Wait, What?

Wait, what day is it? 

What happens when all of your days blend together? 

Some times you don't sleep well and other nights you are just plain restless. One of those nights I woke up ... wide awake at 1:30 in the morning. There was no going back to sleep so I went out on the porch and decided to look at the sky.

Yes, I am very fortunate to live in a 'hollow' with the nearest street lamps 12 miles away. If I go up on the ridge, the yard lights of farms across the ridge do 'pollute' the night sky. So lucky lucky me. I can admire the stars from my porch and my driveway.

Porch view of that night's Milky Way. 
It was clear enough for the naked eye, but the camera can pick up so many more details.

Is it no surprise that I fell in love with the night skies while living here for the past 29 years? 
The stars give me a sense of peace and wonderment [as do most things in nature].

I went out to try a selfie of me looking up at the Milky Way. It didn't work. Other years I've gotten the beam from my headlamp to show up in the humid air...
Not so this night. I tried over and over. So then I turned the red light on and twirled it for a 25 second photo.

It is called light painting, which I never really got the hang of.

But I thought it turned out neat.

I'm going to try it again but wear dark clothes and use some glow sticks. 

Here are some random Toy shots I just felt like doing on an overcast afternoon. 
The Goat herder seems unaware that he is being watched. Squatch who is one of my favorite toys is still around Aurora! He often joins the Legos on adventures!
 

This Rock Monster set up on the cookie tray with a clay mushroom I made, along with bits of plastic leaves and chunks of wood.

Of course. the Evil King and Queen of ... hmmm, I don't know what to name their kingdom, do you have a suggestion?

While out watching the hummingbirds and the clearwing hummingbird moth, I placed an HO figure on one of the Blazing Stars just to see what would occur. 

And he looked as though he became a Bee Keeper! 👇

I spent some time outside yesterday morning with both my macro and long lens. I still have to go through a lot of photos of flowers, birds, bees, and other insects. By 9am, I had finished up outside and mowed a tiny bit before coming in for a shower.

The rest of the day was taken up with a morning visit with hubby's nurse and and afternoon visit for his sponge bath. Rich looks forward to these interactions.

So, yesterday was Monday. Let's see what today brings.

I'm  going to meet a friend I met at the gym and go see her place. 

I feel a bit wicked knowing that I have some free time to do something different.

So yeah.

Wait

What?

Hot Hot!

Things to do when it is unbearable outside. Bring some outside into the house. Since I was having fun with the candle holders, I thought I'd expand to sticks and bark. Using glue, moss, and some funky crafty items, I got busy.

and then of course I had to imagine what would take place on this piece of bark.

and I took it a step further. 
Since my 'photo table' had to be moved out, I haven't had a good place to do indoor dioramas are creations. However I muddled through and had to avoid the concentrator and avoid stepping on the 02 lines...
but I made it work.

I ended up putting the items on a box and using a cutting board that was made from an Italian Olive Tree for the backdrop.

I kept messing around and finding more interesting ways of using my decorated sticks and roots.

I went out after the sun went down and decided to watch Fireflies. On the forest edge, they were abundant in the tall grasses.

You may have to click on the photo to see
the driveway...4 minute Livecomp
exposure.

...and on to the week of somewhat cooler temps but a lot of predicted rain....

Buds and more

When it rains
look for the rainbows

When it's dark
look for the stars

Another set up and shot of some of the cool minifigs I got from Aurora.

I love looking at the night skies here as we can see the stars and soon again, I'll be able to go out and admire the Milky Way in the night sky.

Yesterday afternoon was a bit cool and breezy, but Charlie and I were going stir crazy. We thought we'd go looking for some birds. In the morning I'd seen red wing black birds along with Killdeer birds. Our walk took us up along the gravel road and to the ridge.

Afternoon isn't really the right time to go looking, but we were hopeful.  We saw chickadees that were flitting about in the trees and calling out. 

I was happy to find these odd birds.

Hmmm, I sort of think this is early for a bird to have a little fledgling right?

Will wonders never cease! I am not sure what species this bird is though.

Perhaps:

 Lego Birdus?

Charlie and I went through the cropland to stay out of the wind and noted some buds on the trees.

I'm not sure if this is a Poplar or a Birch tree bud. The tree looks like a poplar tree but I am no expert.

I am sure that this is a maple tree. I don't know what kind, my forester neighbor could tell me all the details. He knows trees. I'm sure a mere glance would reveal what it was to him.

Another tree near the possible Poplar Tree. I think this one is a birch by looking at its bark. But I may not be correct either. It does have some pretty cool catkins forming.

I stopped at the ancient wild plum tree on our way back home. 

This little bird just watched me as it sat sunning itself out of the wind.

Another Lego species? 

Lego Migratus perhaps?

With spring weather in the air, it brings so much anticipation. Each season does that to me.

Is it time to put away my snow boots yet?

You never know. I recall the blizzard we had April 20th of 2019. That was a wild one.

Holiday Weekend

The Kickapoo Valley Reserve closed all trails but old Hwy 131 and Star Valley to bikes and horses. This was because the Kickapoo River likes to come up fast, crest, and come down quickly when it floods.

If we get a half inch of rain right now, the rivers and streams just fill up and overflow their banks.

I thought it would be fun to check out the bridges and the places where the river had crossed the old trail.
Keep in mind that this trail was the original Highway 131 that was closed in the 1960's when the government built a new road that didn't flood. The intention was to put up a dam too and make a manmade lake for tourism.

Anyway I've gone over that history before on one of my older blogs.

The point is, the old road is maintained for bike riding, walking, riding horses, and in the winter one can cross country ski a groomed trail along this same path. Walkers are welcome if they stay off the groomed parts.

I took my Infrared camera because bright sunshine, green grass, 

water, and clouds make for 

more interesting photos in IR.

The water was brown and a bit angry. The river had come up on two of the bridges but by the time I got there, it was already receding.

Looking at the other end of bridge 15.

Angry waters...

Just around this bend was what is called a log jam. The Reserve posted this shot today to show anyone who thought of canoeing, that the river was still a bit unsafe and to use caution. Also a person would have to pull out of the river do a portage to continue.

People are asked to use common sense and caution. This quiet little river has its ways of being sneaky. I kayaked it last year when all was calm and quiet and it still can be a challenge.

I promised hubby that I wouldn't ride through any of the water that was over the trail. This part was only a few inches deep, but further north of this spot it could have been as deep as a foot or so. 

I was just more interested in seeing the water on the trail.

Photo taken with my IR camera.

I just wanted to explore the beauty of the water and the reflections. 

I enjoyed my time on the bike even stopped to visit with this little guy. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use my Alien Tourist.

I went to bed early and woke up at 2AM. The smart thing would have been to go back to bed. I don't always do the smart thing.

I wanted to see the Milky Way. The photo stinks, but there it is. I went for a walk in the dark. It just seemed right at the time.

I stayed up after I got back home. I asked Charlie if he wanted to go out with me to see a foggy sunrise.

And it was amazing...

By 7AM I was ready for a nap. That is exactly what I did.

The 4th of July was super chilled here. I read a book while sitting on my little rocker on the porch.

Why not?

It was just perfect. Naps, beauty, reading, and rocking...

Except when I went to take a shower and found out that the water heater was ka...put.

Oh well, even that won't wreck our holiday weekend.

Tomorrow morning, I am meeting a friend from the gym and we are climbing a bluff just before dawn to watch the sun rise and welcome in the day.

December Colors?

What colors does December offer in

the dullest of all the months

of the year?

December is known for being the most overcast and dark month of the year. Well, at least for those of us in this part of the world.

The days are cold, dull, overcast...and the days get shorter and shorter. What beauty can be found outdoors in this month? Last month I challenged myself with November. Now? Maybe I'll challenge myself with December.

At least that will be easy for moment. There have been some great morning and evening skies to admire.

A long time friend that used to be a neighbor and I went with her son on Thursday evening just after sunset for a night hike along old 131 trail in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

When we dropped from the ridge to the valley, the temperatures dropped at least 10 degrees. My friends commented on that and I suggested we walk up and out of the valley. We did. As we walked, we were able to catch glimpses of meteors streaking across the sky. This was at 6PM when the meteor shower was not supposed to be at its peak. 

We were able to find the Milky Way and searched for any other stars or constellations we could recognize. I'm not very good at that at all. We found the Big Dipper on the northern horizon and the Milky Way stretched overhead from East to West.  I wanted to take a couple of shots, but that takes time to do.

I asked Briar who will be turning 12 next week to be my model. He was cold but he agreed to stand still and look up into the sky with a headlamp on.

This was a one shot deal and thankfully, I got it!

Those guys were chilled, so we hiked back to the car and drove to their house where we visited for a while before I left.

I got up early the next morning to continue my early morning walks with Charlie. I normally hike across the fields so I can watch the sun come up and enjoy the quiet sounds of the rest of the world waking up.

I was not disappointed at all. The skies lit up like fire. 

I set the camera in the cornfield and put it on a timer. I trotted out a little distance so I could capture myself enjoying the show.

It sure was incredible. And it seemed as if it were never ending.

Charlie and I walked back towards home and noticed that the only sounds we heard were a few birds and some dogs barking off in the distance.

We had the whole world to ourselves.

Tonight we are supposed to have patchy fog and rain. Sunrise on the ridge tomorrow morning might be worth looking into. Fog always makes things much more interesting.

The colors aren't just in the sky for December. I hope to find something exciting in the forest also.

Looking for colors in December.

A good challenge.

Ah...mazing!

     Thank you to everyone that responded to helping me out! The most popular photo was of the Fall Path down through the woods. Fun fact, that was taken with my pocket camera on a day I trucked 8 miles. When going through my photos on the trail challenge folder, I saw that one and fell in love with it again.

I am pretty shy about photo contests. Yesterday I visited our County Fair and looked at the photo displays and the flower displays. So much beauty! 

Anyhoo, I did enjoy my night hike. I got there just as the sun was setting. I walked over to one of the ponds to photo the sunset.

Imagine my shock of seeing the result of the drought on the pond that was full this spring! This is the view from the blind. Aurora would know how the pond usually looks....

Wow...

The sunset was rather pretty. And even if it was a bit boring, I liked it because the skies were clear!

Slowly but surely the Milky Way started to become apparent in the SW skies. The glow at the bottom of the photo is from LaFarge Wisconsin.

Then I tried one with me in it...

It turned out just with my legs showing, but that is okay.

I turned to the North to watch the Big Dipper.

In 15 minutes, it made some star trails that were pretty amazing...

I guess it is disappointing to see all the trails of the satellites and airplanes that show up in the night sky. But it is what it is! Still, it was beautiful.

I tried to get some reflections of the stars in one of the ponds. The ponds are pretty scummy and dry but heck. I got what I got!

It took me a few hours and a LOT of experimenting to get these shots. I've had some acquaintances ask to go with me on these night hikes. I do love the company, but I'm not sure they would tolerate all the fiddling I do to try and get 'that' shot that is decent.

Is photography a solo 'sport'??? 

I took a lot of shots and they didn't all turn out the way that I wanted of course.

I had some fun while walking back to the car. I thought I'd frame myself in the opening of a covered bridge.

Then I added the moon as if I were doing Wall Balls in CrossFit. I had a good laugh over that.

And this last shot. It has the moon added too. It would be impossible to see the Milky Way with a full moon...but I thought it was neat.

Enjoy the night skies if you can get to a 'dark skies' area. 

I smiled all the way home on the drive.

Night skies are amazing if you can see them.

Night out

Nah, not that kind of Night Out.

Instead I sat on the porch for a while after dark to watch the sky. I figured the clouds would obscure the stars and the Milky Way so I was content to sit for a bit in the warm night air and rock on the porch.

Charlie thought he'd go in after he listened to the Barred Owls hooting. 

I thought I'd spend a little time playing with light painting. I wanted to highlight the night sky and the trees in the woods to our west of the house.

My experiment with light painting with my headlamp. 

Then I walked to the driveway to look where the Milky Way should be appearing and took a 15 & 25 second shot.

I did this partially 'blind' in a way because with the naked eye and the clouds, I wasn't exactly sure of what I was getting. [I learned a little bit later to use the 'Boost' feature in the Bulb/LiveView Modes to sort of see what I was shooting at.]

I may have gotten some meteors? The upper arrow points to two downwards streaks.
The lower arrow points to where the Milky Way should be.

Then the clouds moved on!

and...then,

there it was! 

Looks like a meteor particle was zooming through also.

Bonus!

It is hard to see those little streaks of light, however if you click on the photo you should be able to see one little streak in the upper right quadrant of the shot.

I hadn't intended on looking for the Perseids, but perhaps I did find them!

They are supposed to be starting and getting stronger until mid August.

I think this may have been my first time 'catching' a meteor!

Once the clouds moved on, I took several shots of the MW and even tried one of those fun shots where I look up with a head lamp on. The shots really didn't turn out well. But here is one. 

I am standing in our driveway not far from the house looking up towards the ridge. My Subaru even glows in the headlamp glow.

There are so many things to learn about I night photos and adding light. The headlamp actually has a nicer beam to it when the humidity in the air is higher. LED lights turn up bluish.

I wonder if I had some glow sticks twirled them around? Wouldn't that be sort of fun and crazy? 

I am practicing at home so one day in the few weeks, I can try this near the ponds at KVR, or the old dam.

These night shots are not easy. Fortunately I have a feature called Starry AutoFocus which helps quite a bit. I use a 12mm lens. For my camera the ISO is at 1600 and I often use a feature called LiveView to find where I will shoot as the camera 'boosts' what you can see through it. 

I still can't quite get the hang of the right colors for the night sky. 

Clouds are orangish from the light in the towns or farms in the distance.

I like my star skies to be more bluish and cool toned.

The photos are generally pretty noisy, but as technology improves as well as a good Denoise app, it doesn't look so bad.

For this shot of the house, I pointed the camera northwest and gave it an 8 minute LiveComp. This feature takes an initial shot and then the camera adds any light as it changes for the next 8 minutes. 

That is Olympus's work around to standard star photos which have the photographer taken 100's of shots of the stars and then put them through another program which 'stacks' them together. 

I like this feature for so many things.

I tried several times to combine star trails with a bit of light painting to show the house and trees. Most of them were just bad... and a failure, but I think I did get one decent effort.

The middle pine tree is dead and reflected the bluish color of the LED headlamp.

Still, it was fun and I learned a bit more. 

I'd like to try this at one of the covered bridges at KVR.

That is a goal I'd like to complete this summer.

One last Milky Way shot in a 

cooler tone.

I like this one best as it makes me think of galaxies and star travel. 

There certainly is something to be said for watching the stars at night. I eventually went inside reluctantly because I knew I needed sleep.

It was a great night out!

Enjoy the Perseids if you can find a dark sky. The full moon this year will blot out the peak time for the meteor showers. 

I used:

Olympus E-M1 Mark III

12mm lens 
f 2.0

ISO 1600
Different exposures for different shots.

Tripod