Saturday’s Bloom......

This rose proves to be a real winner.  I trimmed back all the dead buds and I have multiple new buds everywhere. I need to find the tag to see what it was named.

Hardy Geraniums......

The hardy geraniums in the front garden are taking one more stab at putting out blooms.  They have really been great in the front yard putting out some great color. I use to save them over in the winter by digging and putting them in the basement.  I don’t know that I will do that this fall.

Hummer’s Feeding........

Looking down from on the deck I can see them flying around at the feeder. Sometimes is the hummingbird wars with them chasing each other.  I snapped a shot to see if there is even on actually on the feeder.

When I zoom in I can see this guy at the bar.  Notice he is watching for invaders that he will need to chase away with a rapid response.

Shoreline.......

The shoreline along Lake Superior is ever-changing with the weather and the time of day effecting it. A calm day on the shore gives us a few ripples along the rocks. I painted this scene, exact same spot, over fifteen years ago.  A customer to our then frame shop/art gallery insisted buying it as it leaned against a cupboard in the shop.  I have two photos of that painting and I think I will paint the scene again. I always wondered if she liked the scene or the soaring seagull that was painted in the foreground of the composition.

A Gathering.....

The different formations overlapped to create a painting in the sky. The random clouds floating in the front of it all gives it a strong effect.

Metal Butterfly.....

The stage has been built for a few years.  It is at the state fair grounds where it is only used for a couple of weeks a year. Any event that takes place on the stage is photographed close so a viewer would never know what the cover looks like. An energy company built it as part of their way to have public advertising. It is an amazing stage compared to a couple of others on the fair grounds that are wooden platforms with no covering over them. I am always startled when I first see it as it sits on grounds of 1900s brick building and it is a modern structure.

Landing on Top......

Winged Wandering Ones.....

I was going to mow the backyard but this guy had to interrupt me.  Lots of times I go get the camera and the butterfly is gone.  This one did stick around to get his picture taken a couple of times.  This is the first on in my garden this summer.

I can get shots of the painted ladies any time during the day. It is a good year for them.  I think I saw an admiral butterfly but didn’t get a photo of it.

Glories in the Morning......

Growing as a volunteer in my tomato patch.  It gets too warm by noon so the blooms have closed up. I guess that is why they are called morning glories.

I kept cutting the vine back and then I just gave up.  I saw what it was that was growing there so I left it alone and let it grow. Where they were growing last year has had its location eliminated.  A shed was moved and a sunroom was put over the area.

Be Safe.....

They didn’t have a sign on this but it should be labeled “don’t be stupid”. The area is in the falls area along the north shore.  The water from the falls looks inviting but the big open pools really do have a current to suck a body right into the Lake Superior. I guess young teens would be crazy to go into the areas but I know there are adults that wouldn’t be so wise either.

This is the kind of area that shows the water rushing down to the big lake.

A Visitor.......

I took many shots and trashed many shots as one can have only so many photos of one butterfly. I had to wait a long time to get a shot of it with its wings opened. Monarchs close their wings usually while eating.

Humming in the Garden......

If you are around them close enough they do make a humming sound with their wings. I bought a new cheaper feeder for them and hung it on a shepherds hook out among the flowers. I had not seen any when the old feeder was hanging in the blue spruce tree. I think that these two photos are of two different birds. With light reflection it is sometime hard to tell.

Neighbors........

My neighbor is at the opposite side of his yard and I am picking tomatoes.  I gave them some tomatoes a while ago so I just sat the three on the fence rail.  I hollered and he came over to get his tomatoes.  He then gave me a name and an address of someone who could help with a window and siding problem.  We don’t have a gate between us and his gat is up on the hill so we just talk through the slats.

Split Rock Lighthouse.......

Split Rock Lighthouse along the northern shore of Lake Superior was built on solid rock of a great cliff. The year of creation floats around the very beginning of the 1900’s. There were no roads along the shoreline and all people, supplies and building supplies  were brought by boats up from Duluth, Minnesota.

DNR Exhibit....at the fair.

When I was a little kid, seven years old, I saw this concert pool at the fair.  It was magical with ducks, geese and swans in the small pool.  It is still there today and they didn’t have turtles this year.  The waterfowl all have their wings clipped so they can’t fly away.

Horsing Around......

The horse shows are really interesting to see. It is all new to us and we really enjoy the work of the horse and rider. Different kinds of horses fit into similar categories.

The horses walk, cantor, trot and run when commanded to do so by the judge. Some horses were experienced at the job of showing and others acted a little bit more inconsistent with the commands.

Cattle Judging......

We stopped in to the pavilion and watched some of the cattle judging. It is a whole new social structure when everyone in the pool has brought their angus steer with them. I like the animal watching at the fair and I like the view of how the kids relate to their animals.  While taking a bus back to our car in the late afternoon  we smiled watching a trailer go by with three of these black cattle sticking there  nose out an opening on the trailer. The cattle’s day was done and so was ours.

Gladiola....

I grabbed them at a last moment while at Menards.  It was spontaneous as I questioned that they may be planted too late if I bought them then. I pulled it off as they grew quickly and the weather did help them along.  Most people at my old place have planted theirs a month ago and they are mostly gone. These fall on the gourd as the bloom so I keep bring them into the house for closer viewing. I don’t regret planting them late at all. .

Painted Lady Butterfly......

The zinnia patch has drawn in many of these butterflies.  They are abundant this year as people all over the state are remarking about how many that they can see. In the meantime, I have one lone monarch that comes and goes once a day and doesn’t stay for long.

The Last.....

The last of the hollyhocks blooms is this one lone white one.  The plants were very tall and this one is at the very top.

Granddaughter......

A few weeks ago we were able to go see our granddaughter Ella. She is a sweet bundle. She is all girl with her small body and sweet eyes. She was three moans old at the time.

Looking Through......

My wife and I sat a a picnic table along the shore of Lake Superior.  We were each trying to paint a picture of what we were seeing.  As we were leaving the area I saw this view through the woods.

A Wedge......

It was a clear night and I was locking up for the night. I opened the door to bring in the flat . I saw the half moon when I looked up.  I got the shot in two tries.

First Monarch Photo....

I have an invasion of painted ladies butterflies.  When I saw this monarch I went for my camera. It is twice the size of the smaller ones and I have not seen them in my yard. I didn’t get a perfect picture but I did get a couple.

As we traveled to the north shore and when we returned we saw many monarchs.  I am sure the car took a lot of them out.  I-35 has large areas of meadows on both sides of the road in its ditches. There was a sign put up along the way saying that it was the major route for the monarch migration. They were fluttering across the highway as the cars passed by them.  I am glad that this one has survived the trip so far.  The butterfly weed is its favorite plant.

Zinnia Power........

They were planted late and the flowers are just now popping open. The colors are so varied in the one area and the other end seems to be all one color. My neighbor who plants no flowers does say that she enjoys outs across the way.

Number Three........

The first train that was used to haul ore to the harbor area was this one. It hauled in two directions to keep the supplies at the harbors for shipping out to other countries.

Tugboat Power....

The retired tugboat floats in the harbor of Two Harbors, Minnesota.  It was used to help position the big ships into the load stations of iron ore. The background shows the many shoots that could be lowered into a a shipping barge. The iron ore business has been allowed to reopen and the mines are being worked.  The processing plants at Silver Bay are back up and running and we are back making our own steel. The ore is processed into small marble sized pellets and that is sold to companies to melt down for manufacturing.

This large cargo ship is sitting on the back side of the loading dock. You see how large that ship is and once filled it will head back across the great lakes to get to the east coast.

Vacation Memories....

Vacations are great as one sees things that are not the normal things.  We were up on the North Shore of Minnesota for a few days.  The Temperance River weaves its way down the hills of rock heading to Lake Superior.  We returned to Iowa with all of its corn fields and flatter landscapes.  Traveling through the Twin Cities is a jolt back to reality that we were heading home.

On the Shore.....

On the North Shore ......

Cascade Falls, Minnesota.

Leave the light on.....

I bought the light and the electrician explained to me how it works.  If the switch is left on the light will turn on at night.  It is a low light but any movement will cause the light to turn on.  If a person was creeping up the stairs the light would turn on brightly.  I am glad it works this way.  I do set it off sometimes when I go out to cover the grill after dark. It takes magic to reset it for the evening after it has been tripped.

Impromptu Shot....

One never knows what they are capturing until they take a look at the final shot.  Tall grass, pile of garden dirt bags, rain spout and a bucket are also in view. I am also getting the kleenex box in the background of shots on the dining room table.