Friday, March 31, 2017

3/31/17

I was very happy to see that my Lilacs were not open enough to get hurt by the hard freeze we had.  They are slowly starting to bloom in the dreary rainy weather we have been having.  The rain has made for some nice photos though.  This is a macro image of one of the bunches with a couple of drops.


Thursday, March 30, 2017

3/30/17

Well we sure are getting the Spring rain.  Looks like more coming too though I think we have had enough for right now, the ground is pretty soggy.  I found today's image while I was going through  the archives looking for something else.  I love this type of Iris and there was this lovely one blooming in Minnesota that I had taken several shots of.  I was pleased to see this image had an added bonus of a bee in focus in it as well.  Hope to see some bees this year.  They are missing the Spring blooming with all the rain and cold.


Wednesday, March 29, 2017

3/29/17

Some nice and much needed rain we are getting.  Hopefully it all doesn't come at once and then stop.  Last week I was in Pennsylvania and one day walking down by the Conodoguinet Creek by my dad's house where I almost always see some type of wildlife.  I was treated to something new this time and made me wish for a bigger lens because they were not very close when I was able to capture them.  This is a female and male Hooded Mergansers that were floating on the creek.  They had actually been closer at one point but I was not expecting anything to be right there and scared them off.  


Tuesday, March 28, 2017

3/28/17

So we had some good rain, with chances for more, and the Redbud trees are blooming.  I thought that made for a good combination for a macro shot.


Monday, March 27, 2017

3/27/17

I have had this shot around for a while and it fit for the theme of Birds In Flight for Bird Poker today on G+.  This is a very common sight in Kansas, in fact I just saw one yesterday gliding around in a much drearier sky.  This is a Tukey Vulture or Buzzard (Cathartes aura) gliding on the thermals over my home one summer day.


Sunday, March 26, 2017

3/26/17

Dreary day today but at least we are getting some Spring showers.  My image today is another of the locomotive I get to fire on in Minnesota as it clears out it's cylinders in the fog after stopping to pick up passengers one morning.  I just found out yesterday that this locomotive will be featured on the cover of Trains Magazine in May, how cool is that!  The 363 is an ex Soo Line switch engine that runs at the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion each Labor Day weekend.





Saturday, March 25, 2017

3/25/17

We finally got rain!  Nice!  Hope it helps the plants and flowers along.  That wind we had been having really dried it out.  I have not seen any colorful sunrises or sunsets for a while to photograph or at least be in a good spot to photograph it.  This is a lovely sunset from back in November that I was able to see and capture.


Friday, March 24, 2017

3/24/17

So I was able to get this image while the Ornamental Pears were blooming during our short Spring.  I liked the bokeh a lot in this image created by the other blossoms. 


Thursday, March 23, 2017

3/23/17

This is an image I have had around for a bit.  If I knew what these berries were when I originally took the photo I have forgotten.  If anyone knows that would be great if you leave me a comment with an ID.  I just liked the circle shapes on the bottom of each berry and thought they made for an interesting subject.


Wednesday, March 22, 2017

3/22/17

So spring is springing  up like crazy with our summery weather so Tulips in the ground are quickly coming up.  This image is actually from an arrangement of spring bulbs I got as a gift from my sis-in-law this year.  Red is a very hard color to photograph and get good detail but I was happy with this image and the details I was able to capture in the petals.


Tuesday, March 21, 2017

3/21/17

So it's officially Spring but having a bit of summer right off but hopefully back to the correct weather now.  I captured this image a few weeks ago of this Nuthatch that has been visiting one of my feeders.  I love to watch these birds walking face first down the tree trunks.  Too cute.  I caught this one when it posed for me for just a moment.


Monday, March 20, 2017

3/20/17

My image today is a bit different since I am not into spiders much, they creep me out.  I was able to get a shot of this one without getting too close.  ðŸ˜€  I've had this shot around for a while but never shared it.  It seemed to fit for a theme on G+ today so I thought, why not.  It's a good nature shot.  LOL  So I hope it doesn't creep you out to much.



Sunday, March 19, 2017

3/19/17

My steamy image for today goes back to the Henry Ford Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan from this past summer.  Here, the beautifully kept up locomotive No. 7 is pulling a train out of the trees after a stop at one of the stations on the grounds.  It was clearing water out of the cylinders so putting out a bit of steam as it started off.



Saturday, March 18, 2017

3/18/17

I took this image this past summer in Michigan.  I saw several types of waterbirds this particular evening on the shore of Lake Erie.  I captured this Canada Goose out for a swim and I liked the light and bit of reflection in the water.


Friday, March 17, 2017

3/17/17

Well, it's been Spring, then Summer, then Winter, then Summer.  What wacky weather.  I wish we would get some rain though, it's so dry.  I took this image last Friday during our short Spring of some Ornamental Pear tree blossoms.  This is actually a focus stack of 2 images to bring out details in the 2 main blossoms but yet still keep a nice soft background.


Thursday, March 16, 2017

3/16/17

So this image today is an older one and even processed a while back and I never shared for some reason. I can tell because I don't make my watermark so prominent any longer.  I thought it was fitting, a summer photo for a summer like day.  The weather has been literally yoyoing and we are going back to mid 70s today after highs only in the 40s.  Crazy.  This is a Painted Lady Butterfly on Missouri Goldenrod which used to grow at the edge of our yard before all the roadwork.  


Wednesday, March 15, 2017

3/15/17

I find these birds difficult to photograph most times.  They are like Chickadees and always moving around it seems.  I got lucky last week and this one posed for a few moments so I was able to capture a couple of close shots of it.  It's a Titmouse, not sure how to tell if it's male or female but I find them fun birds to watch.


Tuesday, March 14, 2017

3/14/17

Spring had sprung around here last week a bit.  I had a group of miniature Daffodils open up and bloom and they are actually still doing well despite the cold temperatures.  I took this macro of one of them using a white background.  


Monday, March 13, 2017

3/13/17

Posting a bit late today as I have to work longer days this week.  I'll get Friday off so it will be worth it.  :-)  Anyway, my image today is of the Bald Eagle I was able to get fairly close to at Milford Lake.  I finally decided it had enough of me taking it's picture and decided to leave and find somewhere else to sit.  I got lucky and was able to capture it in focus as it left the branch it was sitting on.


Sunday, March 12, 2017

3/12/17

The snow yesterday was too wet and not good for snowflake images.  Unfortunately winter is back today and plants are looking pretty sad.  My image today goes back to a nice warm day in Minnesota at the Steam Threshers Reunion.  I was in the Roundhouse for the safety meeting and took this image of the locomotive I get to help fire on.  You can also see another I have fired on behind, a Porter locomotive that is currently not running due to needing some work done on it.  It's a fun one to fire on but small so not as popular because it gets pretty hot in the cab.  I enjoy it and hope it gets repaired some day.  353 is well liked because it's bigger and the cab is more roomy and it can pull a longer train.



Saturday, March 11, 2017

3/11/17

Trying to get snow photos but it's not good snow.  No single flakes.  Warming up for a bit.
My image for today is a summery one from a trip to West Virginia.  Over on Google + the daily theme was Squares and this image fit the bill.  I love finding these old barns.  Mail Pouch Tobacco barns were quite popular at one time along highways in the US.  I saw this one on a trip to West Virginia when I was going back to the campsite after a train ride.  The Mail Pouch Headquarters was in WV and I go by the town all the time and always think I'll stop next time and still haven't done it.  


Friday, March 10, 2017

3/10/17

Well Spring had sprung here in our area and now it will probably all go bye bye since we are supposed to have killing frosts during the next 3 or 4 days.  Sigh.  I knew it would happen, this was way too early.  So anyway, I took a few shots to remember Spring by.  Here is one of some of my Crocus blooming in my garden with some lovely muted bubble bokeh behind.  


Thursday, March 9, 2017

3/9/17

I took this image while I was in Michigan after I was able to get some shots of an Egret.  This part of the stream was quite dirty, not sure if it was stuff off the trees or what.  I thought it created some nice bokeh.  I believe this duck is a Mallard.  There were several around at the time but I liked this image of this solitary one.


Wednesday, March 8, 2017

3/8/17

I captured this image this past summer.  I thought it made it even more summery that it was sitting on my sun decoration in the garden.  This is a Twelve Spot Dragonfly that decided to pose for me for a bit.  


Tuesday, March 7, 2017

3/7/17

Well that was wacky weather yesterday.  Luckily nothing too serious here and not much rain either which we could have used after the wind we have been having.  My image today is from Autumn and of some Ornamental Pear tree leaves that seem to glow in the late afternoon sun at that time of year.


Monday, March 6, 2017

3/6/17

This is another of the snowflakes that I was able to capture.  I learned how to do what is called "Focus Stacking" with this image as well.  When looking through my images I saw that I had taken 2 shots of this one.  If the focus is different in each, you can stack them together and make one image with details from both.  The photographer I follow on G+ that does amazing snowflakes takes around 40 images of 1 flake and stacks them together.  While mine is nowhere near his quality, for a first time effort I was pleased with it.  With this weather we are having I doubt I will be able to tray again until next year though.


Sunday, March 5, 2017

3/5/17

Yikes it's windy out this weekend.  Really drying things out around here.  My image today is another from the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag.  The ex Soo Line Switch locomotive is pulling a load of passengers around the grounds on one of the early runs before my shift.  Here it is passing by the yard and Roundhouse area.



Saturday, March 4, 2017

3/4/17

So a nice warm weekend ahead.  So weird but I like it.  My image today is another flower macro but it fit a theme over on G+ of Leading Lines.  I love how the lines on the flowers seem to lead you into the center.  These were a couple of Wave Petunias that I had growing in the garden railway this year.  They added some nice color.


Friday, March 3, 2017

3/3/17

I had several groups and colors of these Alyssum flowers that are supposed to attract Hummingbirds.  I never saw one by them but they were lovely flowers in the garden.  The flowers are pretty tiny on them so this is a macro of a few blooms.  They generally grew in ball shaped clusters of blooms.




Thursday, March 2, 2017

3/2/17

I was able to get this image earlier this year during what was supposed to be our big ice event but turned out to be mostly rain.  This Chickadee sat long enough for a photo.  It was nice as they are usually constantly moving so getting them to pose can be difficult.  It was perched in the River Birch and this is shot through a couple of panes of glass so I am pleased with the clarity.


Wednesday, March 1, 2017

3/1/17

Happy March!  A bit colder but actual Spring seems more in sight now.  I was looking through photos and found this guy and decided to share it.  A frog that visited my pond this past summer that was kind enough to pose for me.