Patterson's Engraving

02/26/2026

02/25/2026

02/23/2026

Another successful climb up the Hancock tower today. I finished in just 23:14, but very proud of George's 13:04 placing him 6th overall out of 1900 runners. yay us!!

04/14/2025

04/14/2025

The "Lily Pad Room" is one of the most stunning features of Missouri's Onondaga Cave State Park. This room among the Onondaga Cave System features lily pad formations in crystal clear water surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites. The cave tours offered here will take you to the Lily Pad Room, and also throughout much of the rest of the cave system where you can see soda straws, flow stones, and a number of other awesome geologial formations underground. Above ground, you'll find trails throughout the park that offer excellent views of the Meramec River and surrounding area.

📷: H. Taylor

04/14/2025

The Upper Peninsula's Pictured Rocks Waterfalls Road Trip takes you to ten of the most stunning waterfalls you’ll find among Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along Michigan's coastline with Lake Superior. The UP is home to many beautiful waterfalls, but you’ll find all ten of the falls along this route packed into a short 80-mile stretch, so you’ll spend much more time exploring and enjoying the waterfalls and surrounding Pictured Rocks area than you will in the car. Many of these waterfalls do require a hike to view them, but viewing each of these beautiful falls and the surrounding wilderness makes it well worth it.

📍1) Sable Falls
📍2) Spray Falls
📍3) Chapel Falls
📍4) Mosquito Falls
📍5) Miners Falls
📍6) Elliot Falls
📍7) Bridalveil Falls
📍8) Munising Falls
📍9) Wagner Falls
📍10) Alger Falls

04/14/2025

Breathtaking waterfalls look straight out of a fairytale!

04/14/2025

Michigan’s Lake Superior Lighthouses Road Trip takes you to 12 of the most stunning and historic lights you'll find among the Upper Peninsula! This route hugs the Upper Peninsula’s coastline with Superior from the Keweenaw Peninsula all the way to Whitefish Point, making for a scenic drive and heading through a number of the UP's best coastal towns along the way. There are a handful of other lighthouses located on offshore islands you could also make plans to explore along this route, as well as a number of other scenic pit stops you can take for a memorable summer road trip across the UP!

📍1) Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Lighthouse
📍2) Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
📍3) Copper Harbor Lighthouse
📍4) Mendota (Bete Grise) Lighthouse*
📍5) Big Bay Point Lighthouse
📍6) Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Lighthouse
📍7) Marquette Harbor Lighthouse
📍8) Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Lighthouse
📍9) Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse
📍10) Au Sable Light Station
📍11) Crisp Point Lighthouse
📍12) Whitefish Point Lighthouse

*The Mendota Lighthouse grounds and tower are closed to the public but it can be viewed from across the Mendota Canal, which can be accessed via the Bete De Gris Road.

03/28/2025

“I drive a school bus and there's a 6th grader I want to talk about.
Last week, he mentioned that his elderly neighbor hadn’t left her house in weeks. I tried to explain how difficult it can be for someone her age to manage daily tasks. Then, on Tuesday, when I pulled up to his stop, he wasn’t there waiting. I glanced over and saw him shoveling her porch. Since I was early, I decided to wait for him. The other kids on the bus asked why I was waiting, and I told them, "Anyone helping someone deserves a few extra minutes."
What happened next truly warmed my heart. The other kids started asking him questions about his neighbor, and the next day, seven children got on the bus with blankets, food, and handmade cards for the elderly woman. After work, I delivered those gifts to her. Now, every day, she stands on her porch, and the whole bus waves good morning to her.
I'm so proud of this young man for stepping up and doing the right thing. He taught all the children something valuable. Every day, I smile with pride in my heart because of the extraordinary kids I have on my bus.”❤

03/11/2025

07/10/2024