Monday, May 31, 2021

5/31/21

 It's Memorial Day, a day we set aside here in the US to remember those we have lost.  I don't really think we need a special day as they are remembered always.  This is a Poppy from my garden that has been blooming this past weekend.  I love the crinkly paper texture of the petals of these flowers.



Sunday, May 30, 2021

5/30/21

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  Dipping back in the archives today to my first trip to the Grand Canyon several years ago.  Trains work well as Black & White images I think and I like to get back to my roots in photography now and then so here you go.  An image of the steam locomotive that pulled our train out to the Canyon and back to Williams Arizona.



Saturday, May 29, 2021

5/29/21

 I haven't had one of these to post in a while.  We had a lovely sunset on Tuesday night.  There were interesting clouds around due to storms in the north.  



Friday, May 28, 2021

5/28/21

 I saw and captured my first Monarch last Sunday!  I was walking around in the yard with my camera and taking a couple of images of the Peonies in bloom and what do I spot also enjoying them?  To my great surprise, a Monarch!  I was only able to capture a couple of shots before it fluttered off but I did get one pretty good image.  It has some lovely creamy bokeh behind so sharing it today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!



Thursday, May 27, 2021

5/27/21

 I was walking recently due to it being a rainy day and was treated to a surprise in a pond near my turn around point.  There was a Heron standing there in the pond.  I got a couple of photos of that but I also liked this image I was able to get of it taking off.  I am sure it was not happy with me around.



Wednesday, May 26, 2021

5/26/21

 It's Wildflower Wednesday on the Blog!  The flowers are really blooming like blooming like crazy and there are so many to choose from to share these days.  I decided on this one which I was surprised I didn't have many good photos of.  I took this image on Sunday.  This is a beautiful wild Prairie Rose bloom that had a lovely rich pink color.



Tuesday, May 25, 2021

5/25/21

 My photos I have been able to capture of the Baltimore Orioles have not been in the most natural settings but I take what I can get.  This is a closeup I was able to get of a female which shows very well  the less vibrant color of them.  The females tend more to a dull yellow/orange color and with the same accent patterns on their wings but in a more brownish color.



Monday, May 24, 2021

5/24/21

 I captured my first Ladybug of the year the other day while working in my garden.  I transplanted an Autumn Sedum that had decided to grow in the yard.  When I went to water it I saw this Ladybug on it, not sure if it was there during the move or not but it didn't seem to bother it if it was.



Sunday, May 23, 2021

5/23/21

 It's Steamy Sunday!  The only Lilac that was still in bloom last week was my miniature one in my garden railway.  I took my Live Steam locomotive out and did some posing shots with it.



Saturday, May 22, 2021

5/22/21

 I seem to be doing alternate day bird photos this week.  I have a lot to share as I have had several opportunities lately.  I saw this Killdeer on a walk this last week past a home near me.  I am guessing it has a nest somewhere near the end of their driveway.  I saw the owner out mowing the other day around the area so hope it is OK.



Friday, May 21, 2021

5/21/21

 It's Friday and a double digit day, sort of.  😀  My Lilacs are basically all done now due to the large rains washing all the blooms off.  My very fragrant ones attracted this Clearwing Moth one day while I was over by them and I was able to get several shots of it.  Another bloom was providing the bokeh because it's also about the bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!



Thursday, May 20, 2021

5/20/21

 The Baltimore Orioles are back in our area as well as the Hummers.  They arrived at about the same time.  We have 4 pairs and they are going through the jelly like crazy.  I have a different looking feeder now but it still has the same 2 jars.  This is a male, they are more vivid orange than the females.



Wednesday, May 19, 2021

5/19/21

 It's Wildflower Wednesday on the Blog.  The Blue Wild Indigo is in bloom in the area.  Looks beautiful popping above the grass everywhere.



Tuesday, May 18, 2021

5/18/21

 The Meadowlarks are back.  I have seen them and the Dickcissels on my recent walks.  Here is an image I captured of one singing on top of a cedar tree that I rather liked.



Monday, May 17, 2021

5/17/21

 These flowers were finished even before the Tulips were, they are the first to bloom here in my area.  The Daffodils seem to increase in numbers every year, I wish the Tulips did the same.  I loved these with the white petals and yellow centers.



Sunday, May 16, 2021

5/16/21

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  Today's image goes back to Michigan and the Steamfest I went to where I was able to see several famous steam locomotives.  This is Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society's 765.  765 is a Berkshire type, 2-8-4 locomotive, named after the mountains it was used in.  &65 was built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works.  It retired in 1958, donated to the city in 1963 and then sat in a park until 1972.  It is now powered exclusively by volunteers for use in it's educational programs.



Saturday, May 15, 2021

5/15/21

 The Tulips have been done for a little while here.  They were quite lovely this year while they lasted.  This is a small group of beautiful red ones that someone had growing down the street from me.  I was drawn to the light on them.



Friday, May 14, 2021

5/14/21

 While I was in Missouri, the Blue Jays were a bit cooperative while waiting to go and get their peanuts.  I captured this one in the pear tree with some lovely bubbly bokeh.  Sharing today because Friday's are Bokehlicious!  



Thursday, May 13, 2021

5/13/21

 Bee butt!  😂  I was in Missouri this past weekend and the Dogwood tree at my in-law's home was in bloom and was just full of flowers and lovely.  You could hear the bees buzzing around the flowers and I was able to capture a few of them.  This is one I captured as it flew off away from where I was.



Wednesday, May 12, 2021

5/12/21

 It's Wildflower Wednesday!  Today's flower is a very small and delicate one.  I had a hard time getting a decent image due to the wind but I finally managed one.  This is White Eyed Grass.



Tuesday, May 11, 2021

5/11/21

 The Hummingbirds have returned this spring.  This is a Ruby Throated male that I have been able to capture taking a drink at the feeder.



Monday, May 10, 2021

5/10/21

Last year I had a lovely Anemone.  It bloomed very prettily and then was eaten to the ground by something, most likely a rabbit.  So, for now I just have the photos of it's lovely flower.  I wanted to buy another for this year but didn't see one.  This is a macro image of one of the flowers it produced.



Sunday, May 9, 2021

5/9/21

 It's Steamy Sunday!  I have one more Cripple Creek and Victor image to share.  Another one that shows off the narrow gauge rail that it runs on and a bit of the area.  This is the 0-4-0 locomotive that is currently in use for rides.  It travels south of Cripple Creek to the deserted mining town of Anaconda and then returns.



Saturday, May 8, 2021

5/8/21

 This is the 4th type of butterfly I was able to capture this year.  When my Lilacs were in full bloom a couple weekends ago they were visited by several Red Admiral butterflies.  I was able to capture several images of them.  I only seem to see them in the spring.  They must not like the heat much.  



Friday, May 7, 2021

5/7/21

 TGIF!  I've got a great bokeh image for you today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious.  This is a macro of the Fern Peony I have from the hubster's grandmother.  I am always pleased to see it bloom.  It's fern branches are creating the lovely sofy bokeh.  It always blooms much earlier than my traditional Peonies.



Thursday, May 6, 2021

5/6/21

 Happy Thursday.  More honey bees and Crabapple blossoms for today.  The Crabapples are done blooming now but were quite beautiful while they lasted.  I was glad the bees enjoyed them too.



Wednesday, May 5, 2021

5/5/21

 It's a double digit day and it's Wildflower Wednesday!  The wildflowers here in my part of Kansas are starting to bloom like crazy and it is hard to choose what to share.  I decided on Rose Verbena for today because I liked how this macro image turned out.  This is actually a 2 image focus stack.  



Tuesday, May 4, 2021

5/4/21

 Well, I got somewhat lucky again on a bike ride recently.  I rode by the lake and there is an inlet that I have regularly seen a Heron or even two at.  On this day there were two and one was fairly close.  I was able to get several photos as is it moved around to various spots.  This was one as it came in to land after it was in another part of the inlet.  I liked the shadow it was casting.



Monday, May 3, 2021

5/3/21

 Our Crocus have been done for a while but I have a photo that I never shared of a group of them that I really liked.  The back lighting of them really seemed to make them glow.  



Sunday, May 2, 2021

5/2/21

 It's Steamy Sunday!  Today we are back in the archives once again and again to the Cripple Creek and Victor Railroad.  This is an image that shows the narrow gauge track fairly well.  Narrow gauge was mainly used in mountain areas to allow for tighter turns in less of an amount of space.  It helped cut costs because they didn't have to do as much cutting out of a hillside.  On some railroads with smaller equipment like this, tunnels would not have to be as large either.



Saturday, May 1, 2021

5/1/21

 Happy May Day!  Today's image is not real.  I took both photos that this is made from but not at the same time.  This is a good example of how you should not believe a lot of the images you see on the internet.  If they are just too good to believe, they probably are faked.  Rarely does everything come together just perfectly.  I have a new photo program and I was playing with it and found how, actually, ridiculously easy it is to produce a more dramatic image than what mostly comes out of the camera.  It dawned on me even more that a really stunning photo is most likely not "real".  Not that this one is stunning but it had more visual interest to me than eith of the images it was made from had on their own.

A rainbow image I took over a field a year or two ago merged with a windmill I shot recently while on a bike ride.