It's Friday, TGIF! My Surprise Lilies are starting to bloom. These are the first ones to emerge and open up. I hope they bring the Hummingbird Moths again. I chose this image for today because of the lovely bubbly bokeh it has because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
While I was working in one of my garden beds the other day, this guy ran across my hand and then kind of stopped and looked at me as if to say, what did I just run over? 😁 We kind of looked at each other and I went back to working on my plants. He stayed around, moving back and forth along the railroad tie that I have on the back part of the bed so I took a few shots of him with my phone. It is a beautiful Blue Tail Skink with a very vibrant blue tail.
It's a double digit day! 😁 It's also Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is one that is basically done flowering and the birds are enjoying the berries that come afterwards. This is Elderberry that can have some very full lacy looking blooms. They bloom May through July. The berries can be used to make jellies and wine. The plants generally only live 3 to 5 years but new ones continue to come up from the rootstock.
I have seen several Killdeers around since they came back to our area this spring. There seems to be a group of them around our high school area that I often see while on a bike ride. I saw them again last week so I stopped to get a few photos of which this is one.
Happy Monday and happy new week! My Butterfly Bush, also known as Buddleia, is finally blooming. I have not seen any butterflies on it yet but hopefully they will find it soon. It's a lovely flower I think.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Since I shared the Porter locomotive in the Roundhouse, here is the other locomotive I get to help fire on, 353, in the Roundhouse as well. It was also having some work done and I was there painting the area under the part that was being repaired. I am looking forward to firing on this locomotive again over Labor Day weekend.
The wild Turkeys have been back with their little ones lately. I was able to capture this family the other evening as they came to visit and get seeds dropped from the bird feeder. The little ones are so cute.
It's Friday, TGIF! I was able to see and capture a Great Spangled Fritillary visiting my Cone Flowers/Echinacea. It was rather tattered looking, wondering if it was damaged in the hail storm. It didn't seem to hurt it's ability to fly or float as I observed it doing both around the blooms and was able to capture it just after takeoff from this one. I am sharing this image today due to the lovely bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
When I am in Minnesota, I usually get to see many dragonflies and damselflies. The area must provide what they like because they are everywhere. I was photographing some Damsels one afternoon when I saw a Dragon returning to basically the same spot repeatedly so I decided to try and capture it in flight. It took a while but I finally managed it. 😁
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is one that is pretty much done blooming in my area now. This was an almost perfect bloom of a Prairie Wild Rose that I found in June. This Rose is very drought hardy but they have not had to worry about that up until this point this year. We have regained all our lacking water and then some. When it rains it pours as they say. Anyway, these usually bloom May through July. The Rose hips have a lot of vitamin C and can be eaten raw.
While I was in Minnesota, I usually take a drive to some favorite spots where I can usually spot some birds. I didn't see many this time but I was treated to a Blue-winged Teal fairly close, at least closer than I usually get. 😏
Happy Monday and happy new week! My small pond's Lilies took quite the beating in the storm with the pads becoming all broken up, you can see some pieces of them in the image. Two days after the storm though, I had one of the most perfect and beautiful Lily blooms open which was quite the surprise and lovely to see amongst the damage.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! When I was up in Minnesota this past June, both the full size locomotives were having some work done to them. Today's post is a bit different as it contains 2 images. This first image is the Porter locomotive, a tank engine meaning it carries it's water over the boiler instead of behind it in a tender. It was inside the roundhouse getting new tubes or flues as shown in the 2nd image. The flues start inside the smokebox and extend to the firebox (where the coal or wood is burning). The heat travels through these flues and heats the water in the boiler to make the steam to power the locomotive. A locomotive can require new tubing for various reasons, the 2 main ones are age and improper firing. If you let cold air into the smoke box the tubes can expand and contract too much and become loose and allow water to leak from the boiler which is not good. It will be nice to see the Porter back out and running at the show over Labor Day weekend.
It's been two weeks ago now since the big storm. This was just before I finally got home after waiting out the rain at the restaurant to ride my bike home. It was also before I knew what damage the storm had brought to my yard which we are still cleaning up. It could have been worse, my home was not damaged like many were in town. It was even difficult to get home on a bike due to flooding and downed trees.
It's Friday, TGIF! With all the rain we have received, my pond has been nice and full and lovely. There were a number of Dragonflies around this past weekend enjoying it and I was able to get a number of shots of them as they perched for a moment on a reed. This one had some beautiful bubbly bokeh behind it so I chose it for today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious! This is a 12 Spot Dragonfly.
Last Friday I was out at the garage earlier in the day than usual. I saw this guy hopping around on the driveway. He stopped long enough for me to get a few shots. Some kind of Toad, I think possibly a Woodhouse's Toad named after Samuel Woodhouse a 19th century naturalist.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is one of my favorites and is actually growing in my garden because I collected some seeds and spread them there. This is Queen Anne's Lace. It blooms June through September. This particular bloom shows off the red spot that helped give it it's name. It is supposed to resemble a drop of blood that Queen Anne supposedly shed when she pricked her finger while sewing some lace. It is in the Parsley family and is also known as a Wild Carrot and can be an aggressive spreader. It is one of my favorite flowers to photograph.
When I was in Minnesota I went for my usual drive to the spots where I can find wildlife fairly reliably. Sure enough, the Redwing Blackbirds were out and about. I captured this one sitting in a plant and calling and showing off why they received their name. 😄
Happy Monday and happy new week! My Hostas are blooming and somehow did not get destroyed in the storm. This is one of the flower stalks on a newer plant. I love the trumpet look to the blooms when they open up.
It's a double digit day today! It's also Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image goes back to my visit to Kansas City to see the Empress, CN 2816. It was difficult to get a photo without people in it as it was only on display sitting and not moving. It was still great to be able to see it though. If you ever want to watch a beautifully filmed and interesting film about railroading in the Canadian Rockies, Rocky Mountain Express is worth your time. This locomotive is the star of that movie and where I first became aware of it.
This image is from Friday June 28 and looks deceptively lovely. It is an image of the end of one of worst storms we have ever had in my immediate area. We had looked at the radar and there was a very small rain cell visible so we decided to ride our bikes to dinner and then by the time we finished eating it would be out of the area. We were very wrong. We were stuck at the restaurant for 2 hours. The storm grew in size and sat over my town and dumped 6.9 inches of rain at my house and collapsed a building in town and caused A LOT of tree damage among other damage. They have decided it was straight line winds of at least 80MPH. We are still cleaning up limb damage on our property.
It's Friday TGIF! My Cone Flower/Echinacea has been blooming and attracting various nature. I captured this Skipper enjoying the blooms one late afternoon. I chose this photo for today due to the bubbly bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
It's Independence Day here in the US! I don't have any recent photos of fireworks so how about some natural looking fireworks. These are Bee Balm flowers in bloom that I planted last year and came back and flowered this year. They have 3 bees visiting, 2 fairly prominent and then a very little one you may have trouble spotting.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! This flower has been very prolific in my area this year. It is Wild Alfalfa. It is a native legume and is very drought hardy as it's roots can grow to 10 feet deep. It resembles Alfalfa but livestock do not particularly like it unless it is cured in prairie hay.
I was able to see a Swan family while on a drive near the area I was staying at in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. I stayed in the truck and was able to be fairly close to them. They still swam away from me though. I believe that these are Trumpeter Swans due to the color of their heads. There cygnets were just adorable.
Happy Monday, and new week and also new month, it's July and the second half of the year! 😁 I have been able to see these butterflies more often this year. Right now they have been around and feasting on all the Mulberries that have dropped to the ground from the tree. This is a Question Mark butterfly, the mark can only be seen when the wings are closed. I captured this one resting on a rock between feedings.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! We are halfway through the year already! Wow, time flies. Here is another posed image of the 14 inch Wagner on the Ortner Railroad. I took this image near the amazingly detailed miniature station that was donated to the railroad last year.
If you would like to view a video of the locomotive operating where this and other neat buildings can be seen, I have a YouTube video here that I shared a while back.
I captured this image while out on a bike ride one day recently. This field was being harvested for wheat. I was going to crop it in closer to show the dust cloud that was being created better but I decided I liked how this showed how large the field was compared to the combine working it. This field is relatively small in comparison to some.
Happy Friday, TGIF! I have been able to se several large types of butterflies this Spring/early summer. I captured this male Black Swallowtail that was enjoying my Butterfly Milkweed recently. I chose this image for today due to the lovely bubbly bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
In Gunderson Pond on the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion grounds, there can be found quite a number of turtles. I captured these 3 on one of the logs. I am pretty sure that these are Painted Turtles. They are the most widespread native turtle of North America.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is one that is very common it seems, Red Clover, which looks more pink to me. 😂 It can be found blooming for quite a long time, May through September. It is used for soil improvement and produces good quality hay for livestock.
I was lucky to see these birds again this Spring. I captured them eating berries out of the Hackberry trees one afternoon. They seem to just pass through on their way to where they nest for the summer which is, unfortunately not in my yard. I love their masks, very cute.
Happy Monday and happy new week! It's a double digit day too! 😁 My image for today is an artsy version of one of my Amaryllis blooms from this past late winter. It's against a rock background.
When I am in Rollag, Minnesota I am compelled to photograph this farm area. I find it very picturesque with it being situated next to the large pond. The clouds help as well.
Happy Friday, TGIF! Today's image is of my Weigelia as it bloomed this past Spring. I have it in a pot by my deck and it has come back year after year. Sometimes it has surprised me as it lives through some bitter cold temperatures. I chose this image for the great bubbly bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
I was in Minnesota this past weekend and working with the Large Scale Wagner locomotive. I was getting it ready to move out onto the turntable but there was this little guy was chilling on the rail. He looked a bit sleepy to me. I moved him before I went out with the locomotive to be sure it would be OK. He had very sticky feet and seemed happy to sit on my arm as I took him off to the side. I believe it's a type of tree frog, most likely a Cope's Gray Tree frog.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's image is of one that has been blooming recently. This is Smooth Sumac which blooms in May and June. Something interesting about this plant is that it is in the Cashew Family. The fruit, also known as Drupes was used by Native Americans to make sunscreen and also red and black dyes. I love these plants in autumn as the leaves turn a beautiful red color.
Today's image is of a common bird in my area, a Red Tail Hawk. One of the ways to identify them are the short bars that extend down from the tops of their wings about a quarter way in from the tip. They can be well seen here as it was gliding above me.
Happy Monday and happy new week! I had another opportunity to photograph some Clematis blooms. My neighbor has some growing that have become bigger each year. I think this is the third year for them. They are a lovely purple/blue color depending on the age of the blooms.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!. It's also Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Here is another look at my new Emma locomotive made by Accucraft. From this angle you can see a bit of the controls for it. In the front side window is a glimpse of where you put the oil to lubricate the locomotive as it runs, it mixes with steam. In the back, the lower bronze knob is the gas control and the upper silvery one is the throttle. The circular tubing, visible from the back side window, goes up to the steam pressure gauge. The locomotive is an 0-4-0 Tank engine modeled after the kind that carry their water over the boiler. This one has no fuel tender but probably should have as there is no where to store it if this was an actual locomotive. Also, for some reason, the whistle was lost before I got it.
If you missed it, there is a video of it HERE where you can see it running.
We have finally broken our drought period but I fear that it will stop and we will go back into one. We have been getting a good amount of rain lately and the ponds are finally full around the area. The sunset after one of the storms this past week was an interesting orange color which doesn't seem to come through in the photo as vividly as it was in real life but is still lovely I thought.
Happy Friday, TGIF! I was taking some photos of one of my new Poppies and saw that I was being photobombed by this little guy. I believe it is a small Katydid but I am not absolutely sure. I chose this image for today because of the couple of bubble bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
While out on Konza Prairie, I saw my favorite grass. I was not able to photograph it at the time due to leading a walk but I went out after and was able to find a bit and get a couple photos. This is June Grass which is appropriately named because it blooms in June. It is a very photogenic grass I think when photographed back lit by the sun.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog once again! The year is going so quickly. This flower is enjoying a good year as it is very abundant in my area. This is Catclaw Sensitive Briar. I love it's puffball blooms. The name comes from the claw-like barbs on the stem and the fact that the leaves fold up if you run your finger along them. It's pretty cool to experience. They usually bloom May through September.
While I was out on Konza Prairie walking to see the sunset, I was treated to the sight of a Nighthawk bird feeding quite close and then hovering right above me. They are very cool birds, I think. They hover looking for something to eat and then they dive and make this interesting noise (created by the air rushing over it's wings) as they go down to catch whatever they have found. It's quite fun to watch. They are usually out hunting at dawn or dusk. It is neither nocturnal nor a hawk so the name is a misnomer. They make no nest but they and their young are easily camouflaged on the ground by their color. They have one of the longest migration routes of all North American birds and can be frequently found out of range.
Happy Monday and happy new week! I have always loved Fuchsia flowers but never had a plant of my own. I bought one this year and have been enjoying it quite a lot. The flowers have been described in many ways, from earrings to lanterns to skirts. This is a closeup of 2 of the blooms and you can decide for yourself what you think they look like. 😊
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! I recently purchased a new Live Steam locomotive from a friend during a get together. He had never used it so it is essentially a brand new locomotive and on Memorial Day I ran it for the first time. After getting a few bugs out, including the fact that the port to put the Butane in was loose and leaked (just needed tightening) I ran it around my railroad. It performed wonderfully actually except that, due to no fault of the locomotive, it needs to be remotely throttle controlled due to the grades on my layout, on the downgrades it would run pretty quickly. In the image you can see my winter project, I scratch-built the water tower. The ladder was 3D printed. I based it off a Rio Grande style one. I have a video of the engine running in this area on YouTube if you would like to watch. More info is there as well.
Last weekend was the annual Wildflower Walk out at Konza Prairie. It was a lovely evening and they had a huge turnout. I led a group of about 20 fun people. After we got back I went back out a short way to watch the sun set over the prairie and I took this image. That's an Echinacea in the foreground and behind is a lovely example of a Butterfly Milkweed.
