This week Tina challenges us to share images that reflect the “Treat” part of that Halloween phrase, “Trick or Treat!” Her share of tips from a wildlife photographer is a treat in itself and advice that I could have used on my own recent trip through several national parks. You can read her entire challenge post here.
The Dakotas and points west.
Starting mid-September through mid-October, we spent 29 days traveling the country. Some probably consider us crazy to choose to travel during a 100-year pandemic. Trust me, neither of us wants to be sick, and at our tender years, we are more likely to have severe complications should we happen to contract Covid-19. So we were careful. For this post, I will share some of our thoughts on staying safe while traveling in these trying times. Continue reading
Quincy, Washington.
Near mile marker 139 on I-90 is a rest area and scenic view. Of course, I had to check it out on our #RoadTrip2020. That bridge in the distance carries traffic on I-90 over the Columbia River. The river is wide here as a nearby dam downstream has created Wanapum Lake. Continue reading
Fargo, North Dakota.
This week, Ann-Christine asks us to share our hideaways. She writes in part, “This week, I thought we should go inside for communication – A Hideaway, is a place to which a person can retreat for safety, privacy, relaxation, to seek seclusion or refuge. Where or What is Your hideaway?” You can read her entire challenge post here.
Please indulge me in a selfie or two for my challenge-response. My personal hideaway is often in front of a screen somewhere. I am a child of the 1950s and ’60s. I grew up in front of a TV screen, and when personal computers came around in the late 1970s, I had a new screen to sit in front of (some would say “hide behind,” and I suppose there is some truth to that.) In any case, the computer screen has served me well as I spent over half my career “hiding behind” screens in computer network data centers and in helping teachers use their screens to enhance their students’ learning. Continue reading
Wolf Point, Montana.
On a July trip to Montana, we traveled through the town of Wolf Point. At the Missouri River crossing between Roosevelt and McCone counties, we passed by a small park that led to the original Wolf Point Bridge. On our return home, we stopped to check out the bridge. A placard posted at the site of the park described some of the basic details of the bridge which I will share with you in a moment. A search on the Internet, however, told a more somber story of how this bridge came to be. Continue reading
Big Lake, Minnesota.
Less than a week after the first day of autumn found us in Big Lake Minnesota at Lions Park for a Celebration of Life. As we awaited the start of the event, I happened to notice a row of evergreen trees, each with vines and small trees growing within the area at the base of each large evergreen. Continue reading
This week is unusual in that we got our photo challenge instructions from Biasini. What’s unusual is that Biasini is a horse. Though unable to talk, a horse’s conversation with the rider is part and parcel of horsemanship. The challenge this week is to share our thoughts on communication.
Today we think of writing on objects such as buildings as graffiti unless they are legitimately authorized, then they are murals. In earlier times, though, painting on rocks was quite common in the desert southwest. These images, hundreds, if not thousands of years old, have survived for archeologists to wonder and speculate as to their meanings. The opening photo, as in all the photos in my response are from petroglyph sites near Phoenix, Arizona. Continue reading
Valley City, North Dakota.
On the campus of Valley City State University, a class project has grown into a 30-acre park and educational destination. The Medicine Wheel is visible from my drone shot in the top of the image above. The wheel is a basic solar calendar that uses the alignment of the sun to the spokes of the wheel to determine sunrise and sunset during each of the four seasons. The center of the medicine wheel is the sun in a solar system model. A short walk will take you by each of the nine planets (including our dwarf planet, Pluto) in the solar system.
Fargo, North Dakota.
Last week’s Cellpic Sunday introduced you to the NDSU Horticultural Research Gardens on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo. I had a bit of fun “chasing” another visitor around the flower beds. This little guy would see me and duck around behind some marigolds. He was big enough, however, that I could tell which way he went by the rustling of the plant leaves. At one point, he stopped near the zinnias and picked up something to eat. Apparently, he was hungry enough that he ignored me as I took his picture.
St. Louis, Missouri.
This week, Amy asks us to take a walk, a photo walk. She writes, “You are invited to share your photo walk, whether park, beach or street.” You can read her challenge post here.
In my travels to new places (for me), I’ve often looked for the local botanical garden to see some of the area’s natural plants and get a feel for the local habitat. That walk through the garden always presents itself with plenty of photo opportunities. For this post, I will share one of my favorite garden visits, a walk through the Missouri Botanical Garden. Continue reading
