in a Whirl

Zinnias in Disguise

The first week of school has been exactly that! New kids, new schedules, new staff, new books and same old summertime weather. Today was only day #3 and we had early release due to heat. It was 105F early afternoon and most of our school buildings have no AC. Usually early release comes in January when blizzard conditions develop and we need to send kids home for safety's sake. Bring on a little snow, we'd love it today!

This was our week to "get back in the saddle", so to speak. Inservice on Wednesday through Friday, last minute organizing and buying school supplies.  The kiddos start back with us tomorrow, with all the excitement and butterflies that come with the first day of school. Our district has implemented some huge changes for this fall, so the kids aren't the only ones with a few butterflies.

Rock on, teacher blogfriends, and everyone sending kids back to the classrooms and college campuses this week.

dude! let's get Going

they called our number, we are supposed to be in the show ring! Get those chaps on and mount up, we are late!

working Hands

Riders waiting for the tractor and drag to smooth out the arena after hard use, and for the next class to start competition.

baa, baa Black Sheep

Have you any wool? No sir, not at the moment, I got a HAIRCUT before I went in the show ring.  By the way, they really do say baaaaa, loudly and often when they are not happy!

a lady from India

Our local Central States Fair and Range Days Rodeo is on this week, complete with all the livestock shows and midway rides you would expect. However, this is the first year that elephant rides are a choice along with the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Zipper!  This is either Rosie or Daisy who will pose at a word from her handler.

a little Rain

I went very early to the gardens in Sioux Park to take pictures in the low angle early morning light. The Parks department also takes advantage of the early morning hours to water the gardens against the heat of the day. I didn't get the photos I was planning, but the situation offered some very satisfying shots I didn't anticipate. And very wet feet.

i wants me some Doritos

One man's trash is another man's treasure

shopping 1820

Everybody is "Back to School" shopping at the moment. These are the daybooks or ledgers from the general store that my several greats grandfather, Matthew Sax kept in 1820. His store was on the west shore of Lake Champlain, just south of the Canadian border and was an extremely busy enterprise up through the 1850s. I was photographing textile related entries for my daughter, but rum, tobacco and brandy seem to be part of nearly every order as well.

these are easier to read if you click on each photo

grandpa Bob

Just for Red, a real GreatGrandpa! My father, my daughter and my grandchildren feeding the goldfish.

grandpa Ott

Love the heirloom variety of morning glory called "Grandpa Ott's". Seedsaver's Exchange description says it reseeds freely, that would be one of the all time true gardening understatements! I have only ever actually planted them once.
 These glories are greeting the morning sun from the cucumber pot on the deck where they chose to put down roots. I didn't plant them, Ma Nature did, but they are welcome. They bloom early, sometimes starting low down on the plant, they climb strongly toward the sun and give pops of color in some unexpected places.

rearview Earview

Jack Sparrow on the alert for his archenemies, the deer. Ma and the Terrible Twins, Spot and Stripe, were starting to trespass across the "Imaginary Line" in the back yard. They have no respect for one small dog on his watch, but he gives voice to trespassers always regardless of disrespect shown.

the View

what do you think, Henry?

Henry's Model T Ford

We have spent the better part of 2 days car shopping, test driving, researching and mulling things over. Henry would be astounded in the technology that exists now. I am astounded by the things that auto manufacturers seem to think I need to be able to have a safe, reliable, gas efficient RED car. We haven't shopped for a brand new vehicle in 11 years.

I don't need a car to autosync to my cell phone, be my eyes with a remote camera when I back up, call the police or warn me of an alien invasion, and I don't want white, silver or beige, I want RED!

After looking at American made, Japanese made, Korean made, hybrids, SUVs, sedans, and driving half a dozen, climbing in and out of backseats, checking cargo space and looking under the hoods for ease of servicing, we settled on a new Suburu Outback. It is Suburu's version of RED, something called Venetian Red Pearl. It is at least a real color.

We will say farewell to our trusty Highlander on Monday and hope for similar good service and safe driving for the next 10 years in the Outback.

don't I Wish...

...this was the way to can peaches! It is 90+ outside, I have no idea how hot it is in my kitchen at the moment, and I don't want to know! Why do the peaches pick a day when it is nearly 100 to be ready to go in the canning jars? Perverse little devils, it will be a pleasure eating you in January's cold.

altered Reality

The chickadees "planted" one single sunflower in the middle of one of my planters full of red and white salvia. It looks like a giant exclamation point smack dab in the center of everything. I like using my macro lens with flowers, but colored pencil setting in Photoshop is intriguing to play with too, and create altered realities sometimes.

monarch of the Weed Patch

Amid the manicured lawns on either side, my parents choose to manage the "lawn" (referred to fondly as the Weed Patch by neighbors), at Musket Point for wildlife. Native wildflowers are grown, grass is cut only in paths throughout, shrubs and thickets are encouraged. As a result, birds and butterflies abound, particularly welcomed are the monarch butterflies who visit for food and  to lay their eggs on the milkweed. Birds from Ruby-throated hummingbirds to Great blue herons visit the flowers and the shoreline,  phoebes, robins, wrens, swallows and song sparrows nest in the birdhouses and trees. Morning starts with wren song and evening ends with fireflies. Despite the fact that midnight vandals (in the form of raccoons trying to outwit my dad's latest raccoon resistant garbage can security system) sometimes disturb the night time quiet, it is home to creatures great and small.

ordinary and Awesome

My Full Moon  South Dakota   Black Hills

Luke McGregor's Full Moon  Tower Bridge   London

the eye of an Eagle

But it is in the face of an osprey! The power companies on both sides of Lake Champlain have provided nesting platforms for the ospreys that frequent the lake. This nest has been successful this year, it is close to the Little Chazy River and the lake shore about 3/4 mile from our camp. I was a threat, but all she did was yell at me if I stayed in the car and took pictures from there. A Harley rider stopped to take pictures when he saw what I was shooting. As soon as he got off the bike to get his camera out, she took off from the nest and started diving at him and his passenger. She was having no part of humans on foot.

great Blue

This is the best picture I got of a Great blue heron all week! There is a family of them that fish our shoreline, but they are very suspicious of humans with cameras. They are sharp eyed and don't buy into your "pretending you are a tree" acting job.
I love this weathervane, but somehow I don't think it would fly as well in the middle of the SD prairie as it does on our friends' roof overlooking Lake Champlain.

on a south Wind

looking East toward the Vermont coast

very important Things

There are some very important things that have to happen when you are on vacation to make it a real vacation. Black raspberry ice cream is my absolute favorite, from earliest days of childhood. One very severe problem living in the Black Hills is they have never heard of Black Raspberry! Multiple dishes of the creamy, cold stuff are consumed by me, who kindly shares the stash with others.

I have been known to drip black raspberry on a postcard and send it to my similarly addicted brother-in-law who lives in Wyoming. I was nice this year, I restrained myself from evil doings. Of course, the fact that said beloved b-i-l is traveling home to visit in a couple of weeks and can indulge himself kind of takes all the fun out of harassment of the ice cream kind.