2012 Hibiscus

While waiting for ours to bloom, I thought I would post this photo from 2012.

Another visitor....

If I look closely I can always find something on the coneflowers...

Redbud leaf....

 Not only is the redbud pretty when it blooms, I think its heart-shaped leafs are quite pretty, too.

Fleabane....

I photograghed these while at the playground with Lorelei last week.

Seeds....

It is amazing what you see when you look close...

These photos are from the plant below.

I am pretty sure this is curly dock....if my memory serves me right.

Barns from the past....

 All barns are from a drive taken in October of 2012.

They are all from Tennessee.

I just had to convert the one above to B&W.

I am linking these to the Barn Collective.

Photo shoot of a wet, wet Bald Eagle

On the way home today from Paris, Illinois, we spotted this eagle in this old dead tree out in a pasture...right on the outskirts of town. At first I thought it was a vulture, then I thought, NO!  I seen a white head.  Lucky for me there was a place to pull off the road good.

He (or she??) was a good ways away...I originally thought the length of a football field but now I am not so sure.

It had poured the rain on the way over there....he looks like he was out in it all.

We sat and watched him quite a while...

Doesn't he look sort of sad here?

It never did fly, but we thought we might as well leave and let it relax....

These were all taken with my little Point&shoot camera, and I just could not hold steady, even had trouble when I put it on the monopod...

Pokeweed

I couldn't believe that the poke weed is this far along...and this was taken a couple weeks ago.

Rebirth?

Maybe rebirth is not exactly the right term, but my wisteria is having a second bloom stage...only about 15-20 blooms.

A visitor...

I was looking at the coneflowers the other day and saw they had a visitor.  Not one I was happy to see.

I am going to link this to All Seasons and hope I have time to visit others.  

A few barns from the past...

In this post I am posting barns, most of which have been posted before.   But probably before I knew most of you as fellow bloggers.

They were taken on a mini-vacation...on the way home.  All through the windshield.  (I don't think I have ever posted the above...it is not a very good photo technically, but isn't it a great barn?)

Here I am showing a couple shots of the same barn.

I would love to know what this barn was used for.  In the first shot you can see the great lake behind it.  I think it is Lake Michigan.

I think I will end with this one...I hope you have enjoyed them.

I will be linking to the Barn Collective. 

White clematis

This is shot through my window...

We have babies!!!

We walked into the garage as we were leaving late this evening...not sure why they caught my eye, but there on the truck was a baby praying matis....and then when I looked close I seen half a dozen!

At the most they were an inch long.  I saw a couple more elsewhere, but did not see the swarm like there usually is when they are so young.  I don't know if these were born outside and got in the garage somehow, or if I just was not looking in the right place to see the other. 

These are not great photos, but still I wanted to share them.

From the antique shop....

I have never seen a zebra quite like this one....

nor have I seen cats like these.

the local brick road...

I thought this road was so neat the first time I saw, in 1975.  In fact, I still think it is pretty neat!

A roadside find...

We swung through the strip pit area today...had to stop and take a photo of these lilies...a friend of mine calls them ditch lilies. 

April 2011

Just a couple favorites from the archives...

Which one would you want?

I am not sure if I could choose just one...I love them all.  Any kind of crock appeals to me, and I have no place to put any. 

From the front yard...

This little beauty is growing in front of the front porch.  This photo was taken with my Samsung tablet...I cannot believe the quality of the close up shots.

Barns from the archives....

Sorry about the washed out sky, but isn't this a fine looking barn...I so would love to know what it is used for.  I love all the windows...

Another one from 2009...

I even zoomed in for a shot...

I wish I had  better zoomed in photo...

But this is the best that I got.  I am wondering the age of the vehicle inside.

And my last one for today...

I will be linking to The Barn Collective....

From the archives...

This is from a foggy day in 2010....at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. 

Sunbathing...

Before I forget, if you are interested, and saw my post about Great Blue Herons landing out in the lake....I got to wondering if they can swim.  I remembered seeing either a video or TV show with a Bald Eagle swimming, so I thought why not a GBH.  So, I posted a couple videos over there.

Now, here is my post....

The top of the dam we were on yesterday is a favorite gathering spot of the vultures.  Almost any time we go up there, there are at least a few, sometimes a lot.

Most of these are through the windshield since I am the driver now, I seldom get out of the Rav4 to take photos.

The one above is with my window rolled down...

There was a ruckus going on here, it was just ending as I took this photo.  One or two had already departed their company.

Photoshoot....

Just a few shots...

of this long-legged Great Blue Heron.

Actually I am not sure if it is the same one or not...and these were just taken this afternoon...the first two are of the same GBH,

The Great Blue Herons were flying around everywhere over the lake, and that first had landed on the water...as if it expected it to be shallow water.  It quickly flew up and over and landed on this.

I have never seen Great Blue Herons land in deep water before...there were at least 3 or 4 that we saw do this...they would land and quickly fly up and away.  It really surprised me how easily they seemed to lift up from the water.  I so wish I had thought to take a video of it.