Yellow...

Just an ordinary weed, but I think it is glorious!

You gotta love that face!

We drove through the strip pits yesterday and I got a few captures of dragonflies...look at the face in each photo!
It even looks like it has a smile in the bottom one. Isn't it cute...and I think that is the first time I ever thought one was cute but I do.

More Barn Charm from near Shipshewana....

It is that time of the week again...time to show off barns. I am showing three this time...
none of them are fabulous shots yet they are pretty neat barns. I do not remember if any were for sure Amish or not...
all of them will enlarge if clicked.

If you want to show off a barn or just see more, please drop by and visit Tricia's Barn Charm Meme....it will open up later this evening.

The picture of contentment

No words needed.

Another from Paris, Illinois

I am not sure if this place is empty or lived in...it definitely needs some TLC but it is still a beauty to me.

From Paris, Illinois

I just liked the looks of this place....

Guinea fowl....

This photo will enlarge...click on it and take a good look. Aren't they beautiful?

Would you believe????

From what I found on the web, this used to be a high school. It is now a used by the city of Frankfort. And this is not even the best
Can you imagine going to a school like this.

The Blue Elephant

These are drive by shots of the wall of The Blue Elephant...it is a junk store in Williamsport, Indiana.
We stopped there years ago, but would like to have time to stop in now.

Amish Barn Charm

All of the photos here and elsewhere on my blogs enlarge when clicked on.

That being said I thought I would show this barn we came across up north near Shipshewana.
I thought I would zoom in for a somewhat closer view...doesn't it look like such a busy place. And you just know they are productive.
And below is the view from the side...quite a big place
We were stopped, and I was actually out of the vehicle getting this shot. I looked on down the road and here came an Amish buggy. I thought I would just get in our Rav and us be on our way. When we actually passed the buggy it had a couple young boys in it, and they were smiling real big. They were pulling a small jon boat behind the buggy!

I am posting this for Tricia's Barn Charm Meme...I hope you have a barn to share!

The things we see....

We were passing this truck when I notice this guy on the back...it made me smile to see him.

From beside Pigeon River

I can never resist shooting hollyhocks....at one time I had some here and want to get some more started. There is just something about them.

Nothing but blue skies....and an award

On the way home a few days ago, I could not resist snapping pictures looking down the road as we drove along. The one I liked best was this one...it is actually looking down a side road. I did have to rotate and crop some because I had it off kilter a little bit.
***************
I was presented this Liebster Blog award a few days ago.
It was given to me by a new blog friend, Ellie....and her blog is Ellie's Place. I think her first comment might have been on one of my other blogs, Pics & Pieces....anyway, I am going to enjoy getting to know her and seeing photos from her area of the world which is the West Coast of Scotland. I know some of you already visit her, and hope the rest take time to stop by herself and say hello.

She is new to blogging and has jumped in with both feet and is already loving it.

The award's rules are these:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the Internet - other writers.
5. And best of all - have fun and spread the karma!

And you know what they say about rules--they are made to be broken. I am choosing not to pass it on. I hope this doesn't offend anyone. I did want to accept and by this way introduce you to Ellie.

More from northern Indiana

We saw these swans while up roaming the backroads while in Shipshewana. There was a third but it swam away soon as we stopped...and these two followed just after I took this shot.

Down a country road

I think someone has an eye for beauty...we came across this while rambling around the country surrounding Shipshewana.

Advertising in the country

This really was out in the country...sort of in the middle of nowhere. But I suppose the farms surrounding the place is what gives them their business.

Roadside beauty

We saw this last week while rambling around in the country around Shipshewana...isn't it beautiful?

Roof-art for Barn Charm....

On our trip to Shipshewana, I managed to get a decent shot of this tractor...this time. I saw it the last time we went up there but did not get a decent shot of it.
Below is another one...I did not even see it the other time we went this way...
and I did not see it on the way up this time, but happened to glance and see it on the way home. Going 60 mph and a shot out the side window with weeds in the foreground does not make for a good shot.

If you like these, you can see a couple different examples of roof art Here at my Pics & Pieces blog....they were taken last year.

Also, below you will find photos from Google Earth.

I actually saw this one above coming home...but not in time to snap a photo. The trees are leafed out now of course, and they blocked my view....but isn't it just the best. I probably missed it the last time we were up there because we went this way but did not come home this route.
and here we have another cow...not the one I tried to capture but one off the main road. Not too terrible far. I think it is just like the one I saw, or very similar to it.
Then I spotted the one above...I do not know how I missed it coming and going. Maybe there are trees that are leafed out this time of year....or else I must suffer from periodic blindness. From what I seen on the Google Earth, it should be very visible from the road...but maybe since it was photographed for google, trees have grown more or something. I just cannot imagine missing it both going and coming, and missing it going the last time we were up there.

I tried and tried to find the one of the cow roof I took, but could not spot it for the life of me. I did find the one of the Farmall tractor, but the google photo was taken of the evening and though I could see the lettering, I could not make out the tractor. And I found another one that I should be able to see from the road, but it is not clear enough to post on here.

It led me to believe that someone up that way is a real artist! Imagine doing these things...just trying to get the right colored shingle in the right place would be a real job.

Anyway, there you have my entry for Tricia's Barn Charm Meme. I hope to see you there!

Cock-a-doodle-doooo!!!!

Not the greatest shot...but I still like the look in his eye. Roger 'crowed' and this guy stopped and took notice.

Dragonfly

This is only about the second dragonfly I have captured this summer...I need to get out more!

Evening reflections...

Another strip pit sunset...taken a few weeks ago. The sunsets are almost always a real show to watch...there are times we are out there that we just sit and watch. This past few months we don't get out there as often as we used to go. Hopefully we will get back out there on a more regular basis.

To show the fence

This one is from over in Illinois, July 29, and though I took several photos of this fence from the Rav4, this is the one that shows the fence the best. Notice the corner post. I have never seen anything quite like this....but maybe it just that I pay more attention now that I have time for photography. OH, and this photo will enlarge even more if you click on it.

Beautiful architecture

I snapped this recently, while at a stoplight. I loved the arched windows, or what was the windows. Every time I look at it, I see some new little detail...I wonder how long it took to build a building such as this one.

Barns from the past year...

It's is that time of the week again...time to enter our barns in Tricia's Barn Charm meme.
Between trying to can a little bit more tomato juice and this computer being slow to respond to anything I want it to do, I have had a time even getting to this point.
To save any more time, I resorted to some barns I had already resized but don't think I have ever posted, at least not for barn charm. Doesn't that last one look kind of inviting after all the heat we have had.

Anyway, if you want to join the meme, or see more barns from around the country go to Tricia's Bluff Area Daily blog....

Older than me

We saw this old truck on our last rambling drive...not sure of the year but I am thinking it is older than me...or at least close to my age. The one I found that really looks similar is a 1951 but I am not quite sure they are exactly alike. (It is a GMC)

Just thinking....

No words needed...

Guess who??

I tend to like photos that are not posed...not that I don't like posed ones but some of the ones that are just captured moments pull at my heartstrings the most.

Swallows....

I like the feel of this photograph...I cropped it just a tiny bit on the left side. I think I like the evening light and how it hits the front of the birds. It was taken at the strip pits of course.

On the corner

This was sitting in the corner of the yard of the 'clutter control' house I posted yesterday. I wonder just how old this is....I am assuming it is a planter.

Clutter control

The other day as we passed through a small Illinois town, I spotted this house with this wall of old tools from years back. I would have like to go up for closer viewing.

Another Barn Charm

The above is another drive-by of the photo I posted a couple posts back. I did hit the sharpen tool to make this a little clearer.
This barn is quite far off the road...this was probably the best peak we could get of it. It belonged to a farm that had a huge old brick two-story home and a rock fence across the front and one side for a ways. All around were huge old trees. When we passed on by and looked by the there was a rise in the ground that
Here we have another barn from the drive yesterday...it really needs a little TLC....I bet every time we get a real storm that more of it gets ripped off.

I am entering Tricia's Barn Charm meme...a