safari Solved

Daughter #3 is taking a film photography class at Black Hills State University, working old school style with black and white film, she had a project to do. I took the digital SLR and we went looking for "accidental art". The kind folks at Ace Steel and Recycling let us prowl the salvage yard after work had finished for the day. We found all sorts of cool stuff to photograph and discovered just how different we see things through a camera lens.

the safari Continues

photo safari most Unusual

In to a jungle of a different sort

on the Boulevard

My friend Tracy and I watch this magnolia tree from earliest spring, waiting for it to blossom. You would think it belonged to us (covetous gardeners) instead of the nice folks on West Boulevard.  It is a variety called "Butterflies", hardy in zone 4. It is the only one I know of in Rapid City. It is a little the worse for wear as we had our first thunderstorm of the season (with hail, thanks Ma Nature) just before I planned to take pictures. 
A favorite of mine, not because I am from the South, but because I am from the North. My grandparents had a big saucer magnolia in their yard in northern New York that bloomed spectacularly every spring. It wasn't supposed to be hardy that far north, but my grandfather had it wrapped in a tall cedar hedge that created a microclimate that it thrived in. We grandkids thought it was the most exotic thing ever when it had those huge white flowers all over it.

happy Easter

Hope the Bunny found your Easter Basket and filled it with goodies!

pigeons and Angles

Sunbathing pigeons on a south facing roof on South Street

the moon at Noon

As inspired by Marianne at Northview Diary....

and to the East

click on picture for best view

From Skyline Drive at Dinosaur Park, looking east over the original townsite towards the Badlands, Rapid City, South Dakota

the male of the Species

Populus deltoides, better known as cottonwood, these are the male flowers. With their partners, and a little help from Ma Nature, it won't be long before we see a spring blizzard of drifting cottonwood fluff on the wind.

still life with robin and Dandelion

still for only a moment

Needing fresh air, and the soothing sound of  flowing water after an insane day at school, I wandered along the creek bank with camera, to see what Ma Nature was offering up today. This gentleman posed formally for just a moment, then resumed his day's work among the dandelions and cottonwood catkins.

the creek, early April

Weeping Willow curtseys to her partner, the Creek

posies for the Mailman

Squill by the mailbox, with 86F temperatures Sunday, they really are one of the Spring ephemerals this year.

mountain Snow

Narcissus "Mt. Hood"

Mt Hood, Oregon (Don Seibel)

new computer, new Images

a bird planted gift of cherry blossoms

New computer now up and running, blog back to work.

pansy Faces

fresh pot of pansies from Jolly Lane

pansies from Disney's Alice in Wonderland

They do have friendly looking faces!

the Bather

4 Bathers were scrapping over the freshly filled bath, apparently only one blue jay at a time can bathe or drink, personal space is an issue.

small boys + Chalk

At a ChalkWalk event this afternoon, two small boys had a PLAN and they were carrying out the PLAN to create their masterpiece. 

See www.partnershiprapidcity.org for the Solutions program who sponsored the afternoon's artwork.

equinoctial Sunset

The first colorful sunset of the new season.

spring Green

Vernal Equinox

 March 20, 2012

From the Old English springan "to leap, burst forth, fly up"

yesterday, then Today

March 17,  late afternoon

March 18,  early morning

Daffodils awake!

a Shamrock?

No, a St. Patrick's Day snowdrop!

Shamrocks are lovely for the day, but this little flower is a favorite of mine from childhood.

I wish I had a woodland full of them!

silverstreamphotography.co.uk

talking to the Neighbors

When a March day hits a sunny 70, Metro and the Song and Dance Man went outside for the first time since last fall. They soaked in the sun, and then discovered the neighbors. Chickadees, goldfinches and juncos were on the feeders and they started up a lively conversation. The parakeet people were so wound up that they nearly exhausted themselves, promptly put their heads under their wings and took a snooze when I brought them back inside. Spring fever hits us all.

just for ABR

Happy 3.14159 Day!

the Atmosphere

Planet Earth, March 13, 2012

44N 103.3W

4:37 pm MDT

sez Daffy...

Happy Birthday, DS!

they've Arrived

Daylight Savings Time comes right along with the Mountain bluebirds' arrival. He's way up in the wild blue yonder in a cottonwood, but he's there.

Did you Spring Ahead this morning??

the art of Needle Felting

Wol in the forsythia

old, old, Old

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Giants in the world

them's TEETH!

150 boxes of fossil pig from Badlands NP waiting for prep work

Jack in the Paleo lab

work in progress

paperwork

My science teacher colleague and I got to take  9 of our students for a Women in Science conference on Tuesday on the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology campus, awesome experience! Over 400 middle and high school girls getting to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering and math for future careers. http://sites.google.com/site/rapidcitywomeninscience/

The girls loved the Paleo lab, we could probably have stayed for hours. Not just the Museum, but the behind the scenes tour of how the fossils are prepared, studied and preserved, talking to working paleontologists about their jobs and handling fossils millions of years old. Kids loved it!

it's Cosmic

Fiber Optic Fireworks

the real Deal

Bubo virginianus

"Icarus"

 

an ancient Being

This neon sign on Main Street, Rapid City, SD is iconic. Who's Hobby House, a local craft and art supply store has been in business more than 60 years. This sign was hung to advertise the business in 1961, and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Signs. I knew there was some story behind the sign, so I went looking and discovered discovered the registry

 I didn't know such a thing existed,  it is under the auspices of the National Park Service, in conjunction with the National Register of Historic Places. Maybe your town has something listed there, original old neon signs are of particular interest.

greenhouse #7

the full Spectrum

 

greenhouse #6

 

These babies don't bite but they are vicious all the same.

greenhouse #5

Hello, Hibiscus!