Crooked Cross

Moseying across Nebraska near its southern border, a beautiful white church caught my eye. It was a mile north of US 136 in Jefferson County, but shined like a beacon against the cloudless azure sky. As I approached the church from the south, I noticed the cross was leaning to the west. Not much, but …

Sunflowers

40 acres of sunflowers On US 136 five miles west of Fairbury, Nebraska, I found a sea of sunflowers in full bloom. Three feet tall, standing shoulder to shoulder, soaking up the bright sun with hardly a cloud in the sky. Pollinators were gorging themselves. It was a great day to be a sunflower! Thought …

Round Barn

Round Barn - lower level Starke Round Barn One of the largest round barns in the US is near Red Cloud, Nebraska. It is a truly circular barn, not polygonal, three stories tall and 130' in diameter. Built by the four Starke brothers in 1902, the massive timbers are held in place by tension -- …

Castle Gate

Joslyn Castle Joslyn Castle, located in Omaha, Nebraska, was built in 1903 as the private home for George and Sarah Joslyn. This is the man gate that leads pedestrians up a winding path through manicured lawns and flower beds to the 35-room mansion sitting atop 5.5 acres near downtown Omaha. The castle is a landmark …

Cedar Creek Sunset

Cedar Creek Sunset Labor Day weekend. Darkness is falling like a shroud; dying embers from our marshmallow roast are losing their glow as the sun falls below the horizon, and the sliver of a moon is little help. I notice that the moon is falling behind the big tree. Hmmm, I always thought while the …

Husker Fan

Only two more days until the Nebraska Cornhuskers open their 2019 football season against Southern Alabama. The entire Husker nation, which is world-wide, is excited for this season to get underway, hoping to make last year's 4-8 record a distant memory. Husker t-shirts are even being sold by street vendors in Jerusalem. Is this escapism …

Iowa Rice Paddy

Missouri River Flooding - 2019 In mid-March, over two months ago, the Missouri River got out of its banks from Sioux City, NE down to Hamburg, IA, flooding towns and cropland. Hundreds of people lost their homes, thousands of acres of prime farmland was destroyed, and I-29 was closed for six weeks. This picture was …

Flood Aftermath

Graske Crossing, Elkhorn River A month after the Elkhorn River left its banks and unleashed Nature's fury on nearby towns and farmland, I visited Graske Crossing, a popular boat ramp near Elkhorn, NE. A small area with half dozen picnic tables, a couple grills, parking for 15 and a very nice concrete boat ramp was …

Favorite Memory

Brady, NE My favorite childhood memories include visiting my cousins that lived on Jeffrey Lake, 5 miles south of Brady, NE. Especially in the summer, when we could swim three times a day (60 minutes after each meal), play baseball and explore the County's junk yard. What made this all possible was my uncle, who …

Tank Rescue

Propane Tank Rescue Flooding along the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers destroyed many cabins, homes and farms. Everything was swept downstream, including propane tanks, some hissing as they floated by. When the water finally retreated to its channel, the clean up began. This photo was taken near the public boat ramp on the Platte River near …

Raging River

Platte River Bridge - Louisville, NE. - 2019 The Platte River crosses the entire state of Nebraska, collecting water from several small rivers and streams, and finally dumping into the Missouri River near Plattsmouth, NE. -- about 10 miles downstream of this photo. It has the reputation of being "a mile wide and a foot …

Journey’s End

Journey's End After living through 105 cold Nebraska winters, Adela Tikalsky was laid to rest in Niobrara, just a few miles from where she was born. Adela was born in the original farmhouse on the the Holan Homestead (parent's) and lived there for 65 years. The farm and family was her life. She never had …

Twin Towers

Twin Towers of Neckties The Strategic Air Command's Aerospace Museum, located near Ashland, Nebraska, has over 300,000 sq. ft. of exhibit and restoration space. It has actual airplanes, fully assembled on the exhibit floor: bombers, fighters, transporters, helicopters, missiles, etc. But the most unexpected exhibit I saw was a tribute to casualties of the terrorists …

Winter Zoo Trip

Sky Tram Tickets It was warm for February in Nebraska, 15 degrees with hopes of reaching the high 20's. That was balmy compared to the previous two days and predictions for the next week. So, we bundled up and went to the zoo. There are plenty of inside exhibits at the Henry Doorly Zoo, like …

Winter Storm

Nebraska Winter As predicted a powerful snowstorm hit Nebraska Saturday night; 8-10" of snow with winds gusting 40-50 mph. Thankfully, we have a calm sunny day to dig out. Uggh! Using the words of the Nebraska State Tourism Board's latest slogan: "Nebraska, it's not for everyone."

Umbrellas

Umbrellas - Cape Cod Nebraska's winter has been the worst in a long time. January was bitter cold with light snow, now two heavy snowfalls in the last five days and another heavy snowstorm on the horizon. I thought this picture might cheer things up. Nothing special about the photo itself; I just like the …

Ameritrade Park

Less than six months until the College World Series -- "The Greatest Show on Dirt".  That's the name of this sculpture that sits outside the front entrance to Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.  This tournament has been held in Omaha since 1950. Maybe this winter won't last forever, but we need something to look forward …

Nebraska Tourism

My first field trip of 2019 was to the Henry Doorly Zoo, the most popular tourist attraction in Nebraska.  School was out so we took our granddaughter and braved the winter weather. The highlight of this trip was seeing the African animals in parkas, mittens and snow boots.  No.  Wait, that was the elephants and …

Coneflower

Mid-September, and we're getting pretty close to the end of late summer blooms, but these Coneflowers still look pretty good. Taken at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, NE.   Thought for the Day:  I hate flowers -- I paint them because they're cheaper than models and don't move.                   …

Back to School

Nebraska schools open in mid-August now, even the colleges are starting before Labor Day anymore.  In Europe, however, September 1st is the "standard" opening day of school. September 1st is almost like a national holiday.  Kids dress up, families dress up for formal pictures and escort their kids to school.  Flowers are presented to the …