Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Kolden "Variety Report" Wednesday, June 30, 2010




During the course of the last week plus, I've taken pictures as they've "struck my fancy".  Here is a compilation of the past days.

Delicate alfalfa blooms line the road to our house.

Huge, puffy clouds travel through the neighborhood.



































The robin parents gather grub for the kids.






 I think this is a young bird, eying me.



Songbird tracks in the mud.




























Can you guess what this is?



(It's a macro view of cottonwood down with dew drop indentations)

Dew laden grass.


The tell tale roar of a spray plane drew me outside. 




































I told Jim that it was excellent practice for me to shoot him as he dipped, dived and made tight turns as it might improve my skills at capturing birds in flight!


































It was good practice.




















When I came upon this next shot while driving to town, thoughts that I've had many times crossed my mind.  How do you lose just one shoe?  Where is the other shoe?  Are there people walking around with only one shoe?  The very next day I came across one sandal in front of a local watering hole, laying in the street. This is not an uncommon sight, mind you. Again I wondered....Have you ever lost just one shoe? Not me....I have "misplaced"  them both in years gone by but never just ONE shoe.






 
The moon has shone on me while driving to town this past week.

 Rooster Kolden puts in an appearance.
 Wood vine clings to our shop in soft light.



Finally, here are a couple sunrise views.





My husband claims that this is the most photographed section of the Missouri river! He may be right...


Here's hoping that you all have a safe and happy 4th of July as we celebrate our nation's independence!


PS. A big Happy Birthday goes out to Cousin Carol on the 28th!  39 again?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Kolden "Crooked Creek" Report, Day Eight

With all the water in the country, we were not surprised to wake to fog. 
Bright sunshine burned through the fog and the day became extraordinarily beautiful!
This little bird was truly "camped" out on this sign. 
He primped while I photographed him.
We paddled out to investigate the aftermath of the flooding and immediately noticed an appreciable difference in the water level. It was fun to paddle about in the cottonwoods that only last year, were high and dry.
The lake was like glass making paddling  in the reeds a pleasure.  The last vestiges of fog melted into the sunlight.
Having seen the beaver lodge during our previous paddlings, we thought we'd try to quietly approach in hopes of getting a picture or two.  Either the good lord smiled upon us or the beaver was sick, senile or injured because she remained,
allowing us lots of shots! 

The fatty, flat tail even shows here.
After allowing us many pictures, she slipped into the water and swam away.
Elated at our good fortune in capturing the beaver in photograph, we paddled on toward the rushing floodwaters of the Mussellshell.  Pelicans bobbed about in the slower moving waters.
When we got close enough them, some finally flew.
The rushing water had a dizzying effect as it sped by, covering what had been dryland only a few days prior.
The pelicans seemed to like to float down with the floodwaters and then fly back upstream to repeat the process.    One pelican flew right over us and I was lucky enough to capture this shot (lady luck was a BUSY girl that day).  Notice how he's giving us "the eye"?
Back in the water, there were whirlpools and at times even little rapids due to submerged logs and such. 
We were stunned as we surveyed the area.  There were log jams and foam piles everywhere you looked. 
We knew the river had been 2 foot over flood stage before a stock dam gave way upstream due to the local sheriff's kind warning.  We hadn't expected to see quite this much water and debris however.
We expected to see snakes or other critters up on the log jams but were disappointed.
 Paddling back into the shallows of the cottonwoods and salt cedar, I captured this reddened cottonwood leaf.  We wondered if it wasn't red due to the stress of being underwater?
This guy tried to hitch hike to shore in our canoe.  Can't say as I blame him...he was in a tough spot stuck on that blade of grass in the floodwaters.
The trees were full of birds and the sounds of their calls were amazing.

This bark fascinated me - so smooth, yet decorative.
A neighbor to this tree had entirely different bark.


We saw many wonderful and amazing sights and feel blessed to have been a part of it all. 

Thought for the day:  Look about.   Much exists in the world that many don't even notice.
 

Kolden "Crooked Creek" Report, Days six and seven

This bird sat for his picture amongst the rip-rap.
Gray skies dumped heavy rains off and on.  Wind, water and waves made for a great day to lie about reading.
The campground road became a small pond.
We decided to take a drive, in between rains.  The country has never been greener or more lush. 
I spied this "bird house", in a dead tree.
Standing motionless, this small, velvet antlered buck waited.
One of the few shelters at Crooked Creek.  Behind, is the rain swollen waters.
Even the grasses were bent and heavy from all the precipitation.
Every tiny indentation was full to overflowing and the ground was super saturated.
Mr Meadowlark sat and eyed us as we passed by.
Here, a pair wait out the storm on a dead tree.
I was so enamored of all the wildflowers blooming!
Tiny droplets cling to hairlike weed seeds.
Small sprigs of sage catch and keep rain drops.
The sun valiantly attempts to shine.
 Beads of nectar cling to yucca blossoms.
Our trusty camper, ERv, sits and waits for our return.  To the right you can see the waters rising.  Soon, the water may be back up near the camp spots.
The lush, green growth of spring rains continued to amaze us.  How gorgeous our world is right now!