Joel Dinda's photos

Joan's harvest, October 2003.

Santa delivered Minolta's then brand-new 110 Zoom SLR in 1976, so a few days later (quite likely New Years' Day) I borrowed Mom's Beetle and shot some pix. Among the places I visited was the newly-minted Scotts Mill Park, where I took a couple dozen pictures of the old mill which is the park's soul. Camera: Minolta Zoom 110 SLR

Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Upper Michigan. Camera: Kodak Starmite II Considerably improved using PhotoImpact Photo by Joel Dinda sometime in the 1960s.

Summer, 2002

Members of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club hit the road for a club ride, sometime in the late 1970s. That's Jan Hageman pulling the trailer, Aimee Hageman in the trailer, and Dave Hageman's just getting started on the side of the road. Can't identify the other riders; any help would be welcome. I'm not really sure where this photo was taken, but other pictures in the set make it pretty clear the ride leader had chosen a local fire station for the starting point. Addendum 9/16/05: Aimee dropped me a line about this photo the other day. She was shocked.... This might be Richard's photo , not mine, in which case the camera was an Olympus OM-1. Camera: probably Minolta Zoom 110 SLR Photo (probably) by Joel Dinda sometime in the late 1970s.

McLain State Park is west of Calumet, in Michigan's Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. While there are many other reasons to visit the area, the sunsets alone can justify the trip. This photo was taken in July of 1998 with my Nikon N90s

Coaching for the Rockford Cubbies in 1998; CO Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan. Camera: Nikon N90s

What remains of the firewheels. I was outside, looking at the crocusii (finally!), and took this shot. Turned out well, methinks.

Photographer: Martin Sernstinger, developed (at Michigan News) June 8, 1955. Explored! #56 on Flickr [July 6, 2007.] Thanks! My father--Roger Dinda--is on the left in this photo. The guy in the middle is Fred Stone, and I'm not sure who the other is; since Dad & Stoney were off-duty firemen, I presume the other guy was as well [Sam Garrison, it turns out; see my brother's Flickr comment ]. Dad was a firefighter when I was young, and considered himself still a firefighter until he died. On his off-days, he held other jobs. The fallback job--this one--was called "driving hacks." Or just "hacking." The photo was taken on Michigan Avenue (still called Main Street in 1955, methinks) in Kalamazoo, in front of the cab stand beside Michigan News Agency. The official-looking building across the road is the Kalamazoo County Building, which still looks about the same; on the other hand, Michigan Avenue's been a One Way road for most of my life. Michigan News still stocks comic books, which was the attraction when I was a kid. Good place to buy maps, too. Since the picture dates from 1955, it's over fifty years old. Mom had us digging through boxes of old photos shortly before she died. This one was the best of a stash of Sernstinger pix which had mostly obvious firefighting connections. Dad was a little chubby, I see.... New scan uploaded 12/30/05.

This is all that remains of a town called Onota, built in 1868, which smelted iron on the shores of Lake Superior. The town burned down in 1877 and was abandoned; only the furnace remains. The structure's been restored somewhat in recent years; 20 years ago it was in danger of collapsing into its component rocks. They've also added some historical commentary which wasn't there when I first found the place. The current town at more-or-less the same place is called Christmas. Really. It's near Munising, and the Pictured Rocks lakeshore. The Bay Furnace campground is one of the finest I know, albeit with only minimal facilities. This photo dates from June of 1998. I have earlier pictures; perhaps someday I'll post them. ================ You'll perhaps have noticed that I'm kinda partial to iron-foundry ghost towns....

Camera: Chinon Genesis III CO Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan.

2003's fall colors didn't last long in mid-Michigan: For about four days we had excellent color. Joan and I went looking for color after spending an afternoon at her parents' home. Found some, but nothing really special; finally found massed colors near GL's Second Island. The photo's a fortunate accident. The elements (besides the obvious branches in the foreground) are multi-colored trees, and their reflections in the river. The Olympus isn't real good at handling contrast, and with my poor vision (since fixed) I hadn't got much control over depth of field in complex shots. Worked out well, though....

My mother and I visited my sister, Debbie, who's a student at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, in the summer of 2002. The school's little chapel's a delight. Shot this with my Nikon N90s.

The best of many pictures I took of our friend and companion. Camera: Nikon N90s

Joan and I walk the Ledges Trail from Fitzgerald Park to downtown Grand Ledge a couple times a year. It's a pleasant walk, and we typically wander around Second Island for a while before returning. The geese are a valuable part of the experience. This particular goose was a rather anti-social critter, and wanted nothing to do with us, or my camera. Got 'im!

Imagine, if you will, hundreds of four-foot-tall birds all landing at the same lake on a perfect October evening. This photo will help. Since we missed the 2003 Crane Fest, we spent this evening at Big Marsh Lake and watched the cranes come in with perhaps a hundred other mid-Michigan bird watchers. It was wonderful. If you live anywhere near where these birds congregate, I urge you to spend an evening with Sandhill Cranes. The sights are sublime; the sounds are incredible. Camera: Nikon N90s

Joan and I spend a couple weekends each year in St. Ignace, on the Straits of Mackinac. This is why.

I spent July 3, 1993, planting several dozen lily bulbs in a bed I'd made behind the garage. When Joan joined the household, the Shasta Daisies came along from her old place. This was the delightful result. The picture dates from July of 1997. The flowers were wonderful, but it was difficult to keep the weeds under control. So a few years ago we transplanted some of the flowers and tore out the rest. This plot is now part of Joan's vegetable garden. I already showed you the Sprouts. A good trade.... Camera: Chinon Genesis III