Not my tulips

 These were planted at the visitor center at Arthur, Illinois.  

Visitor

 I came home from a couple of errands this morn.  I went outside later and looked for her but could not see her anywhere.  So, I cleared my throat loudly, and gave my poor imitation of a squirrel barking, nothing.  So I was looking at my phone before getting up and coming inside.  I looked up and there she came.  She definitely has babies.  Just not sure what tree they are in.  

A beauty...

  Another shot from film days...from 1998. 

From Billie Creek Village

 I so wish that log cabin was mine...it is at this place called Billie Creek Village east of Rockville, IN.  It has been completely closed for a while.  I think they are finally getting ready to re-open.  It was closed before the pandemic.  I have not been there in years.

From the back yard

 This is an Imperial Moth...isn't it gorgeous?

Young coons...

 A couple of young coons in this photo, but there were three of them.  I just could not manage to get a good shot of the three of them together.   This was taken in October of 1994....

She's all decked out in her finest...

 

I take almost this exact same shot every year...so why should this be any different.  I love dogwood blossoms in the spring, then in the summer I love the shape of the tree.  And I like their leaves while green, but what a show they do but on in the fall!  I feel like I get double the value.

Patience required

 I have to be patient....but I am already wondering if my hibiscus have survived some or the bitter cold we had this past winter.  They are always so slow to start growing that every year I think I have lost them.  The very first year I planted one, I did lose it to the terrible winter.  One of the Nurse Practioners said her mom had lost a rose that she had had forever .  This year was not as bad as that one, but we did have one or two nights where it got below zero.

Old coots....

 Or maybe not so old...on calm waters for a change...

From old days...

 

Old days means 1997 in this instance.

Twins?

 I do not know for sure but I honestly think these two are twins.  Mama seemed to accept them both.

My neck!

 My neck hurts just looking at Copper.  Poor boy.  He is worn out from a hard evening's playtime.  Photo from my daughter.

Not frightened

 Turkey Vultures never seem to be too easily frightened.  They are slow to fly, and when they do, they do so in a leisurely manner.

Walking away

 I saw these as I passed through the strip mining area on Friday.  I did not get much of a chance to photograph them because a truck was coming a bit too fast and stirring up so much I wanted inside with the windows rolled up.  Where they had not been paying much attention to me, they went on into the woods with the noise of the truck.

Crush!

 I would not mind having an Orange Crush right now.

Profile

 I don't care how many times I see Great Blue Herons in trees, they will never feel like they belong there.  And I even know where a rookery is...I know they do.  They just seem so ungangly.

We have lift-off

 It could be a little sharper, but I still like it.  It is an old shot...from 2013.

In the neighborhood

 I see this little lady every now and then.  She will come to me, but I don't see her often.  I have no idea where she actually lives.   I usually have pecans for her.  I always scan the area for her when I go outside and just had a few minutes before.  I was bringing in groceries and happened to glance down at my feet and she was in and out and around me...I don't know how much she had been following me.  I 

Sunset on the prairie

 I am not sure that the eastern side of Illinois is prairie, but it sure is flatter than east Tennessee.

How about this?

 I would love to go back to this cemetery if I could find it.  

A work of art

 

This was at a cemetery here in Indiana...one we came across several years ago.  It had some of the most ornate headstones.  I think this one is just gorgeous.

Interesting photo

 

This is from the archives.   I am not even sure what these are.  They are growing up from the roots of a maple tree we had taken down several years ago. It is a cropped portion of the one and only photo I took.

Crown Vetch

 This is another of those subjects that I always take photos of at every given opportunity.

B&W or Color?

 B&W or color?

Red-bellied Woodpecker

 I miss feeding the birds....I miss the photo opportunities.  And what's more, they are just simply fun to watch.

The Mound

 I haven't a clue as to what The Mound means...I wish I did.

Sunset

 This makes me think of a song with the lines:

Well, the stage was set, the sun was sinkin' low down.

I know what song it is from...do you?

Blondie

 We saw it once several years ago, but in all the times we were by there we never saw it again.  I  think it is the one and only 'blonde' skunk we ever saw.

Me and my reflection

 This photo is heavily cropped.  I am not sure of the identity of this bird.

Soon....

 

I was actually meaning that soon we will be seeing killdeer nests in places they should not be.  This one was in the road.  But my second thought that soon after the photo there would be little killdeer.