Zilwaukee Bridge

Zilwaukee Bridge.
Interstate 675 (I-675) is a 7.7-mile-long (12.4 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway, state trunkline highway and loop route in the US state of Michigan. Splitting from I-75 and US Highway 23, which run north concurrently along the eastern side of Saginaw, I-675 heads west into the downtown area and spans the Saginaw River on the Henry G. Marsh Bridge. After an interchange with M-58, the Interstate turns northward, then runs northeasterly to connect back to I-75. The Marsh Bridge was constructed as an alternative to the Zilwaukee Bridge, which is just southeast of this junction on I-75 over the Saginaw; the I-75 bridge was until 1988 a drawbridge that would impede traffic on the freeway for up to four hours at a time. Construction of I-675 started in 1969 and the freeway opened in 1971. Sections near downtown were reconstructed from 2009 through 2011 to update one of the freeway's interchanges and to rebuild the Marsh Bridge.

Water pipit

Water pipit.
The water pipit (Anthus spinoletta) is a small songbird which breeds in the mountains of Southern Europe and Southern Asia eastwards to China. It is a short-distance migrant; many birds move to lower altitudes or wet open lowlands in winter. In breeding plumage it has greyish-brown upperparts, weakly streaked with darker brown, and pale pink-buff underparts fading to whitish on the lower belly. The head is grey with a broad white eyebrow, and the outer tail feathers are white. The winter colours are duller, with more brown. Water pipits construct a cup-like nest on the ground under vegetation or in cliff crevices and lay four to six speckled greyish-white eggs, which hatch in about two weeks with about two more weeks until the chicks fledge. Although pipits occasionally catch insects in flight, they feed mainly on small invertebrates picked off the ground or vegetation, and also on some plant material. The species population is large and stable overall.

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J. R. Kealoha

J. R. Kealoha.
J. R. Kealoha (died March 5, 1877) was a Native Hawaiian who fought in the American Civil War at a time when the Kingdom of Hawaii was an independent nation. He enlisted in the 41st United States Colored Infantry (USCT), formed in Pennsylvania. Participating in the Siege of Petersburg, he met the Hawaiʻi-born Colonel Samuel Armstrong, who recorded their encounter. With the 41st USCT, Kealoha was present at the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865. He returned to Hawaiʻi, where he died and was buried in an unmarked grave in Honolulu's Oʻahu Cemetery. In 2010, Kealoha and more than 100 other Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi-born "Hawaiʻi Sons of the Civil War" were commemorated with a bronze plaque erected along the memorial pathway at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In 2014, a grave marker (pictured) was dedicated over Kealoha's burial site.

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A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea.
A Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy novel written by American author Ursula K. Le Guin (pictured). First published by the small press Parnassus in 1968, it is considered a classic of fantasy and of children's literature. Set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea, the story centers around a gifted mage named Ged. His prickly nature drives him into a duel with an older pupil at a school of wizardry, during which his spell goes awry and releases a shadow creature that attacks him. The novel follows his journey to be free of the creature. Often described as a coming-of-age story, the book explores Ged's process of learning to cope with power and come to terms with death. Taoist themes are reflected in a fundamental balance in the universe of Earthsea, which wizards are supposed to maintain. Margaret Atwood called the novel one of the "wellsprings" of fantasy literature. It was followed by five other volumes sharing a setting; the six works are collectively known as the Earthsea Cycle.

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