Pure Michigan

This is a post that I've been planning for a while but just haven't got it written.
The idea for this started one day last year when I went running around 9pm and got back around 9:30 pm and found a text message from my friend who lives in New York City.  My reply began, "I just saw this, I just got back from running."  My friend then asked if I had been running in the dark and I said that it's not dark yet.  He said that it was completely dark there.  I had to go outside and take a picture and send it to prove that it was still light out and then he thought that I must be in a different time zone!  I'm not; we're in the same time zone.  Michigan is on the Western edge of the eastern time zone so the sun sets later here than on the eastern edge of the time zone where New York is.
This is my favorite time of the year - when we have the most hours of daylight.  It's light until 9:45ish and you can still see at 9:55 pm.  I remember when I worked 6 pm - 6 am and it was full sunlight when I drove home at 6 am.  I hated it in the winter when it was dark when I drove into work at 5:30 pm and dark all night when I worked and still dark when I drove home at 6 am.  In the summer, I drove to work in the daylight and worked several hours in light and then it became light again before my shift was over.
I know I once read that Michigan either was or was supposed to be in the central time zone but someone with some authority, governor maybe, thought that it was important to be in the same time zone as Washington, DC and fought hard to get Michigan in the eastern time zone.  I can't remember all the details and I can't find this information now but I KNOW that I read that. 
Anyway, I wanted to take a series of pictures between 9:30 pm and 10 pm at the time of the year when we have the most daylight.   I took these on June 30th.  I'm already noticing a little difference around 9:30.  It's already getting dark earlier.
These were taken with my cell phone.  It's the barn across the road from the house.
This first picture was taken at 9:30 pm.  It's still fully light out and the barn is easy to see.  This is the time when my friend in NYC said it was completely dark there.

9:30 pm on June 30th in southeast Michigan

Next, 9:45 pm; it's beginning to get dark now.  Once it starts to get dark, it gets dark fast.  Most cars would  now have their lights on. 

9:45pm on June 30 in southeast Michigan

Now, 9:55 pm, it's almost dark but you can still see the barn. My solar lights are on now.  (that's what the little blue dot is.)

9:55 pm on June 30 in southeast Michigan

Finally, 10 pm.  It's pretty much dark.  You can just barely see the barn.

10 pm on June 30 in southeast Michigan

By 10:05 nothing showed when I took a picture.
So, that is late Spring/early Summer in Michigan!  It's my favorite time of the year!  It doesn't last long so I enjoy it while I can.  

Today I drove to workout class at the Y with the heat on in my car.  Huh?  At the end of July?  It was only 63 degrees.  This is so not fair.  I want my summer!   It looks like it's going to warm up for the rest of the week.

Runner Nerd
loves summer