear into the OAP all this week!

We are (as you know) located in the MUB room G002, next to the Keweenaw Commons food mall. 

Remember, there is no cost to put something into the swap. If it sells, we’ll hand you an envelope full of money (you set the price), if it doesn’t sell then you can pick it up the week after. It’s the only risk free way to make money you’ll find in today‘s economy. 

If you have any questions at all, please contact us:

oap@mtu.edu
487-2290

See you Saturday!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=63471819600&ref=ts
www.oap.mtu.edu

www.oap.mtu.edu