Friday, May 31, 2019

5/31/19

We are now 2 whole days without rain.  Weird to be saying that when i usually want it but after having so much this spring, I am ready for a dry spell.  
I was out photographing a frog in my pond when this Damselfly came and sat down right next to me.  Since Friday is about bokeh and this had some nice sparkly bokeh I had to share it.


Thursday, May 30, 2019

5/30/19

We went a day without rain basically!  It sprinkled slightly as I was going to work yesterday but the rest of the day was partly cloudy and dry.  Nice.  The Iris in my various gardens bloomed very well this year.  I have yellow ones over by the large pond that were new to me this year.  Only a couple purple ones bloomed there last year.  These had many blooms and were quite beautiful.  I was able to capture this one in some sunlight.


Wednesday, May 29, 2019

5/29/19

Hopefully after 5 days straight of 1/2 inch rains each day or more we will dry out for a bit.  We are supposed to be rain free for 2 days at least now.  
I have had Blue-jays coming to visit rather regularly.  This isn't the best pic ever but I liked it wit the 2 of them together.  I am guessing Mr and Mrs but I don't know how you tell.  They were out shortly after a recent rain.


Tuesday, May 28, 2019

5/28/19

A year ago today I was at my favorite railroad, riding the Cumbres & Toltec.  Ah good times.  It was a lot drier then as well.  Hope New Mexico and Colorado are getting rain as well, maybe not so much as us but they were in a drought as well.  My image for today is of some lovely Lilies friends of mine have.  I blurred the background to make them stand out more.


Monday, May 27, 2019

5/27/19

We have had over an inch of rain in the past 2 nights bringing the total for the month to over 9 inches.  We didn't get 9 inches total for the year last year.  This is quite crazy.  The plants and weeds are loving it though.  This is my spring Speedwell in bloom.  I love it's blue color and it was just full of blooms this year.


Sunday, May 26, 2019

5/26/19

Yesterday I went to a friend's Garden Train Steam Up that he holds every year over this weekend.  Some great people there who are fun to talk with and get advice on trains from.  I was running my C-21 made by Accucraft and this is an image of it as it was coming around the coaling area.


Saturday, May 25, 2019

5/25/19

I went to the waterfall at the Geary State Fishing Lake yesterday with a friend who had never seen it before.  It was a good time, people were accommodating and friendly and the water was not too high to enjoy.  The last time I had been there it was flowing so heavy it was hard to really see and photograph it well.  This is what it looked like yesterday.


Friday, May 24, 2019

5/24/19

I have another bird with bokeh today.  The Baltimore Orioles have been going crazy at the feeders, they have even been eating peanuts this year along with grape jelly and nectar.  The females are usually rare to see but even they have been around a lot.  I actually was able to capture this female while she was sitting in the River Birch.


Thursday, May 23, 2019

5/23/19

This is another of my frog buddies at the pond.  It's so funny to walk along the edge of the water and they all go leaping in.  This one is a fairly young and very small one that came out and clung to the rock after jumping into the water. 


Wednesday, May 22, 2019

5/22/19

We are up to 7.63 inches for the month now and more still possible.  Crazy.  This image seems like a long time ago. Pear tree blossoms in early spring.


Tuesday, May 21, 2019

5/21/19

So for the month of May, we have had 7 inches of rain, the majority of it, this past few days.  It can stop for awhile now.  The ground is so saturated, it is coming in my basement in a place it never had before.  Mainly due to the gutter issue saturating everything against the house so bad and now it can't dry out.  
On to nicer things and my image.  I was able to photograph my first Ladybug on Saturday.  It was actually on the leaf of a weed I was about to pull.  I made sure it was alright though.


Monday, May 20, 2019

5/20/19

My iris are blooming everywhere in various colors.  This is an antique variety that I love the colors of, very different in my opinion.  I shot it against a portable white background.


Sunday, May 19, 2019

5/19/19

Well, this spring has been quite different than last.  In fact the rain can stop for a while now.  We have some water in the basement again and not due to a gutter.  Fortunately not as bad as the last time but not good.  
This spring rain has been good for the plants though.  My miniature Lilac on the Garden Railroad is in full bloom and looking lovely.  Here is the Live Steam Shay by it.


Saturday, May 18, 2019

5/18/19

I have had a lot of Bumble Bees visiting the Salvia this spring.  Wish I had more Honey bees though.  I captured these 2 bumbles enjoying it last weekend.



Friday, May 17, 2019

5/17/19

I have a Phoebe that is nesting above a window in the back of the house.  It likes to sit on a pole I had an LED solar light on.  I was able to capture this shot of it the other day.  Posting this image today because Fridays are also about the bokeh and this one had some great bokeh for a background.


Thursday, May 16, 2019

5/16/19

It is hot.  Supposed to be in the 90s on Thursday, which is tomorrow as I write this.  High 80s are bad enough for May.  Looking forward to the weekend when it is supposed to cool off.
I had a Red Admiral Butterfly come visit my Golden Spiraea last week.  I liked how the colors worked together.


Wednesday, May 15, 2019

5/15/19

Of course now that it has stopped raining we have gone right to summer with temps in the 80s.  It would have been nice to stay in the 70s for a while longer.  My image for the day was shot with my Google Pixel 3 phone.  I am impressed with it's abilities and it is nice to have a backup when I don't have my actual camera available.  I loved how the tree was reflecting on the water of the pond in this image.


Tuesday, May 14, 2019

5/14/19

The Cactus in the office at work bloomed again.  For the first time ever it had 3 blooms at once.  I was given a tip by a friend to pour some orange soda over it earlier in the year.  It supposedly makes them bloom better.  Not sure if that is what did it but this is the most blooms at one time that it ever had.  This image is a 3 image focus stack to bring out all the detail.


Monday, May 13, 2019

5/13/19

Today's image is a companion to yesterday.  This is the sheep pasture that the Cumbres & Toltec Railway heads through on the way back to Chama New Mexico or just before Lobato Trestle on the way to Antonito Colorado.



Sunday, May 12, 2019

5/12/19

We received another 1/3 of an inch of rain last night.  This spring is quite different than last year.  Although it was more summer that was so dry for a long time but if the same thing happens this year, at least we have a good start for everything.  
My image today is another from almost a year ago now.  Last May I was riding and then chasing the Cumbres & Toltec.  This image is just after Lobato trestle on the way back to Chama New Mexico.  It is just about to head through a sheep farm.


Saturday, May 11, 2019

5/11/19

Well, it's dreary out again today.  We have gotten a lot of rain and have not seen the sun much lately.  I don't get a chance to take sunrise shots very often and often because they aren't all that inspiring.  This is a lovely one from January that I had missed sharing.


Friday, May 10, 2019

5/10/19

The sun came out for a bit this evening.  It has been so dreary with all the rain, it was nice to see a bit of sun and then the moon.  Fridays are about the bokeh and I love the bubbly bokeh behind this Tulip.  My Tulips are all done now, the rain beat the petals off the last of them.  They put on a lovely show this year. 


Thursday, May 9, 2019

5/9/19

I am always wishing for rain but I could do without for a while.  Started off the day with a flood in the basement due to a clogged gutter from Elm Tree seeds and leaves from the storm the day before.  I think we have had about 5 inches in the last few days.  Feast or famine it seems.
Anyway, my photo for the day is of a beautiful Poppy.  I love Poppies and have tried another variety to see how it does here in Kansas.  It bloomed the other day and I was able to capture a photo of it.


Wednesday, May 8, 2019

5/8/19

My Leopard frog buddies are back at the pond.  They are quite loud when they croak to each other.  I captured this one sunning himself on the rocks.


Tuesday, May 7, 2019

5/7/19

Tonight we had quite the storm.  Lots of hail, fortunately small.  It damaged some plants like Hostas for some friends but I got lucky and things seem to be OK.  This is a macro I took recently of one of my favorite plants, a Bleeding Heart with dew drops on it.


Monday, May 6, 2019

5/6/19

The Orioles are back.  I have seen 3 males but no females yet.  They always seem a bit slower to show up.  I caught this one curiously eyeing my butterfly LED lights.  


Sunday, May 5, 2019

5/5/19

It is a beautiful day here in Kansas.  It's a little more windy than I would like but sunny and the temps are lovely.  My image today goes back to a lovely May day last year and the Cumbres & Toltec train heading over the Lobato Trestle on it's way back to Chama New Mexico.


Saturday, May 4, 2019

5/4/19

This is a bit different image for me.  This is an antique mailbox that some friends of mine have.  I love the character of it with the rust patina and just the old style look to it.  This type of mailbox would be fun to have instead of the boring boxy ones they are around now.


Friday, May 3, 2019

5/3/19

We finally saw the sun for the first time in a few days on Thursday as I write this.  It still seems weird to write the day before.  It was quite lovely as it had been so dreary for several days.  As I was uploading today's image to share I realized that when the Lilacs bloom, my first large butterfly visitor has often been this one.  I have photos from several years of a beautiful male Tiger Swallowtail visiting them.  So a sure sign that Spring is here.It was very nice to see and get fairly close to this one.


Thursday, May 2, 2019

5/2/19

It's been quite dreary out lately.  Hoping for some sun even though I have been happy for the rain.  My neighbor's small cherry tree is in bloom.  I took a shot of the dainty flowers this past weekend.  I love the very red of these leaves as well.


Wednesday, May 1, 2019

5/1/19

Well, we received a lot of rain today, which as I write this is Tuesday.  The ponds are nice and full and everything I have planted so far is well watered.  Nice.  I thought I would share something whimsical.  Hope you enjoy it.  From my garden this weekend.