A little mule time

Siera and I went to watch the smoke haze move away at sunset on the ridge.

The smoke haze was from the Canadian wildfire and the Minnesota Wildfire.

The smoke hid the sun all day.

All was peaceful on the ridge.

Beautiful end to the day

This storm cell develped to our east as the sun went down in the west....

We'd had an incredibly hot and humid day and as things began to cool down, storm cells began to pop up all over according the the radar.  I believe this was the storm cell we saw heading toward LaFarge, WI.

Lucky me.  My Nikon lens steamed up from coming inside the house...I'd brought my FujiFilm FinePix 30 EXR, which is a point and shoot, with a very long lens and was able to catch these shots!

Behind me thick mist rose out of the valley...

Yesterday was too hot to really do much outside other than chores and some other things.
Since I'd had a brutal work weekend...no, work was not bad, just long hours that I am not used to....

We napped when the afternoon storm came through.  Yesterday's total rainfall was 3/4" of rain for our little area.

I am hoping that I get some time to go and look for fungi today.  Warmth, moist, humid air, rain, and more warm weather seems to be a real bonus for fungi!

Yes...my 'cheapo' point and shoot did very well I think.  I think I have over 10K clicks on it and it is still shooting!

It is about clouds

I don't know exactly what it is about the sky and clouds that fascinate me so much.
I just enjoy it.

I probably should learn the different types of clouds and be able to identify them.  I do know the odd shaped Mammatus clouds, that kind I can ID.

So enjoy some cloud shots from some of the June skies.

These were all taken in one 30 minute period.  We had a storm come in from the east which in itself is fairly unusual.

And by the time I got back home, the front moved through.

There was also an incredible morning where I went out to the ridge just to watch the sun come up.  It was so peaceful and the fog was incredible.

I guess I can't wait to see what July brings us!

Oh one of my favorites so far in June?  My dew and oats photo.  I just love foggy mornings and heavy dew.

The Last Day of August

The last day of August.

As I finished off doing my nightly chores, I glanced up towards the sky. A golden yellow light brightened the poplars on the east side of the driveway.
In our valley it was already darkening.

I tossed my camera [gently] and jumped in my car. I knew the perfect spot for 'shooting' a wide open sunset sky.

I arrived there within a few moments. It was a pull in that my ridge top neighbors use for sorting their cattle.
I decided to pull out my camera and debated as to whether or not I could make it down the Black Bottom Creek and pull off some 'golden water' shots.

I decided to try that at another time, for Mother Nature was 'puttin' on the glitz and was she ever giving me a private showing!
Golden....
The colors began to change...deepen darken, hues of purples and reds...
...and finally the last breath of an August night as the calendar would turn the page as we slept.


I'd spent the day hiking in the valley admiring Mother Nature's last flash flooding and the redecorating that she had done.
Quite beautiful.



Morris had accompanied me and we found coyote tracks which made this little fella stick close by...

...and the sun sets...

Last night the sky put on a show for me.
I'm sure others watched it, but I stood alone on the ridge at the 'intersection' of two gravel roads and delighted in my own private show put on by Mother Nature.


What a simple pleasure it was.