Photo Blogging Challenge (December 2017): Holly Jolly

For a number of years we have talked about going to Stan Hwyet's "Deck the Hall" Christmas event.  We finally made it earlier this month, and it was spectacular!  Over one million lights decorated the property.  We will definitely be back next year.

The large trees in front of the Manor House had snow flakes hung high up in the top branches.  They looked beautiful alongside the year's only full supermoon.

The Music Room had multiple trees and numerous other decorations.

Stan Hwyet is staffed mostly by volunteers, without whom the place could not function.  This gentleman was directing to flow of visitors inside the house and was answering questions as well.

One of the many decorated Christmas trees inside the house.  Each one seemed to be prettier than the last.  This one is in the Great Hall.

The house and lights shined brightly in the reflecting pool. 

Bonus: There is a courtyard by the Carriage House that was setup to look like an old village square.  A large, decorated Christmas tree was set in the center and little chalets surrounded it, selling all sorts of treats.  In the window of the Carriage House was decorated to look like a bake shop.  The children seemed to love it.

 

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AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (August 2017) - Summer Fun

I haven't done one of the photo blogging challenges in a while.  I guess they were too challenging for me!  But, when I saw this month's theme, I was excited as I had a lot of ideas.  Paring down to just five photos was difficult, so I stuck with just one activity.

We finally went to the County Fair this year.  We have talked about going for a while, but something always got in the way.  Often the Chesterton conference was at the same time.  This year I took a day off and we visited on opening day.  And, boy, I'm glad we went!

From the pictures below it is obvious that my favorite part was the animals.  I couldn't take enough pictures of them.

This beautiful young woman was such a joy.  She was excited to pop in the picture of her horse and tell us about him.  Her dad, who was nearby, was just as excited and oh so proud of his daughter.  The horse's lineage goes back to one of the Kentucky Derby winners in the mid 1960's.  Dad mentioned the name of the horse, but mini memory that I have, I don't remember it.

I love goats.  They seems to have so much personality.  This cute one seemed to like to get his picture taken.

It was wickedly hot and humid the day we went.  The young people at this stand made a superb glass of lemonade - shaken, not stirred!

She had something to say and was telling anyone who would listen, and even those who weren't.

I had thought about entering a quilt into the competition this year, but didn't manage to get it done in time.  It looks like the competition was stiff.

Bonus.  Just because.

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AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (July 2017) - Perspective - Timothy

Tim once again had great pictures for this month's theme.  Here is his guest post.
 

A peach and herb covered chop with a garden-fresh cucumber and potato salad lies awaiting my attention.  I took the photo to taunt my brother-in-law who is a devotee of my lovely bride’s culinary skills.  Point of view: “Git in my belly!”  

This next shot is from the perspective of our scare-crow looking over the vegetable garden.  The term “scare-crow” is a bit of a misnomer, though.  We have pictures of birds from the size of wrens to hawks sitting contemptuously on his hat.

We have been trying to simplify the gardening process over the years.  This season Donna suggested the use of annual rye-grass as a weed block and end of season cover-crop.  Awesomeness ensued!  A tenth of an acre of corn, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots are progressing wonderfully.  Fifteen minutes of mowing beats hours of weeding.    

This is my point of view of the garden.  Love that annual rye-grass and the subsequent saved time for more important activities.  

I missed the different lenses and cameras challenge last month.  I intended to connect the Canon 7D to my 6” Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.  So, this month I took a shot of the waxing gibbous moon with that same set-up.  The terminator line where day meets night often offers some interesting features.  Here is an unique profile perspective of a lunar crater.  The upper-left corner of the shot shows the curled edge of the debris from impact which formed the rim.   

These two fawns recently visited and seemed to have different points of view on which way to head for a tasty snack before the next feeding time with mom. 

To see more, visit A 'lil Hoohaa

 

AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (May 2017) - Look up - Himself

Himself was inspired by the theme for this month, Look Up, had some great shots.  Actually, he took a ton of excellent photos that I have been enjoying as backgrounds on my monitors. 

Harriet was a young wife who died in the mid 1800s at the age of fifteen.  Her tombstone collapsed recently in a local cemetery containing many old graves including those of Revolutionary War veterans.  Harriet was looking-up at a bouquet of daffodils earlier this month which someone planted near her grave.  I’ll be looking-up the local cemetery caretakers to see if we can raise up her headstone.

It seems every time we looked up this spring, down came the raindrops.  One of our redwood trees caught a few drops before they could reach the ground.

Various pollen seeds challenged the raindrops for supremacy of the skies this year.  Here’s a dandelion that did about all it could to contribute to the aerial combat.

A retired farmer recently donated his land to our county park system.  This is one tree in the many acres of trees which we now enjoy thanks to his generosity.

We’re looking up from the bottom of our favorite sledding hill.  It is deceptively peaceful on a quiet spring morning.  A few winters ago we terrified a cousin’s daughter from Florida with her first sled ride down the back of the beast.    

To see more, visit A 'lil Hoohaa

AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (May 2017) - Look up - Me

When I saw the topic, Look Up, I had every intention of taking a lot of photos throughout the month.  The full moon was beautiful.  Birds have been very active and I have seen some interesting ones, including a Pileated Woodpecker and a Great Blue Heron.  But, of course, I didn't have my camera when I saw all of these. 

The Hairy Beast was itching for a second walk last evening, and what he wants he gets.  On the way out I grabbed the camera and just started snapping.  Given that we just celebrated The Ascension of the Lord this past weekend, the clouds made me think of one of the readings at Mass.

When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Acts 1:9-11

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AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (April 2017) - Color

When I saw this month's theme, Color, I loved it immediately.  I knew right away what I wanted to shoot, all the spring flowers and plants.  But, when we got blasted earlier in the month, I wondered if there was going to be anything left.  Not to worry.  We had a lot of damage to trees and shrubs from the storm, but the plants made it through unscathed.

We have Narcissus in a couple of gardens.  These, in the grass garden, are still doing well.

The Redbud tree on the front lawn is the best it has ever been.  I think it has got to be my favorite of all the spring flowering trees.

These tulips survived the deer, who thought a couple other plants in this garden made a tasty meal. They were drooping in yesterday's long rain.

One of my WIPs this spring is re-landscaping the front of the house.  Our new Japanese Lace Leaf Maple was delivered on Friday.  Now it just needs to dry up so I can plant it.

Just after we moved into our house thirteen years ago, Mom gave Himself  a small clump of flowers from her garden that he liked, Myosotis.  What started out as a small plant only about two inches in diameter, has now spread all over the yard.  The garden where it was first planted glows in blue this time of year.  The common name of this plant, Forget-Me-Nots, is appropriate today.  This would have been Mom's 76th birthday.  

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AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (October 2016) - Water - by Me

 

 I loved this month's theme - Water - and had fun with it.  See for yourself!

 

I attended a conference near St. Louis for work late last month.  On the second evening there, the vendor who organized the conference hosted a dinner and cocktails at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  I was in heaven!  Perfect weather, flowers, an adult beverage and my camera.  The reflecting pool above was just one of the many water features there, but one of the prettiest.

 

 We took a morning hike in a park near where we used to live.  It was a beautiful day!

 

At the beginning of October we went to an art show at a local historical property.  It's a trip we make every year.  Usually the weather is cool and rainy, but this year we were treated to sunshine and blue skies.  We had more fun wandering the grounds and taking picture than we did looking at the art being sold by the many vendors, as you can see from the view of Himself on the other side of this fountain.  I took a number of pictures of it, trying to catch the drops of water from above.

I love the water droplets on our "Roisin", a shrub rose my sister and brother-in-law gave us when we became our niece's God-parents.  Roisin is Irish for "Rosie" or "Little Rose". 

 

Across the road from where I work is a river with a number of decent sized waterfalls.  The bridge downstream provides a great spot for snapping a few photos of it.

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AMDG

Photo Blogging Challenge (October 2016) - Water - by Himself

 

I enjoyed the pictures featuring water that Himself took.  Since he doesn't have a blog of his own, I decided to share them here. 

 

 Hunting Chipmunks At The Watering Hole

Petal Puddles

 

 Sun Tea

 Three States of Water

Drops of Water and Light

 

 

To see more, visit A 'lil Hoohaa

 

 

AMDG