International Peace Garden – More Than Peace Grows Here

Notice: This post is being written during the COVID-19 pandemic and at this time, the park is closed to visitors. Please stay safe and follow your state or country’s guidelines for travel in your region. More information on the park’s current status can be found here.

Dunseith, North Dakota.

I’ve lived and worked in North Dakota since 1978. One item that has been on my bucket list for this state is the International Peace Garden. Last September, I had occasion to visit the garden to consider it as a location for a joint cadet get-together between North Dakota Civil Air Patrol and Manitoba Cadet Air League. The garden has summer hours for facilities, usually from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but the garden itself is open much of the year… except for now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Landscapes

This week, Amy challenges us to share our landscape photos. Well, as a photographer who pretends to have some expertise in this area, that’s a tough challenge. I’ll give it my best shot and share some of my favorites. You can read Amy’s entire challenge post here.

Cellpic Sunday – 5 August 2018

Fargo, North Dakota.

I’ve been overloaded this week on aviation. The Blue Angels performed last weekend here. I did some glider towing for one of our pilots to take his glider checkride, our glider (with that pilot) spent this weekend at the Northern Neighbors Day Airshow at Minot Air Force Base, and I spent the last two days working with Air Force and Civil Air Patrol National staff as we concluded the North Dakota Wing’s Compliance Inspection (a close-up look at our state operations that happens every four years. (We came away from that inspection looking good with only a few bits of administrivia that need to be addressed in the next several weeks.)

Cellpic Sunday – 29 July 2018

Fargo, North Dakota.

This week the Blue Angels are in town for a visit. Earlier this week I noticed #7 sitting on the ramp at the Jet Center. This aircraft is the only two-passenger aircraft in their fleet. It’s used for media rides and other special purposes. I understand it arrives early in the week to be available for such events. As this is being written, I am preparing to help at the Civil Air Patrol booth. We have our FLIR-equipped Cessna 182 and our glider on display. Expect a photo story on this in an upcoming Travel Tuesday.

Photo Challenge – Letter D – 4 Letters Words

Breezy Point, Minnesota.

I enjoy sharing my take on the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, however this week it happens to be in hiatus. I follow some other photo challenges for theme ideas on my Photo By Johnbo Facebook Page here. Every day I post a photo that fits the weekly challenge theme that I have culled from one photo site or another.

Richardton – Home of a Monastery on the North Dakota Prairie

Richardton, North Dakota.

On our way to Albuquerque and our annual family reunion, we headed west to travel a new route to Denver. Instead of our usual trip south to I-80, we headed on I-94 west and then south through Rapid City to spend some time in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Our route took us west to Dickinson, ND then south to Sturgis. As we got near the small town of Richardton, the two tall spires of the parish at Richardton’s Assumption Abbey rose above the town.

Cellpic Sunday – 27 November 2015

 Fargo, North Dakota.

For this week’s photo challenge, I captured a couple of Christmas ornaments on our Christmas tree using my Samsung S6 cell phone, the only camera currently available while we are home for the holidays. I was experimenting with the camera’s selective focus mode. Since the ornaments were nestled among the tree branches, there was little depth of field to truly see the effect of selective focus.

Weekly Photo Challenge – (Extra)ordinary

 

This week, Cheri Lucas Rowlands asks us to share “Mundane and meaningful”; “Beautiful everyday things.” You can read the entire challenge post here.