On The Prairie

A glimpse of the beauty seen on the prairie.

 

Scattered across the prairie are hundreds, no thousands of small ponds and lakes teaming with wildlife, offering a soothing atmosphere and providing great reflections.

 

But my all time favorite sight on the prairie is the breathtaking skies! A vivid blue that seemingly stretches into eternity, often gloriously interspersed with brilliant billowy clouds. More photos and information about the location of these two photos can be seen in this post.

Sharing with:

Jame's Weekend Reflection

and

Friday Skywatch

WW: Silence

Winters Twilight

A golden warmth bathes the land,

as the sun sets on winters twilight.

 This photo was taken early in April. 

In the Midwest April is more of a winters twilight,

 because it is not quite winter but it isn't really spring either.

Sharing with:

Jame's Weekend Reflection

and

Skywatch Friday

If you have enjoyed this image you may also like the one I shared HERE.

Have a great weekend!

Two For Tuesday

Typically I enjoy getting out and taking winter shots, but this winter's got me huddling indoors. Maybe it is time for some warmer outerwear. Until then I will be looking at photos of summer to warm me up.
 

Enjoy the day!

Tones and Filters

I rarely shoot with a filter as it is now so easy to take the photo into Photoshop and apply the filters to the original photo without losing the original color photograph. Today I played with this photo applying different filters and tones. Check them out and let me know in the comments which one you like best.

 

The original photograph

 Blue Filter

Blue Tone

Blue Tone Shadow

Green Tone

Negative

Orange Tone

Purple Overlay

Red Filter

Red Tone

For me it is a toss up between the original, the Blue Tone Shadow and the Negative. While negative isn't really a filter or tone it looks so cool I couldn't resist including it. So which do you like best?

Patiently Awaiting Spring

With temps in the mid 60's last Friday was the perfect day for a bit of nature photography. Of all the photos I took these two macro shots are my favorites.

As I was focusing in on the bud I noticed the beautiful golden colors and distinct lines created in the blur of the other sappers and the tree, so while my cameras focus was the bud, mine was the background.

 Now my thoughts as I on that beautiful day.

Sharing with

"I Heart Macro"

and

Macro Monday 2

Have a beautiful Monday!

Remembering Summer

Cold Water

Last month I shared some photos of a fun little critter playing in the lake at this very spot. I went back the other day hoping to find him out and about.

The lake was frozen over as I expected, but I couldn't see anywhere for the little guys to enter or exit their underwater home. I did manage to see one a small muskrat near the lakes overflow drain but he was too fast for me to get a good shot of him.

Even though it was pretty chilly, it was a nice day though for a walk around the lake. My grandson decided it is much easier to skip rocks on a frozen lake than it is when the water is not frozen....LOL.

Now for one with a little color. This is the west bank of the Missouri River at Chamberlain.

Have a Wonderful Day!

Playful

November is more than half way over but I still have a few more shots from October to share. 

So how about a few lake shots.

A watery reflection

Jame's Weekend Reflection Submission

Now some more fun shots of this guy and his Muskrat buddies playing in the lake.

Have a Beautiful Weekend!

Wonders of Nature

Taking a moment to enjoy the wonders of nature I was blessed to come across this busy little Muskrat.

The way the ripples he created captured the light was amazing so I thought I would see how it looked once converted to black and white.

 Which do you like better?

Autumn Ripple

I was mesmerized by the way the rippling water captured the light and reflected the rich autumn tones.

Hopping Along

Their armor really is quite amazing if not a bit scary looking.

Lovely Lilac's

Strait out of the camera or with a warm texture these lilacs are so lovely.

Note cards featuring both of these are available in our on-line gift shop.

Capturing the light

Such beauty when nature captures the light.

Sky watch Friday Submission

Late afternoon thunderstorms make for amazing sunsets. This photo of the clouds capturing the light of the setting sun was taken from our front porch.

Weekend Reflection Submission

When a mid day breeze disturbs the water of the lake it may lose the mirror reflection but it gives us a glistening reflection as it captures the light of the sun, turning the choppy surface into a glittery blanket.

Linking up with:

Jame's Weekend Reflection

and

Skywatch Friday

Beyond the back gate

This is the view just beyond our back yard. Isn't it gorgeous!

(Click on photo to see larger version)

This morning I went on a brief exploration in the opposite direction of this photo. If I am feeling adventurous tomorrow I will go explore in the other direction.

The field dips into a ravine with some well worn ATV and bike paths that snake through the grass.

Thanks to the uneven ground it was rather easy to get shots that you could not see much of the housing track that is just beyond the field.

The grass is actually rather tall, in some spots it was at least a foot high. I am rather glad I decided to wear jeans, tennis shoes and a sweatshirt instead of my usual Capri's, sandals and a sleeveless top. Not only was it a bit windy but who knows there could be poison oak or something.

Of course I didn't even think of the possibility until I saw these odd looking leaves.

But that didn't stop me, I was enjoying myself way too much.

Macro Monday Submission

Not sure what type of seed pod this is but I thought they looked rather neat.

So there you have it, a few sights just beyond my back gate.



Linking up with Macro Monday 2