Category Archives: nature

Link to New Blog, Same Writer

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Joe Neely

I have started a new blog – http://www.theoccasionalpoem.com, also on WordPress – in order to share my poetry. Many of these poems have roots in The Great Isolation of COVID, when I set out to collect poems written 20 years … Continue reading →

Posted in canoe, Grand River, Great Lakes, Men, Michigan, nature, paddling, poetry, rivers, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Grand 4th of July on the Grand

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Joe Neely

Tom writes… Fourth of July, 2020 Ada to North Grand Rapids The logistics of canoe-ing are monstrous. You already know our boat, the Billie V, lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, far from our current paddling area in West Michigan. Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in canoe, Environment, family, Michigan, nature, paddling, rivers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Quest Resumes on the 4th of July!

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Joe Neely

Just as our nation declared its independence from the tyrannical rule of George III on the 4th of July in 1776, we will declare our independence from the physical decline of advancing age – and our disdain for the despotic … Continue reading →

Posted in canoe, Environment, family, Grand River, Great Lakes, Michigan, nature, paddling, rivers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Headwaters Dam on the Grand River

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Joe Neely

Joe Writes . . .  With the news of the Edenville Dam failing on the Tittabawassee River near Midland and the resultant extensive flooding, I was motivated to take a 45-minute drive to the headwaters of the Grand River yesterday … Continue reading →

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Many Robins So Far, but no Bugs

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Joe Neely

Tom Writes . . .  Today, I met my friend Kelly, and we walked along the Grand. The fat brown part of the Grand, above the dams, just north of downtown Grand Rapids. Lovely morning, pale sunshine, not-a-cloud blue heavens, … Continue reading →

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A Northern Michigan Walk in the Woods

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Joe Neely

Joe Writes . . .  Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; lines 1 – 4 from … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Michigan, nature, Northern Michigan, poetry, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

River Art at U of M Cancer Center

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Joe Neely

Note: all photographs of artwork herein are copyrighted and used with the knowledge of and permission from the artist, Martina Celerin. It is prohibited to duplicate or otherwise make use of these photographs without the express written permission of the … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Environment, Michigan, nature, rivers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

What Happened to the Perch?

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Joe Neely

Joe writes . . .  We have written about perch fishing and invasive species here on lengthofthegrand, both of which are addressed in an excellent blog post I read recently while following  ThumbWind, which reports on and celebrates life in … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Fishery, Great Lakes, Invasive Species, Michigan, Michigan Thumb, nature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Perfect-Sized Adventure

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Joe Neely

March 3, 2019 Joe Writes . . .  Our adventure is just about the perfect size for me. I decided this after attending the Quiet Water Symposium in East Lansing yesterday. At the symposium I met a nice couple who … Continue reading →

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New Year’s Day on the Grand

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Joe Neely

Joe Writes . . .  Tom and I began the year on the Grand River: not paddling, but hiking. Along with our spouses, we spent New Year’s Eve at our sister’s home in Ferrysburg on Grand Haven’s North Shore. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, family, Michigan, nature, rivers | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments