Tuesday, July 1, 2025

07/01/25

 Happy first day of July!  I was able to capture a semi decent image of a beautiful male Wood Duck while I was in Minnesota.  It was out on one of the small ponds by the barn when I was headed out to dinner one evening.  I wish I had been closer and that the light had been better but will take what I can get.  😁 They have such a beautiful coloration/pattern to them.



Monday, June 30, 2025

06/30/25

 Happy Monday, happy new week and happy last day of June.  My goodness the summer is going quickly.  I have had a few opportunities recently for butterfly images.  They have not been as plentiful as I would like, no sign of Painted Ladies yet.  This is a female Black Swallowtail on my Butterfly Milkweed that I was able to capture last weekend.



Sunday, June 29, 2025

06/29/25

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  Today's image once again is from my recent week in Minnesota.  They hold a Kid's Day every year during the Steam School weekend and it was as popular as ever.  We had lots of riders who enjoyed being behind a steam engine.  I took this image during a test run I was doing the day before in front of the cool coaling tower that was donated to the railroad along with the buildings seen in other pictures and videos.  

I have a short video of the train traveling past this Coaling Tower HERE:


Saturday, June 28, 2025

06/28/25

 While I was out looking for wildlife photo opportunities I was down by the big pond on the grounds.  It was so still and serene with nice reflections.  It was quite the contrast to what we are having lately with high winds and heat.



Friday, June 27, 2025

06/27/25

 It's Friday, TGIF!  While in Minnesota a couple weeks ago, I was able to capture this Redwing Blackbird as it sat beside a pond.  The water and Cottonwood fluff made for interesting bokeh behind it so I had to share today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!



Thursday, June 26, 2025

06/26/25

 In the summer I like to go looking for Jewel-wing Damselflies.  They are such a lovely color and their wings are differently shaped than most.  I usually find them around streams in the area.  I was not disappointed this past weekend when I found a few.  I decided to share this one in a bit of a different pose than I usually capture them in, with it's wings open.



Wednesday, June 25, 2025

06/25/25

 It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog!  It's also a double digit day!  😀  Today's wildflower is one that is blooming quite a bit in my area called the Prairie Coneflower.  These flowers usually bloom May through August.  They are part of the Sunflower family.  The leaves and flowers can be used to make a tea and the leaves and stems can be used to treat various things like Poison Ivy.