12/31/24

 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!

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.

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.

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.

#frontiersinflight

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.

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.  😅

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!

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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!

12/19/24

 Snails are rather interesting creatures, especially their shells and the pattern on them.  I had several opportunities to see them this past year.  This is one that was moving along some leaves a while back.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  😊

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!  

12/05/24

 Today's post is another of the cute little frog that was hanging out in one of my plants this fall.  I would see it when I was watering because it seemed to not appreciate getting wet.  This is a Cope's Gray Treefrog.

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.  

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.

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.

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.