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.
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!
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.
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.
Today's image is another of one of my favorite birds that I was able to get this spring. This is a male Cardinal in the Walnut tree. I captured him just before he flew off the branch he was perched on.
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.
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.
