Monday's a Go.....

The sun finally breaks through giving us glowing clouds in the sky. Today's Monday is going to be a warm muggy day. 

Checker board....

I have ten of these installed in two rows.  I have fourteen more to go to be able to stop the weight lifting exercise. . These are not the installed ones but were just place out to see the space I was going to be covering.

Soybeans......

Next to the fast food filling station at our old place is this farmer's field. He normally grew corn here for many years but weather conditions kept the planting from happening. It was too wet.  Beans are the alternative to corn as they have a shorter growing period to maturity. The yellowing of the leaves shows they are maturing. 

The silos in the background belong to a farm next to town. When I moved there in 1976 the cattle market was so bad that he stopped feeding cattle there and the silos were never used again. There has always been a few cows  kept there that are milk cows which have calves each spring.  The son-in-law takes the heifer calves and adds them to his milk cow herd a few miles away at another farm.

Sunflower.......

The one lone strand of the original vine is still alive in the tile pot. The grass is extra and the sunflower was planted by the bird feeder hanging directly above.  I think the volunteer  flower is ironic as it should be big and tall and yet it is a petite form of its original source.

Sprouting Through....

The marigold has just grown through the wire web and put on buds.  The buds are blooming with great flowers.

Indoor Garden........

Sunrise at Seven.....

The morning sky looks nonthreatening with great textures in the clouds. Our storms are predicted for the late evening.  I had to wait yesterday for it to dry out in the afternoon before I could mow. By afternoon it was 80 degrees with a good breeze.

Fall......

One last bloom from the yellow cone flowers.  The leaves give it away in its identity that it is a cone flower. Most of them have been done blooming weeks ago.

Wear and Tear...

The hardy geraniums like the weather and are putting out great color for late September. The aging of the leaves and the insects are taking their toll on the plants.

Morning Blooms......All Day.

The humidity is high and it helps keep the morning glories stay in bloom  most of the day.  A normal time period is when it gets hot around noon and they are gone.

In Nature’s Own......

I picked this gladiola and brought it inside.  I took an outside photo of it first and this really is the best photo of it. It is a very late bloomer but I do have one more yet to bloom there too.            

Thursday’s Started.......

It is a rainy day and the lights had to be turned on when we got up for the day. It isn’t any brighter since I took this photo.

Multiviews......

My wife and I both were trying to get shots of the sunrise yesterday morning.  We both turned and saw the reflection, a better view, of the sunrise. My whole shot ends up views in many directions. The backyard neighbor's house can be seen and another view of a sunroom to our west. Hidden inside is my wife's painting and her set up at the table from which she works.

Seed Sunflowers...

The volunteer sunflowers came from the seed at the birdseed.  Their quality is poor as the seed comes from fields from plants like this that are combined in bulk and the seed is shifted out of them. I miss having my mammoth flowers but they just didn’t germinate.

Sunset Behind the Burbs.....

We are returning back to having hot weather. The humidity is also high making it to be miserable outside.

Fall Flowers....

The hardy geraniums like the fall weather. A few petunias are hiding in there blending in with the same colors. We are 71 degrees this morning so we are not thinking any threat from frost for a while.

Man, not on the moon......

I had a clear view of the moon last night. My results were good.  It was perfectly round so I picked a composition of having the moon in the corner.  I just thought it looked better hanging in the corner rather than it being a spot in the middle.  I should have found a star trek ship and photo shopped it into the picture.

Stretching Out......

The morning glory is too easy for me to get to, so I take a lot of photos of them. I need to get out and find something new and different.

Glad Blooms......

The last gladiola to bloom this season.  I almost missed it as it was laying down among the zinnias.

Multiple Blooms...

The volunteer sunflower was planted by the spilled birdseed. I planted mammoth sunflower seed and none of that germinated. It isn’t as impressive as my past sunflowers but I still am glad I did get some blooms.

Combo......

The volunteer morning glory is growing among the begonia’s foliage and blooms. When I took the photo I was aiming for the glories but when I saw the photo, I could see more begonia blooms than morning glories.

Yellow Rose of Ankeny.....

The rose is blooming a large number of blooms today.  For a new rose, it has shown to me that it is a plant to keep. It sits at the bottom of the new deck stairs.

Natural Colors......

Moon Power....

The internet has been down for half of the day.  We are back up now.  I was having trouble getting a shot of the moon as it was too close to the horizon behind my neighbors trees.  As it continues it is now more in view.  I discovered that it depends where the moon is in the sky as if I can get a good shot. I had to walk down the street and stand in my neighbors driveway/sidewalk to get this kind of view. The colors and craters show up better some nights than others.

Bumble Bee.....

I have seen more bumble bees at the flowers than last year  I have not seen many honey bees. We had a Japanese beetle problem only in spotted areas of the state. I had so few of the battles compared to last years infestation.

Vines and Blooms......

The trellis have all been removed because of the construction earlier and I just haven’t got them put back. The one on the pole here is growing on top of every plant that is growing in the same location.

 The volunteer on in the raised be is growing on the tomatoes and tomato cages. It really is too late to try to get them on a trellis for n ow.

Mile Long Bridge.....Saylorville Lake.

Water had been held back twice.  Early spring the water was high as the underside of the t-shapes.  It was helping to prevent flooding on the Des Moines River.  As large amounts of water was released another heavy rainy season took place and the lake was filled to the brim again.  The overflow area had a three foot extension added so the lake could hold back more water.  Yesterday I was able to drive down to the boat ramp area and take photos.  I had my new cell phone with me and it took great bridge pictures.  I couldn’t zoom in on the pelicans from the north.

Red Radiance.......

The flowers that just keep on giving. They seem to be so healthy and keep on blooming among all of the zinnias.

Monday Morning......

Weathered But Still Strong......

An evergreen tree with its roots exposed above the rock surface. The Lake Superior waves has worn away at it for many years. The roots must be in soil but they may reach up into the hill as they are blocked by the shoreline rock.