in the grand spectrum of Things

from the window, through the aquarium, to the kitchen wall

school's Open !

ready for Day 2 !

not Irene...

Hermosa, SD

but a late afternoon thundershower on the prairie

follow the yellow brick Road

It is headed right back to those school days, we have had inservice this week, our kiddos come on Monday.

hot summer Colors...

...for a hot summer Day.

the chariot of Apollo

The Chariot of Apollo, Mother Nature, South Dakota

The Chariot of Apollo, Odilon Redon, Musee d'Orsay

on the Approach

It might bring hail, but isn't it gorgeous!

time for the Fair

Fire Trucks

Buck and Belle and kids and dog

Mountain man

Naja Shrine clown unit

Central States Fair and Range Days Rodeo parade

Rapid City, SD

August 20, 2011

Queen Anne's Lace

 Anne of Denmark (1574-1619)

Contrary to popular belief, Queen Anne's Lace flowers were not named after Anne, Queen regnant of England.They apparently honor Anne, of Denmark, patron of the arts and  Queen Consort, wife of James I.

One story attributes the single maroon floweret in the center of Queen Anne's lace to the fact that Anne pricked her finger while creating the fancy lace and that is the resulting drop of blood staining the pure white of the lace. For reasons unknown to botanists this is the one "flower" in the umbel that does not form seed, it may have something to do with attracting pollinators.

afternoon Glories

Grandpa Ott's (heirloom morning glory)

On cloudy days, Grandpa Ott stays awake well into the afternoon. Love these guys, plant once and they reseed themselves every year. Even when my garden predators eat all the leaves as far as they can reach, Grandpa Ott blooms on and on.

baby Predators

Hoping that these two little darlings don't turn into the "Terrible Twins", garden predators! They look so cute and Disney-esque at this age, but they already know about drinking the birdbath dry. What else is Mama teaching them???

hello, lil Hummerbird

lady broad-tailed hummingbird (I think)

Not so lucky as some of you who have summer residents, we get the hummers when they come through on their southward migration in August. This little lady has been visiting for several days, and I am delighted to have her. I was really delighted to get a picture of her, that is a an ongoing challenge!

robin Candy

chokecherries

They make yummy jelly, but the young robins are enjoying them so much, I don't have the heart to snitch them. We'll just enjoy Aunt Nancy's Back Fence Grape jelly on our toast instead.

a Riddle

Why does my hummingbird feeder turn the trees upside down?

soon, soon, Soon...

It is Back to School time

If you need a bathing suit for your offspring or new lawn chairs, good luck. But, these are the days of the nickel folder and dime pencil and penny ruler sales for all of us buyers of school supplies.

My college kid has purchased her books, and college kid list of things, but teachers collect bags full of all the usual schoolstuff, too. Our school kiddos are sometimes in need of the basics that first day, especially when new shoes and jeans are on family shopping lists in rough economic times.

You might be surprised how much your child's teacher spends out of pocket to make sure the kids have what they need . (No surprise here, of course to my blogfriends in Education.)

One of the neatest 1st day of school moments I have ever seen was when my friend, the kindergarten teacher in a very low income school, gave each of the kids a new box of crayons. These little kids were thrilled, it was "my first box of pointy crayons in my whole life!"

with humble Thanks

Art Alley tribute

Today, our deeply saddened community says a final farewell to two dedicated young police officers who tragically lost their lives last week in the line of duty, protecting and serving as they had sworn to do.

Rest in Peace, Officer Nick Armstrong and Officer Ryan McCandless

Wishing a speedy and complete recovery to Officer Tim Doyle, both physically and spiritually, the lone survivor of this tragic incident.

Please thank your own law enforcement officers, firemen and first responders for their service and dedication to your community.

Art Alley grafitti artists tribute

upon Reflection...

self portrait

This week we welcome thousands of bikers (read that Harleys) to the Black Hills for the 71st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally! We live 2 miles west of US Highway 16, the main drag to Mt. Rushmore, the rumble of motorcycle engines is audible 24 hours a day. Every conceivable bike, costume, tattoo, decoration and hairdo is somewhere in your immediate neighborhood, wherever you might be. We are glad to have them visit, along with the tourists who ride human powered bikes, you meet nice folks from all over the country and the world in local restaurants and grocery stores.

I was intrigued by the reflection in the back window of this RV from Alberta, Canada, it didn't occur to me that I was taking my own picture as well.

whatcha readin' there on the Porch?

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

what's new, Pussycat ?

Mr. Suspicious from across the road

Did you know that polydactyl cats are considered good luck by sailors? They were common on the sailing ships coming in and out of colonial Boston harbor and are seen quite frequently in New England and northern New York.
Geographers often trace back early settlers' origins in the midwestern states to a New England home using cultural items. One of these items are the mitten footed cats. If there is a significant number of polydactyl cats in an area, chances are some of the folks who settled there brought their feline friends with them from the New England  area. Cats were a valued commodity both on shipboard and in farming communities for rodent control, so settlers packed their cats along with their household goods when moving west.

a dove Above

Early morning mourning dove, sun barely up, almost a silhouette.

high summer Hollyhocks

Against the brick wall of the 19th century building across the road from camp, they have been growing there for countless summers. 

But, did you know...hollyhocks were commonly planted around the outbuildings of a homestead. A refined lady did not have to ask for directions to the outhouse, she just looked for the hollyhocks and took care of things from there, saving her dignity.

all on a summer's Day

Daughter on the Dock

in the olden Days...

 

...they might have been pirates!!

a day for Kites

Not a "kite eating" tree, just Dick and Maggie's kites tethered to dry after a dip in the Lake.

from the Daybook

 

Daily ledger, Matthew Sax's store 1820, a quick note to someone about Solomon Rosevelt's corn

someone getting ready to sew the  family's clothing

a gill of rum was about 4 oz worth

We still have the daybooks from the Store, a fascinating read for history buffs. Just reading through the sales for any given day paints a picture of early 19th century America in Clinton County, NY at the Landing and its trade area. 

click on photographs for ease of reading