A twig of hydrangea blown loose from its branch…
Tag Archives: Photography
Grey December Morn
This morning’s wintry sky …
Be Careful What We Wish For …
Going through my photo library, looking for images of winter, I came across this photo that I took 5 years ago today. It was a good reminder of the ice storm that struck Manhattan, Kansas and large parts of the midwest in 2007. Parts of town were without power for 10 days. As pretty as it was, brrr … it was cold!
Though the temperatures have gotten quite cold – a low of 9 degrees F. yesterday – I’ve still heard a few people expressing a wish for some real winter weather. But let us be careful what we wish for.
A Dry Year
Like the rest of the American Midwest, Kansas has been experiencing a severe drought this year. In Manhattan, we are 13 inches below average rainfall as we approach year’s end. I was reminded of that statistic this morning. Heading out to the Konza Prairie to take photos of the changing seasons, I was struck by how low the Kansas River was when I crossed the bridge over it; so I pulled over into a boat launch area take pictures of the low water. It appeared quite shallow. I can’t imagine boating here.
The other side of the riverbed is just below the trees in the background.
The picture below is of one of the old bridge supports. (The new bridge, above, is not far away.) If you look closely, you can see where the river is trickling past in the background.
I decided to take the opportunity to photograph some of the native plants that had bloomed earlier in the year.
While doing so, I stumbled upon this piece of driftwood. For a split second, I thought that it was a rattle snake. Afterward, I was rather keen to get back in my car.
When I got to the prairie, several of the creek beds were bone dry.
The deeper ones had a little water. Small plants were thriving in the puddles at the edges where the water was drying up.
But overall, it is pretty darned dry.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Change of Seasons
Late Autumn – Early Winter on the Konza Prairie
For this week’s photography challenge, I headed out to the Konza Prairie after breakfast. I was captivated by this one ashen white tree. Notice also the moss colored tree just in front and to the right of it. Upon close inspection, there really were so many subtle colors to be seen.
The evergreens covered with berries reminded me of Christmas.
It was a heavy sky, but just a little too warm to snow. All that fell were a few sprinkles of cold rain.
Quite a few trees were covered with moss. It made them look bundled up for the cold.
This pair of trees seemed ready for winter to be over and it has hardly begun.
What a pleasant surprise every now and then to run into some brightly-colored berries.
But then I would look at the woods, so ominous-looking, and I was happy to head home for a cup of hot tea.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections #2
This is a photo that I took over the summer when the Weekly Photo Challenge theme was urban; but when I was putting that post together, I decided to focus on local architecture instead. I still like this image of a broken down car’s reflection in the window of a tattoo shop, though, so I decided to resurrect it for the reflections challenge.
Weekly Photography Challenge: Reflections #1
One of my projects for this past week was to put away our Thanksgiving decorations and put up our Christmas ones. I put the last ornaments on our Christmas tree just this afternoon. It is tempting to share a bunch of photos of the tree; but since it is still November, I figure that my readers will hate me in a few weeks if I go overboard so early. So here is just a peek … our tree lights reflecting in one of the living room windows.
Weekly Photography Challenge: Green
Nothing feels as green to me as the green of living plants. Here are a few photos from my garden that I took in warmer weather.
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Marilyn in the Cold
These are photos of my Marilyn Monroe rose that I took this morning. Brrr …
Marilyn Monroe is considered an apricot-colored rose, but the color of rose blooms is often affected by temperatures and seasons. This last bloom of the year was a true pink, but with lime green outer petals – stunning, even in the cold.
Weekly Photography Challenge: Renewal
Sitting by the fire on a chilly evening with a good book, homemade cookies and a cup of hot cocoa – don’t forget the whipped cream and cinnamon sugar.
A Taste of Morning 