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.
