It's the last day of August! The year is going so quickly, the summer especially. I thought I would finish out the month with something that makes me happy. This is another image from the Sunflower field that I found recently. We had just had a rain storm so the sky was still overcast and made the flowers stand out well.
It's Friday, TGIF! A friend has a beautiful Rose of Sharon that is very tall and has beautiful large blooms. Today's image is of one of them and also has some lovely bubbly bokeh. If you follow this Blog you know that Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Today's image is actually from last year because there have not been any butterflies visiting my Buddleja or Butterfly Bush, that I have seen anyway. So far only Skippers while I have been around. This is a Painted Lady butterfly that visited. There is an added bonus as well that you may spot that I didn't until working on the photo. 😄
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's image is one of my favorites. I spread some seed but they did not seem to germinate so will try again in pots (I may have accidently weeded them). This is Prickly Poppy which produces beautiful white blooms in summer. They usually bloom June through September. They live up to their name and are very prickly so choosing a good spot for them is critical.
Today's image is one of the best I have ever gotten of a Great Blue Heron and the best here in Kansas. I once was really close to one in Michigan. Anyway, I was out on a walk one day and went to a pond where I have seen one hanging out. I was able to get close by staying behind a bank and some reeds.
Happy Monday and happy new week! My Mimosa tree is finally blooming. I was wondering if it was going to as others in the area were already blooming a couple of weeks ago. I love the dainty, wispy blooms. Because they are so dainty they only last a day so I was lucky to catch these few in good condition.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Since I have been sharing cabs, I was told I should share this one too. While extremely simplified, the important components exist in this one as well. This is the cab of our Large Scale Ottaway locomotive. The red valve in the middle is the main steam valve to the throttle. to the left of that is the Sight Glass to let you know how much water is in the boiler, VERY important. The gauge at the top is to let you know the pressure of the boiler, it was being tested on air so it is showing some pressure, about 100lbs. The red handles on the right and left of the pipe in the rear are the valves to let steam into the Injectors (how you get water into the boiler) the water valves are those levers at the bottom which we have since changed to regular valves. On the very right is the Reverser which actually is how you move forward or backward. The 2 little valves above the round door where the wood or coal goes in are to manually check the level of water in the boiler. If the steam is wet, you are good with the lower one. Usually there are 3 and they are called Try Cocks.
It's a double digit day today! 😀 Sunflowers make me happy! I actually found a Sunflower field very close to me this year. I am not revealing the location because people can be obnoxious and ruin them trying to take their selfies. 😒 Anyway, I was able to get some images the other evening from outside the field with my telephoto lens and this is one of them. How I saw this field was a humorous story. I was busy looking for a lizard that I normally see in this area and I heard the hubster say "Look at that" and point and I looked to the side and there was the field! I had not even noticed it and was completely surprised to see one so close.
Happy Friday, TGIF! There have not been large butterflies around it seems this summer. I have lots of Skippers and several of these though. This is a Clouded Sulphur that I captured enjoying a Zinnia bloom the other day. It was nicely backlit for me and it also had some lovely bokeh in the image which is why I am sharing it for today. Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
I have a visitor to my garden that I am not sure I want. This is a Black Widow spider with the iconic bulbous butt and hour glass mark. It has built a web off to the side of one of my tomato plant cages. So far, since I know it is there, I have decided to leave it because they, supposedly, won't bother me if I don't bother it. We shall see. 😜
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's image is of one I rarely see because they are only open during the early morning. This is a Venice Mallow which normally blooms from July through September. It is also called a Flower of An Hour because of the brief time it blooms. The seeds from this flower can be viable for years so can be problematic in that it will keep regrowing. I think the flower is fairly lovely. This is a 2 image stack to get them both in focus.
Today's image is of one of my favorite birds to capture. This is a Kestrel. I have not seen any around this summer, I think they go further north because of the heat. Hope to see them again this winter. They are endangered though, so we shall see.
Happy Monday and happy new week! These flowers are ones I started from seed and then planted in a couple areas in my yard. This group only had about 1 bloom last year but, as you can see, did much better this year. This is my Rudbeckia plant, a type of Black eyed Susan. I love the red accents on them, they make me happy.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Last week I showed inside the cab on 353, today I thought I would show inside the Porter. It is a much smaller cab so I had to d it at an angle, this is from the Fireman's side. The lever and red valve just below it to the very left are for the Injector, to get water into the boiler. The sight glass is on the front of the boiler and has the 2 red valves attached to it. The device hanging from the ceiling on the right with the 2 valves hanging from it and all the pipes coming out of it is an oiler to lubricate various items of the locomotive. The pressure gauge is on the wall above various valves such as the main shut off valve for the steam. There is a fan sitting on the floor in front of the firebox door because of the flue work, to keep the people cool who were performing the work. The door is a single door and does not have an automatic opener. When firing you are opening the door and throwing coal in or, at times, someone opens the door for you if there is an extra person in the cab. Even though it's a bit tight in this cab, it's a fun locomotive to fire.
Recently there was a lovely doe making it's way through my yard. Since we had homes built up around us we don't see deer very often but there is still the rare occasion, usually when it is dark. I saw this one at dusk and we looked at each other and she let me take a couple of captures before she moved off. They have such lovely eyes.
Happy Friday, TGIF! Today's image is of one of my favorite wildflowers to photograph. I think it is interesting from all different angles. This one was in the process of fully opening and blooming and was lit very nicely. Sharing today for the great bokeh it has because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
I have not seen very many butterflies around my yard lately, only Skippers. Recently I was treated to a beautiful Tiger Swallowtail visit and I was able to capture a few shots with my phone. I saw it later but was never able to capture it with my camera so very happy my phone shots came out. It actually let me get somewhat close to it.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog. Today's flower is a new find for me. This is Plains Milkweed. It usually blooms July through September. It is in the Dogbane family. It grows anywhere between 6 to 16 inches high normally. It prefers dry rocky soils and can be found along roadsides a lot.
I have also updated my White Wildflower page with this flower. Remember that those are there to assist you in identifying certain wildflowers you may find.
Today's image is another I was able to capture when the Redwing Blackbirds were chasing the Redtail Hawk near Milford Lake. I am guessing the hawk got too close to their nest. Still very fun to see such a big bird being chased by a small one.
Happy Monday and happy new week! My Cosmos has been blooming nicely this year. Almost all of the flowers I have are volunteers from seed from last year's flowers. This is a rather different colored one compared to most of what I have and is rather lovely. All my others are solid pink or shades of orange. These flowers are fun to grow and make me happy to see. Somewhat delicate yet also sturdy.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image is one that I don't think I have ever showed before, it is inside the cab of Locomotive 353 in Minnesota that I get to help fire on. I am usually scooping coal in through those "butterfly" doors (which operate with steam pressure by a pedal on the floor or the handle that is hanging down when no pressure) or I am sitting up in the left hand seat operating the Injector to get water into the boiler, the 2 valves you see on the very left. The pressure gauge is currently reading 0 but when we are operating it's sitting almost completely opposite at about 165 to 175, hopefully anyway. 😃 The "Sight Glass" for the water level in the boiler is just below that gauge. Most of the gauges and levers on the right hand side for the engineer are for braking. The bar that goes across just under the 2 gauges is the throttle. The lever next to the window on the right is the Forward/Reverse. A couple of pieces of equipment up above are oilers. The 2 levers hanging from the ceiling are for the whistle. There is one for the bell as well on the left. These are all the main things we are using and paying attention to while operating the locomotive with the most important being the pressure gauge and sight glass.
I finally was able to see an photograph a Sphinx Moth at my Surprise Lilies. The Lilies have been blooming for several days and I have been checking in the evenings as that has been when I have seen them and was finally rewarded on Tuesday. These moths are quite large and remind of Hummingbirds and are difficult to capture as they move around a lot. I am always happy when I can get a decent capture of one.
It's Friday, TGIF! Today's image is another Dragonfly that visited my yard and gardens. I believe this one is called a Widow Skimmer. Once again I chose this image for the great bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Today's image is one of my frogs at my Gazebo pond. The frogs there are so skittish, I barely get near and they are squeaking and splashing into the pond, it makes me laugh but they are difficult to get a photo of. Once in a while one will stay in it's spot like this one being very cliche on a Lily pad.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! Today's flower is one I enjoy seeing as it reminds me of a Poinsettia which it is related to. This is Snow On the Mountain which usually blooms from June through October. In my area it doesn't seem to start blooming till late July at the earliest. I processed this photo a bit differently. It was growing next to my glass topped table. Often these flowers grow in groups that can make the landscape look white as if it snowed.
This spring I was treated to a couple of rare opportunities to photograph a Great Blue Heron that was not flying away from me! This is one of them that I captured back in April.
Happy Monday and happy New week! I am growing Gladiolas for the first time ever this year. I was given some bulbs and they have been flowering recently. They are quite lovely. This particular stalk of them was a very vibrant peachy red color.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! Today's image goes back to Mankato Kansas once again where we took our Iroquois Steam Roller. In this image the hubster was rolling around the area where we were demonstrating how it worked. It was built somewhere between 1910 and 1915 in Buffalo NY. It is steered by turning that wheel on the side which moves the back wheel.
There is another short video of the roller located HERE. It's a video of it participating in the parade on Saturday the 20th.
Last weekend while out on a bike ride I saw these lovely horses out in their field and had to stop and take a couple of pics. This one stopped grazing long enough to look at me for it's pic. 😁
It's Friday, TGIF! Today's image is of a Common Whitetail Dragonfly that I captured in one of my gardens recently. I have a lot of different dragonflies hanging around lately which has been nice. I chose this image for today due to the lovely bokeh behind because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
Happy first day of August! This is another lizard that I was able to capture this year. It is a male Collared Lizard that i know where it lives so I always keep an eye out for it when bike riding in that area. I have been able to see it a couple of times this year. I captured it playing a bit of hide and seek with me behind the rocks it lays on to get warm. You can see how it gets its name with the bit of black lines visible around it's neck.
