Ice Covered Tree After a cold dreary yesterday with freezing rain overnight, a bright sunny morning provided a visual treat. Thought for the Day: Some old -fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.Laura Ingalls Wilder
Sarasota National Cemetery Veteran's Day is November 11th ... as it is every year, in remembrance of Armistice Day (the end of WW 1) on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It's nice that a day is set aside to show appreciation to those who have served in … Continue reading Fallen Comrade
Mule Deer Ever seen such big ears!? This mule deer doe must have sensed I was no threat, her fear instinct did not overtake her curiosity. But, she was cautious, only allowing one camera shot before returning to her breakfast. Even though she wasn't looking at me while grazing, her ears always pointed in my … Continue reading Big Ears
Searching for Contact Lens What a time to lose a contact lens! Sarasota Beach, 2019. Thought for the Day: Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.Thomas Edison
Milkweed Seeds The milkweed seed pods are finally drying out, opening and letting the wind spread their seeds far and wide. Fine "hair" on the seeds blowing in the wind reminded me of fireworks. Thought for the Day: We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we … Continue reading Milkweed Fireworks
Hidden Treasure Twelve miles north of Taylor, NE (pop.200) there is a sign for the Bootleg Brewery, which lies at the end of a 3 mile gravel road. I'd heard of this place and was eager to check it out. Men's Restroom Expecting an old barn or some run down shack from the 50's, I … Continue reading Bootleggers
Bee on Aster The New England Aster is beautiful, but patience is required to see it. It doesn't bloom until October. With the exception of the Mum, most every other flower in the garden has lost its bloom. I like the Aster because it attracts the bees, probably their last easy meal for awhile. The … Continue reading New England Aster
Fancy The passing of our beloved Fancy, the fourth of our family dogs, is an end of an era. For over 50 years we have been met at the door by a wagging tail -- all were good dogs. But Fancy had more personality than the other dogs combined, and the most trusting dog I've … Continue reading Fancy
Resting Comfortably Another interesting site I found along Sargent-Ord Road in northeast Custer County, Nebraska is this barn squatting on its haunches. With the words, "Cross Wind Mercantile" painted on the front, it appears to have been a business, possibly an antique dealer. The white vinyl fence in front looked totally out of place, as … Continue reading Sagging Barn
Big Cat Ever wonder where the expression "Cat's Pajamas" came from? I heard a lot of expressions when I was a kid, this being one of them. It sounded so absurd that it must have meant something really great. Whatever. But who was the first to say it? An early 1900's cartoonist, named Tad Dorgan, … Continue reading Cat’s Pajamas
Homecoming Queen In almost everything we do there are winners and losers, although in current society, to be politically correct, it's winner and "participants". Heavens, pardon me, no one is a loser. But I digress. I attended another high school football game and the homecoming court was introduced at half time. In this photo there … Continue reading Winners and Losers
Comstock Windmill Festival Heading east on Main Street out of Sargent, NE is a nice paved county road that eventually ends up in Ord, Ne. It has no road number, just a name: "Sargent-Ord Road". For a one-mile stretch near Sargent the road is called "Airport Road"; yes, Sargent, NE (pop. 506) has an airport. … Continue reading Windmill Festival
Hazy Sunset The smoky air from the wildfires in western Nebraska and the west coast provided an apocalyptic scene at the Comstock Lodge in central Nebraska. This shot was taken about an hour before sunset. Thought for the Day: Stop worrying about the world ending today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.Charles M. Schultz
Sheep Protector During our ATV tour of the Comstock game reserve we came across this adorable alpaca. Good natured and easily approachable, I thought he was part of a "petting zoo" application that might appeal to young families. Not exactly. The alpaca was there to protect the sheep from coyotes. Thought for the Day: As … Continue reading Alpaca
Comstock Lodge Custer County is the 2nd largest county in Nebraska, located in the geographical center of the state. One hundred miles north of Grand Island, NE lies Sargent, NE (pop. 509) in the northeast corner of Custer Co. About 3 miles NE of Sargent is the Comstock Lodge, where we spent two nights. Formerly … Continue reading Comstock Lodge
Get-Away Place A fairy tale setting located in the Lithuanian countryside. Thought for the Day: Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.Chinese Proverb
Tagged Monarch Butterfly Monarch butterflies finally showed up in my back yard, although not near as many as last year. It's always thrilling to see them knowing this generation of Monarchs are on their way to Mexico. A net was used to catch this one. My daughter deftly tagged it and recorded the date, place … Continue reading Monarch Tagging
High School Football Last week's Friday night high school football games fell on September 11, and I was very impressed by the students at the game I attended. Their respect for the American flag and National Anthem was real. No jeering, no pranks, and no one calling attention to themselves by taking a knee -- … Continue reading 9/11 Tribute
Serengeti Plain at Dusk Night on Africa's Serengeti Plain is total darkness. This photo was taken from the doorway of our hut on our way to dinner at the lodge two blocks away. A few lights from the lodge can be seen on the horizon just below the setting sun. No outdoor lighting exists along … Continue reading Serengeti Dusk
1950's croquet set The history of croquet is long and storied, going back to the Middle Ages. Today's game of croquet was introduced to England in 1852 by Ireland who called it "crooky". The game's popularity spread and became a primary social activity of England's "leisure class" by 1860. The game's popularity spread around the … Continue reading Croquet
