Lilies of the Valley

Even past its prime, this brace of lily of the valley bells is still lovely. Taken June 8, 2014, Eagan, Minnesota.

HIDDEN BEAUTY — These Lilly of the Valley flowers were hidden in shade.

Minehaha dragonfly

A true sign of summer.

PERCHED — Dragonfly in the tall grass near Minehaha falls in Minnesota.

A little red, white and blue

Independence Day is coming up next Friday and here’s a little red, white and blue to celebrate! Happy Fourth of July!

RED — Young blackberries a week or two from ripening.

Trillium in Aunt Betty’s garden, Eagan, Minnesota.

BLUE — Dayflower with its stunning cobalt petals.

Mother Goose

While enduring one of many construction-related stops on Interstate 40 yesterday, we were treated to a lovely sight: Mother goose and her very grown up goslings parading along a space where the westbound lanes used to run.

FOLLOW THE LEADER — Mother goose leads her babies through an interstate construction site near Lake Dardanelle, Arkansas.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts

This week’s photo challenge is all about contrasts. We loved how the straight white-clad trunks of these birches contrasts with the wild maze of soft green early June foliage near Bayfield, Wisconsin.

BEAUTY AND THE BIRCH — The white bark on these trees is so lovely.

Other of this week’s contrasts we liked:

• Lit up leaf.
• Sun and cranes. 
• Serenity and loud dogs. 
• Color contrasts.
• Swans.

Weekly photo challenge: Between 2

A second helping of “between,” An antique store near Lincoln, Illinois, seems to be situated between fantasy and reality. The rainbow below bridges sun and storm.

Antiques store south of Lincoln, Illinois.

Dual rainbows (you have to look closely to see the second one) on a rainy night

Weekly Photo Challenge: Between

This week’s photo challenge theme is “between.” Here, boats and empty masts stand between sea and sky in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

Other “betweens” we liked:

• The road between buildings
• Between thoughts? 
• Former fish (Ophelia?)
• The light between. 
• Between actions. 

Boats docked south on the south shore of Lake Superior.

Post No. 800: Gateway Arch

Hard to believe this is our 800th post. We’ll celebrate with shots of the Gateway Arch at St. Louis, Missouri, taken Friday, June 13, 2014. This magnificent and oh-so-photogenic arch will do some celebrating of its own next year, marking 50 years. Some interesting facts about the arch: http://www.gatewayarch.com/experience/arch-facts-faq/

The Gateway Arch shines on a near cloudless day.

The stainless steel arch against a cloudless sky.

Big beetle

Found this rather intimidating looking fellow trying to do the backstroke in a bit of water that had accumulated on the deck. If he is a giant stag beetle, then this is a rare find in Arkansas.

Raising his rack. This beetle looks like he means business.

Size compared to a quarter.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Extra, extra

There were big two extras in this photo: the size of the cinnamon roll and Aunt Betty’s delighted expression at seeing the giant pastry (and the gentle teasing from everyone else at the table.)

That’s a cinnamon roll? What you get when you order one at Jensen’s in Burnsville, Minnesota.

And an earlier extra. Was trying to photo the ducks and found the accidental bald eagle in the image. The white tail feathers and head are backlight to the left side of the image in the trees.

A cast of extras with starring roles:

• Hummingbird: http://sarazancotti.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/weekly-photo-challenge-extra-extra-1/
• Morning: http://whymatters.me/2014/06/13/weekly-photo-challenge-extra-extra/
• Please don’t feed the bears (your children): http://bumblepuppies.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/feeding-the-bears-insults-my-intelligence/
• A swan, with extras: http://esengasvoice.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/weekly-photo-challenge-extra-extra/
• Surprise on the lobstah pots: http://myencorelifeinfocus.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/weekly-photo-challenge-extra-extra/