Sycamore Trees......

We had two of these white trees back at our old place.They were across the street. These two are about two blocks away and I have to zoom in to get them in a photo. There are a few places down by the Des Moines river where they grow.  I don’t knew if they are planted by people or they are just naturally spread in  the timber. The ones down in the river bottom do look like they have spread along the area.

Spring Love....

Dove on Deck

The two doves continue to hang around on the fences and check out the loose seed on the deck. They seem to be very friendly with each other so they will be building a nest soon.

Western Auto......

This building is a wedge.  It has two flat sides and then curves around the two other sides. The building stands in Kansas City.  It was their building but the company is closed now since 2006. As a kid our shopping stores include Western Auto and Coast to Coast. The sign is still lighted at night and could be seen from our hotel window.

Spring Blooms......

Evidence of spring and fall is in this photo. I don’t have a snow pile anywhere in which I can grab some snow to put in the shot. I had forgotten that the  crocus open up when it is warmer and when the sun is shining.

Yesterday these bulbs were blooming but they close up in the night. We call these our Arlyn and Colleen blooms as they were planted by previous owners. It is 46 degrees F. this morning so they may wait for that sun to show through the clouds this morning.

Birds Shot.....

It is an interesting angle for the downy woodpecker.  The background bird was not planned but it makes it a special shot.

Roselle Court.....

Roselle Court in the Nelson Atkins Art Muesem in Kansas City, Missouri. The 1930’s building done in neo classical style has a wonderful court in its interior.

It is a beautiful place to visit feeling like one is going back in time. The balcony and walkway below are covered with vaulted ceilings with those wonderful columns.

Sandwiches and desserts with great coffee is for sale.

Night Lights.....

Kansas City view at night from our hotel was so sparkling.  The Union Train Station is at the left of the photo. The whole view made our stay there so special.

Kansas City...

Our view from the hotel in Kansas City.  We took off and travel south to visit the city for a couple of days.  Visiting the Nelson Atkins Art Museum two different days was a needed experience as we had not been there for years.

Our hotel room included a full wall of glass and the night view was fantastic. Looking out at this on the ninth floor gave us such a light filled view of Kansas City. One could clearly see the different colors of lights from all the buildings and street lights.

Symbolic.......

Butterflies are prevalent when one walks into a store to buy a candle or stained glass design.  This one brightens our kitchen sink window.  It blends in with all the glass vases and a glass dove.

Sparrow....

There are two centers of interest in this shot.  The sparrow is prominent but the pussy willow buds are shrinking up a great pattern. The tree started budding a couple of days ago but it was not so showy as it is now.

America’s Robin........

On the fence and not knowing where he should go.  I actually think he is doing his calls to attract a female.  I don’t think they have returned to our area.

Daytime Moon.....

The white spot was not that easy to see while out on the deck. Can you see it in this photo?  The camera zoom makes life more exciting when it can bring into focus such a large object in the sky.

Clean Car....Not.

We visited the old place to check on the house a few days ago after cleaning the car.  As we drove away to come home I could see cat prints on the windshield and also the hood.  A warm bucket of water and an old face cloth took care of the prints from two yellow kitties for the neighbors. I also found a couple on the back trunk door where they jumped off to go back to their home.

Cowbird.......

The brown headed cowbird has returned to our area.  He was here last year and it took me a while to figure out what he was.  The female does not have the brown head even thought that is the name of the bird. I also saw a robin this morning out in my front yard.  I was taking out the garbage on a frosty cold morning and he was trying for insects. I can believe that he was finding any.

Cloudy Spectacular......

It started out looking like this.  I am on the back deck and the sun is highlighting the whole thing. We never got any rain out to this but they did east of us.

The cloud just kept growing larger.

It then did gigantic before it dissipated. It was unusual for the wind and cold weather making it move along quickly.

A Scattering.......

It is Saturday morning and there is this view for only a few moments.  I caught it just in time as it was gone when I glanced out to see if it had become better.  It was not better, it was totally gone. I wanted to crop out some of the suburbia foreground but it would have minimized the show of the clouds.

Morning Sunshine.........

I am hoping that this view will be more regularly seen from here on out.  The snow clouds and fog seem to be too dreary-looking after having such a long winter.

A second shot from out front of the house shows clearing sky.  It is not a wonderful shot but it is one of reality with the trees with no leaves and the sky having few clouds.

A Pretty Bird.....

The house finch is showing more red as the spring comes closer. I took a lot of cardinal photos today but they seem to be too flashy compared to the markings of a simple finch.

Fog and Rain........

Here is the visual weather report for today.  I spent a couple of sessions shoveling snow off the deck.
The continued temps above freezing for two days has helped to clean up the last of the snow.

Patch of Grass........

I took this photo this morning and I was surprised to see an open patch of grass. We thawed yesterday but it was not a rapid melt. I can see by this photo that we lost a lot of snow off of the top tier of the rock garden area.  I don’t put arrows on photos but this would be a good one if I put a giant read arrow pointing to the grass.

A Good Sky Day.......

It is time for us to have a good day.  The temperatures will be above freezing and things will melt. I walked on the snow ice crust this morning to take photos and by this afternoon I won’t be able to do that. We are at 31 degrees F. this morning and we are to be five to six degrees higher by afternoon. The sun should help to get ride of that iced over surface.

Wet Starling.....

The photo shows the amount of rain we were having. It rained most of the day until the northwest winds moved in causing it to snow for a few hours. A flock of starlings returned to eat at the feeder and suet cake. He is saturated and really doesn’t seem bothered by it all.

Friendly Feeding......

This was the snowy day a few days back.  Today it is raining and the birds are staying in the trees.  They will have to wait a long time for the rain to stop as I don’t think it will stop until late tonight.

Coopers Hawk.....

This guy visited our backyard again today.  It has been a while but I think he likes in the large trees probably three blocks away from where we live.  I still struggle with the identification.  He fits the identification of a broad-winged hawk.  When I read about him they say he not really in our territory but he could be.  I am reminded that it could be a prairie falcon but there again they are not suppose to be in our state.  So I will  just enjoy the one single shot that I was able to catch this morning.When I saw a shot of the broad-winged with a bird that he we was gutting.  This guy can do that in a jiffy and talk off and leave a pile of feathers. I have a friend that tells me it is a Coopers Hawk.  When I looked it up I do agree.

Downy Day....

Female downy at my feeder enjoying a new suet cake that I had just put out for the woodpeckers. I changed out to a new suet as it was an older one and the new one seems to be a hit to the two woodpeckers.

The male Downy showed up about a half hour later.  The male has beed feeding here for a long time but the female showing up to eat made it nice surprise. It is snowing out there today and I am sure one or both will show up sometime during the storm.

Afternoon Sky.....

It is a setting sun as it heads to the west horizon. It is still high in the sky and yet you can see the tree across the street at the bottom of the picture. The whole day seemed to be more like a spring sky rather than this winter overcast we have had for a very long time.

Very Best...and Not So Good.

My loyal cardinal showed up this morning knowing I didn’t have any new visuals to share today.  He even went to the feeder for a few seconds in which I got one good shot.  He flits around so much that you can see what one of my shots look like, as Big Red decides to leave the scene. I really was sure grumpy this morning as I didn’t have any photos to share.  I looked up at the staging tree and there was the red spot in the tree and I had joy in the morning.

Bunnies.....

A fantasized view of friendly bunnies makes for a good theme for this old sculpture of mine.  I place it in the flower garden even though it is better displayed on a shelf or counter. I didn’t remember the bunny was on the right side as one seems to just look at the bunny and boy looking at each other.

Very Frigid Day....

Our temperatures seem to be too cold for the birds to want to eat.  I will keep the seed filled high as they need it to keep warm. We are at a -2 degrees F.  this morning and the high isn’t going to go farther that 10 degrees.  Our normal this time of the year is suppose to be 40 degree F.

Birdwatching......

A few house finch have started to come to my feeders. Some are more red than others but they are active eaters.

The stripes of whit and black feathers are striking also. The birds vary in the amounts of red feathers.  I am assuming the ones with less red are the females. They seen friendly but the junco birds don’t seem to like to hang around them.

Betta Boy........

My betta seems pretty happy with his new home.  I went shopping for him yesterday and bought him some new rocks, a couple of plants and a aquarium structure. He has his own Japanese garden and his own lighting system. Betta Boy also has his own heating system making his water nice a warm while he sits next to the window and among the house plants.