Monday, May 20, 2013

Random Photos With No Real Purpose

 Just thought I'd post some photos I've taken over the last few months.
I just thought this bumble bee behind was cute.


This is the dream! I really want to travel the country, and I love to camp. Even though that really isn't "camping."

This is a table I came across at Coralville Lake.


Mia's new favorite hiding place. Under the dining room table on top of Bazinga's travel kennel. 




I don't know what he was doing out during the day.



I love lilacs and violets.


Mr. Redheaded Woodpecker



I know most don't agree with me but I think dandelions are beautiful.

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Bazinga Tree


Another Church



As promised, here is the post for the church I found while out and about with Bazinga the other day. It was a Catholic church. St Michael's in Holcomb, Iowa. This won't be a wordy post. I think the church can tell its own story. The statuary in the adjacent grave yard, complete the story. I don't know if this church is still being used. It looks like it was built of red bricks, and at some point covered with a white facade which has seen better days. The facade is stained, cracked, and falling off. It fascinates and saddens me both at the same time. I'll let the church take over the story now. 












Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Bazinga Wednesday

 The last few times I took my camera out and about, I left Bazinga at home. He decided today that was just unacceptable. Today he demanded to come with me. After all, he was seriously deficient of dandelion puffs. The vet told him so.
We got in the car and headed east. We went to Holcomb, on the advice of a friend at work. She new I was fascinated with old churches and encouraged me to check it out. I am so glad I did. I spent most of the early afternoon taking pictures of it and its surrounding graveyard. I'll post one picture and maybe post more at a later time. It was a great church, very old, built in 1867. It deserves its own post.
 After we were done at the church, Bazinga decided that as beautiful as the day was, it was not time to go home. He decided that a trip to the lake was in order. He wanted to go hiking, I still wanted to take photographs so off to Coralville lake we went.

I got to this dandelion puff before Bazinga could make a snack of it.

Bazinga enjoyed climbing on the rocks. He tried to get a little over adventurous and thought he should be able climb down the rocks and take a swim in the lake. Thank goodness for his purple (yes, it embarrasses him to have a girly one) harness. At least he didn't strangle when he tried to dive into the water.  
 He watched as a boat sped by with three inter tubes in tow.  He thought he should be chasing them. He got particularly worried when he saw the tubes crash throwing their riders into the lake. He felt much better though when he saw the riders were wearing their life vests. They even seemed excited about their predicament. The boat came back for them, they climbed back on the tubes and went on their way.

 Does anyone know what tree this is from. There were all sorts of them on a trail we hiked. I have never seen one of these before. The tree is very tall, but not very full. There were these flowers(?) all over them. Bazinga thought I spent waaaayyy too much time photographing it. He had much better things to do.

For instance chasing these two fellows. Again, thank goodness for purple harnesses. Bazinga, however was cussing it. He saw those two heads pop up and thought "TOY!!!! Damm, that girly harness anyway!"

We also saw this seagull. SEAgull, in Iowa, always makes me laugh. I do often wonder what they are doing here.

Bazinga didn't see him, he was still busy trying to get the geese.
 I was hoping maybe the pelicans were still there, but they weren't.

SEAgulls, (hehe) just aren't quite the same. Why are they in land locked Iowa anyway?
 Here is my major accomplishment for the day. I chased this little guy around for an hour to get these shots. I'm pretty proud of how they turned out.

I did have to stop and think a little about how bees seem to be in trouble. This little guy seemed to be about the only to be found. Yet there was an entire row of blooming lilacs. Shouldn't it have been full of bees buzzing around. Shouldn't there have been many hard working bees gathering pollen? It just didn't seem right.


 Finally, we found her. She was busy calling out to someone. Maybe nagging a mate to hurry up and get the nest built. After all she had eggs to lay, and she wasn't going to lay them just anywhere. Bazinga says pregnancy makes birds cranky, too.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Chasing the Sunset (and a cow or two)

I have an odd day off tomorrow. I don't usually have Wednesdays off. It seems weird, but I intend to enjoy it. I decided to start enjoying it tonight. About 7:15, I decided to grab my camera, jump in the car and go take photos along the rural countryside.

 It was a beautiful evening after a freak 90 degree May day. One TV station called it a one day heatwave. It was chilly yesterday, 90 today and going to be around 75 tomorrow. Iowa weather.... can't live with it, can't punch it in the stomach.

I pointed my car west and chased the sun as it slowly set in the sky. I found my self on a country dirt road and started clicking my camera away.






I'll let you decide if I "caught" the sunset or not.