The "natural" view of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids

It's not a typical topic that gets posted on this blog, but with all the photos my wife and I took this weekend at Grand Rapids' ArtPrize, I  wanted to find some way to share there here.

Many of the pieces involve the outdoors or are made from natural materials during the competition, which is quite the sight to see in downtown Grand Rapids in the early autumn. It's the second year we've gone there, and it's been intriguing to see what people have come up with.

The event is a public art competition, but we've always enjoyed just seeing what is created and placed in the city. What follows are some of the entries we saw and enjoyed, and that have a more "natural" feel to them. Enjoy!

This one, "The Tree of Life" was done using real leaves and drying them out.
Very cool.

One of our favorites: "Earth Giant," made completely from items such as
rocks, moss and wood. One of the cooler entries we saw. Voted as one of the
Top 10.

This painting of a dahlia, entitled "kaBOOM," did just that with its color.
It really stuck out to us.

While not made from natural materials, these flags were placed in the
Grand River. They've had some entries in the river, including some horses
made from wood last year. These were quite pretty waving in the wind, but
not as impressive of the horses.

Proud Lake: a convenient day trip from Metro Detroit

Beautiful Proud Lake. While not featured in this photo, the lake was full of canoes this past weekend.

My family typically spends each holiday weekend at the beginning and end of summer camping. Although while most people in the area travel farther north, they have typically spent it closer to home. This year was no different, and my wife and I spent the day out at Proud Lake State Recreation Area in Wixom with my family over Labor Day weekend.

The campground is situated off Wixom Road, close to a new subdivision in the area. That part of the Metro area is starting to develop fast, and the park is secluded among the woods and lake, which is part of the Huron River.

This was the first time I can remember going to Proud Lake, though my parents swear I went as a young child. My first impressions of the campground itself? Not what I'm used to when it comes to many of the state parks I've stayed at. It seems it's either all-or-nothing with the campsites; either the site is secluded, large and full of trees, or its a segment of an open patch of land cramming with all the neighbors. This campground falls into the latter category. Sites were cramped and small, definitely not like other campgrounds I've stayed at.

A pretty nice butterfly we stumbled across on the trail.

That being said, the lake itself is quite attractive. We did not see much more of the park, since the trails were filled with too many mosquitoes.

The woods are a nice walk, with plenty of flowers and other scenery we found during our short walk.

Spending the afternoon out there included a couple games of horseshoe, a game my dad has recently enjoyed playing since acquiring a set of horseshoes. After a while, getting the horseshoe to turn over properly mid-throw, and ended up splitting a pair of games with my sister, father and wife.

The park itself was great for a day trip, but I'll try to reserve myself a campsite at another local park, such as Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. But for something different, it was a nice change of pace.

Do you have any tips of things to do while at Proud Lake, or any great photos from a visit? I'd love to see more.