It's New Years Eve! Wow, the year went so fast it seems. Hope this new year is better than the last though I wonder how that's going to go in some areas. Sigh Anyway, here is a fireworks image to celebrate the past year and the entrance of the new!
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Monday, December 30, 2024
12/30/24
Happy Monday and happy new week! It's the last Monday of 2024. Today's image is of something that is always good to see because they are struggling. These are Honey Bees that were visiting my Autumn Sedum in early September for some nourishment. The Sedum is always popular with bees and butterflies. We need to plant more things that these enjoy to help them along.
Sunday, December 29, 2024
12/29/24
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog, the last one of 2024! Today's image if of the other American Flyer steam locomotive that I have. This one is a bit smaller, it is a 4-4-2 wheel arrangement, also known as an Atlantic. This style was used prominently on the Milwaukee Road with their streamlined locomotive the Hiawatha. This locomotive still works as well and also smokes when fluid is added.
Saturday, December 28, 2024
12/28/24
Today's image is one from the Air Show I attended this past year in Wichita at McConnell Air Force Base. The Blue Angels were the main attraction and they put on a wonderful show. Their precision flying is quite amazing. They fly as close as only 18 inches apart at times, pretty incredible the skill.
Friday, December 27, 2024
12/27/24
Happy Friday, TGIF! It's the last Friday of the year, wow time flies. As you know, this Blog celebrates bokeh in photos on these days because Friday's Are Bokehlicious. Sharing this image of some Amur Maple leaves with some great bubbly bokeh behind them.
Thursday, December 26, 2024
12/26/24
Today's image is one I was able to capture of a White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth that was visiting my Petunias one early evening. It was difficult to capture as the light was getting very low so I was pleased with how well this turned out. I basically was shooting at a high speed and hoping for the best. When I brightened up the photos I was happy to see I had gotten several in focus. 😅
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
12/25/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! It's also Christmas today if you celebrate. Today's image is of one that is a wildflower but not here in my area, but grow wild in Mexico and Central America. A lot of times people thing the flower is the red but those are actually just leaves as well as the green. The flower on this plant is just starting to emerge in the center of the main red leaves of this image. This is a Poinsettia that I purchased last year and kept throughout the year. It goes outside during the summer and then I bring it back in when it gets cold out and set it in a sunny window and it turns back red and re-blooms for me. Another easy care plant.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
12/24/24
It's a double digit day today! 😁 It's also Christmas Eve for all those who celebrate. Sharing another of my Christmas ornaments. This is one I got from my mom which she painted as well. Has 2 of hers and mine favorite things, Christmas and a cat.
Monday, December 23, 2024
12/23/24
Happy Monday and happy new week! Starting off the week with this closeup of one of my Zinnia blooms. They are one of my favorite flowers to grow. Very easy from seed even, lot's of variety, very lovely blooms, and butterflies love them.
Sunday, December 22, 2024
12/22/24
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! I am sharing today's image due to the Christmas season. American Flyer trains used to be quite popular along with Lionel for having around the Christmas tree. Lionel had better sales people I guess because AF had more realistic looking track. Anyway, this is one of my locomotives in front of the tree. I bought it later in life. It still runs which I have a few times, it smokes as well if you put the fluid in the stack. Quite fun. It's a Hudson style locomotive, a 4-6-4 wheel arrangement.
Saturday, December 21, 2024
12/21/24
A bit interesting date today with the first and second numbers. 😁 Today's image is a beautiful sunrise I saw back in early November but never shared.
Friday, December 20, 2024
12/20/24
It's Friday, TGIF! Tis the season so I was doing some artsy pics with my Christmas decorations. This is an image of one of my Nutcracker soldiers and a rocking horse. The horse is one of the very first decorations I ever bought for myself so it is about 40 years old now. The Christmas tree lights provided some lovely bokeh so perfect for today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
12/18/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's image is one more flower that was a bit confused as to the season when I took this picture on November 22. These are Asters. The type is very hard to tell because these were right next to the sidewalk and have been mowed several times. Most likely they are Hairy Asters, a very common one in my area. They usually bloom in September and October but were still happily blooming a month later.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
12/17/24
A couple of weeks ago now I saw my first Bald Eagle of the season and the first one for quite a while. I didn't have my actual camera with me but got a bit lucky with how close it was with my phone. They over winter at Milford Lake which is only a couple of miles from my house as the crow flies as they say. 😉 It's a bit further to actually drive.
Monday, December 16, 2024
12/16/24
Happy Monday and new week! Today's image is of one type of insect that I did see a lot of this summer. These are in the butterfly family and are known as Skippers due to their quick darting habits. This is a Silver Spotted Skipper that was visiting my Echinacea or Cone Flowers in my garden.
Sunday, December 15, 2024
12/15/24
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is another from the night run that was done on the Ortner Railroad this past Labor Day weekend. I did not work it, I just attended and enjoyed it. It made for great atmosphere and fun to go for a ride at night with the decorating lights.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
12/14/24
Today's image is one I got in early autumn as the trees here were just beginning to change. On this particular morning it was fairly cold and there was some steam coming off the pond ( I would have shared this tomorrow for Steamy Sunday if it had shown up more prominently 😉). I liked the glassy look of the water that day. This is Homer's Pond in town.
Friday, December 13, 2024
12/13/24
It's Friday, TGIF! Today's image is one I captured of my favorite grass, Sea Oats. I find it picturesque with it's curves and how it's seed heads hang. I chose this image for today due to it's great bubbly bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious! There is a Kansas variety of this that is called Broad-Leaf Wood-Oats. I believe I have some of this as well in another area of my yard.
Thursday, December 12, 2024
12/12/24
It's an interesting date day! It's a double digit day but also, the first 2 add up to the 3rd or each are half of the 3rd. 😃 My image for today is one I took in early October at a Nature Center over in Manhattan Kansas. The Asters were blooming quite nicely and attracting all kinds of bees and butterflies including this Monarch.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
12/11/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is another that I captured in late November that was very confused. This is a common Sunflower that is only supposed to be blooming from July through September but was happily blooming on the 22nd of November. Common Sunflowers are the state flower of Kansas.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
12/10/24
Today's image is one that I was able to get recently of a semi cooperative male Cardinal, he did have his back to me. It was sitting in the Walnut tree in the backyard and I was able to get a few images of it before it flew off. Cardinals are such lovely bright spots in winter but they rarely sit for long.
Monday, December 9, 2024
12/09/24
Happy Monday and happy new week! Today's image is another of my Toad Lily. It's a very unique looking flower that does well in shade. It is, apparently, a very tasty flower as every year something eats most of it. I even had a cage around it but will have to put a different type this next year as something still got to it. Anyway, this photo shows off some of the unique details of it pretty well I thought.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
12/08/24
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is another from when we had the Memorial Run out at the C&H railroad. We had all 3 engines operating for the very first time so I had to capture some photos of them. These are all 12 inch Ottaway locomotives that were originally built in Wichita Kansas. The 1st one run on the C&H is on the right, the second on the left and the middle one was restored by the owners several years back now.
Saturday, December 7, 2024
12/07/24
On Wednesday, the moon and Venus were fairly close together in the early evening sky. I had to go out and capture them and share. Fortunately that evening was unseasonably warm as well to make photo taking more pleasant. 😊
Friday, December 6, 2024
12/06/24
It's Friday, TGIF! We have been having some cold days and I miss summer very much already and actual winter isn't even here yet. This is an image that makes me feel warm. I captured this Gulf Fritillary visiting the Zinnias on my deck on Halloween which seemed quite late. I thought it had interesting bokeh so sharing today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
12/04/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's image is of a Daisy Fleabane that was quite confused. Fleabanes usually bloom from May to September but I found this one just a week and a half ago. A lot of flowers were confused this year with the long drought we had and then a freeze and then nights in the 50s again. Very weird weather. Fleabanes are very drought resistant.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
12/03/24
Today's image is one that I was able to capture on the last bike ride of the season, last week most likely. This is a Red Tail Hawk that was flying above a pond that had a large number of ducks and geese on it. I am not sure if it was thinking it could get dinner or not. Red Tails are found in our area all year but become more prevalent as others come back from further north.
Monday, December 2, 2024
12/02/24
Happy Monday and happy new week! Our fairly warm weather lasted until last week when, at the time of this writing, we will have hit overnight lows in the low teens. Yikes. I brought my Fuchsia plant inside to try to over winter it and it still had one bloom on it. I hung it in a doorway and took a photo of it from below to show off the folds that the blooms have. Reminds of an old style fancy dress.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
12/01/24
Happy 1st day of December! Only 23 more shopping days till Christmas! 😁 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog as well. Today's image is another of when the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 locomotive came through our area on it's way home to Cheyenne Wyoming. The Big Boy is the largest currently operating steam locomotive in the US with a wheel arrangement of 4-8-8-4. It's frame is articulated to allow it to navigate curves since it is so long. The train was running quite late so by the time it made it to where I was the sun was getting pretty low in the sky so in this picture it was heading into the sun as it passed by me. This image shows the 2nd water tender that it has with it because in current times water isn't as available as back in the days of steam. The crew usually has to make arrangements with towns and/or fire departments to fill up with water during it's travels.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
11/30/24
Wow, it's the last day of November already. This autumn we did end up having some color in the area for a little while before the high winds blew all the leaves off the trees. This is an image of the Kansas River that I took while on the way back from Manhattan KS.
Friday, November 29, 2024
11/29/24
It's Friday, TGIF! It's Black Friday here in the US which is a shopping day usually known for great sales. It's not quite what it used to be due to internet shopping which can be a good thing as people could get fairly crazy literally fighting over items. Anyway, today's image is one to remind me of summer because winter is fully here. This is a flower that I discovered recently in the grand scheme of things but one I really love. It's easy to grow and lovely to look at. Butterflies like it as well. I chose this image for the lovely bokeh behind created partly by some out of focus Marigolds because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Thursday, November 28, 2024
11/28/24
It's Thanksgiving Day here in the US. Traditionally the meal for today consists of Turkey because it is believed that's what was consumed back in the day. These days people eat a much more domesticated variety. If Turkeys were really on the menu, it would have been more like this one. This is a male that I captured in my yard while he was really strutting his stuff for the lady Turkeys. I always have to laugh because they are usually very uninterested and are instead looking for seeds under the bird feeder. Hope you have a great day no matter how you spend it.
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
11/27/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog. Today's flower is Garlic Mustard. It usually can be found blooming May through June. It is a highly invasive plant and can choke out other native plants. When the leaves are crushed it has a garlic like odor.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Monday, November 25, 2024
11/25/24
Happy Monday and happy new week. A short work week for me as it is a holiday week here in the US. Today's image is one I was able to capture this spring of a butterfly I don't see very often. I saw this one while biking along the river trail. This is a Mourning Cloak butterfly. Apparently they are named this way after similarly colored clothes once worn during times of mourning. These butterflies are known for being a sign of spring as they are one of the very first to emerge and brighten the still brown landscape.
Sunday, November 24, 2024
11/24/24
It's a double digit day! 😀 It's also Steamy Sunday here on the Blog. Today's image is a bit different as I am actually in it. I had someone shooting some video with my phone and I pulled this off the video. It was a 3 whistle salute to the owner of the railroad who has passed by the 3 operating locomotives he owned. Ottaway 1011 is on the left, 1045 is in the middle and #5 which originated as 1031 is on the right. Steam going up into the whistle and moving about the chamber and out creates the sound to extremely simplify how a whistle works. It was the first time all 3 locomotives were operating together.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
11/23/24
I took this image last week while heading home from a bike ride. This was the last "Super Moon" rising up above some grass. The term "super moon" annoys me a bit as they make a big deal out of it and it is barely perceptible. Yes, the moon is a bit closer but it is not rare or really all that much larger than a normal full moon. It does get people interested so I guess that is a good thing. It was a lovely moon rise.
Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/24
It's Friday, TGIF!! My Fuchsia was enjoying the weather this autumn and was blooming again. I captured these blooms with some fantastic bokeh behind them. Sharing today because Friday's Are Bokehlicious here on the Blog!
Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/24
While out on a bike ride one day recently, I saw this female Praying Mantis on the side of the road. After taking a couple of photos, I encouraged her to move off the road into the grass. I hope she stayed there and did not go back out into the road and get run over.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
11/20/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! I took this image in early October. It was in an area that gets mowed fairly often so it was quite short and harder to tell what type it is. I believe this is Panicled Aster which can grow to 6 feet tall. It usually flowers August through September.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
11/19/24
Today's image is how I commonly see these birds, they are flying away from me. 😏 I got a bit lucky with this one because it turned in front of me and I was able to get a bit closer image than when it first took off. This is a Great Blue Heron. I love to watch them fly with their long legs hanging out behind.
Monday, November 18, 2024
11/18/24
Happy Monday and happy new week! November is flying by! Today's image is a surprise one for me. I captured this image just last week. This is a Common Variegated Fritillary that was visiting my hanging on Zinnias. I was glad I had something for it to eat while it was out and about on a warm November day.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
11/17/24
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! This is an image from the Santa Run late in October at the C & H Railroad. The semaphore works and is a neat fixture at the railroad. There are a lot of actual pieces of railroad equipment or buildings in use there which makes for a more realistic experience. You can see the semaphore operating in the video I had posted HERE.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
11/16/24
I took this image this past Tuesday evening of the colorful sky to the east as the sun was setting and the moon was rising.
Friday, November 15, 2024
11/15/24
It's Friday, TGIF! I was over at my Gazebo pond recently and the Sea Oats grass was still looking good. I took this image with my phone and really liked the bokeh in the image. Followers to the Blog know that Fridays Are Bokehlicious here!
Thursday, November 14, 2024
11/14/24
I went walking last week after a rain and there were so many snails out on the sidewalk. In just a short span I counted 50 of them so there were at least double that amount if not more. I had never seen so many at one time. This is an image of one of the larger ones, most were about half the size or smaller. I thought it's shell was rather interesting with it's design.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
11/13/24
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! This is another flower that surprised me this past week. I was walking to get the mail and looked down and saw several blue blooms of my Chicory! That was quite the surprise as it is usually not even blooming at this time of the day much less this time of the year. Chicory usually blooms July through September, this plant was obviously confused. Chicory grows along roadsides fairly commonly and can be seen along I-70 in Kansas and Missouri during it's regular bloom time fairly consistently.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
11/12/24
Sharing an image for today to bring a smile. A couple of the many Budgies that were in the Budgie enclosure at the farm I visited a few weeks back now. These were just as you went inside. I am sure they were hoping I had some food. Budgies are also known as Parakeets which are a type of Parrot.