deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

When I first started collecting flags I decided to fly the flag of the home state of whichever family member’s birthday it was. Since today is my award winning birthday, I fly my home and current state: Michigan.

“The area was first occupied by a succession of Native Americantribes over thousands of years. Inhabited by Natives, Métis, and French explorers in the 17th century, it was claimed as part of the New France colony. After France’s defeat in the French and Indian War in 1762, the region came under British rule. Britain ceded the territory to the newly independent United States after Britain’s defeat in the American Revolutionary War. The area was part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. Michigan Territorywas formed in 1805, but some of the northern border with Canada was not agreed upon until after the War of 1812. Michigan was admitted into the Union in 1837 as the 26th state, a free one. It soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region and a popular émigré destination in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; immigration from many European countries to Michigan was also the busiest at that time, especially for those who emigrated from Finland, Macedonia and the Netherlands.”

And now as a public service, especially for those who will be coming to visit us here on the Shores of Lake St Clair, I present important facts you should know before you arrive.

And, there are only two true Michigan pops.

There is only one place that you must make a pilgrimage to each and every summer:

A few brief comments concerning the state flag. It falls into the category of a bed sheet with the state seal slapped in the center. Unoriginal, not distinctive…dare I say it: boring. Vexillologists rank it low. It is in need of a complete redesign.

Michigan, our home and present state.