Photo Bucket List: Baby Buffalo

I played driver yesterday, it was a cloudy day and I knew the sunflower field was in full bloom.  I could double back for photos after I dropped Far Guy off at his Physical Therapy appointment or “learn how to walk properly with a walking stick session.”

On the way into town I saw that the Buffalo (Beefalo most likely) were grazing in the field next to the sunflowers…JACKPOT.   If only the herd stayed put until I got back.   They were even near the approach where I could park the car.

Far Guy told me to “be careful” about five times….either he repeats himself a lot or he thinks I pay no attention to him.

I stayed near the car, the buffalo were quite curious about me…oh I wanted to get closer to that fence…but I have great respect for buffalo and not much faith in that fence…even if it is electrified. (Falling in the lake and getting trampled by a buffalo all in one week did not appeal to me.)

Low and behold there was even a baby…he was on my photo bucket list.  I had photographed one at the Zoo in Winnipeg…now I have a photo in a field…maybe next in the wild…who knows.

Buffalo butts and a baby.

another baby

Jackpot!  Buffalo on one side and Sunflowers on the other. 

What a perfect morning taking photos.  I had one thought…what if I went into the sunflower field and then took a photo…would I get sunflowers and buffalo? My second thought was “tresspassing” so I remained on the road right of way. Sensible decision.

Photo Bucket List: Flax

I have a photo bucket list.  One of the things on that list was to photograph a field of Flax. 

Yesterday Chance had to go out early so after he did his business we headed out.  My other baby brother told me about a field up on the prairie.

Flax only blooms for part of the day.

I will wait a few days and go back again.  There are new flowers everyday…until it is bloomed out and the seed heads are formed.

Flax fields are rare in this area. Of course there are different kinds of Flax…oilseed or linen seed.  The oilseed type can be used to make a flour, as a cattle feed or pressed for their oil.  The linen seed type can be used to make  fiber that can be spun …it is called linen (The stalks are dried and pounded and the fibers spun.)

It has been 60 years since I first saw a Flax field south of Lake Park Minnesota late one Sunday morning on my way to Uncle Theron and Aunt Skip’s house.  I have never forgotten what a beautiful sight it was.

Baby Buffalo and Lightning are still on my photo bucket list.

We have smoke in the air from the fires in Canada.

Photo Bucket List

This year I hope to make some photographic progress.  Taking more photos in manual mode and reading my owners manual.

That baby buffalo is still on my list as is lightening.  This year I want to add Northern Lights, Perseid meteors in August and mountains somewhere.  A Moose and an Elk or two would be good also.  I read in the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer that Golden Eagles are in the bluff area of Minnesota.  We saw a Golden once in early spring…I was not fast enough to photograph it.  I would also like to snap a photo of one of those Cardinals that are along the river in Park Rapids.

I think it is good to dream.  I rarely go anywhere without a camera. You can’t take a photo if you don’t have a camera.

I have a Canon Point and Shoot that fits in my pocket.  It takes okay photos…not as good as the big girl camera, but I won’t leave my big girl camera in the car in the extreme cold or extreme heat…or for someone to notice and steal. 

What I have learned over the past year:

Never exit a vehicle with your camera bag unsnapped.  I was getting lax about that…and then Jen called with news that her bag was unsnapped and her camera flew out of the bag and Andy drove over it.  Smashed it to smithereens.  Now that is a sad thing.  She also braved the water in a kayak on Lake Superior with her big girl camera. She is a gutsy photographer. ( Andy said he was sure she and her camera were going for a cold swim that day.)

It is really nice to have someone especially a daughter share your passion for photography. She will often say “Lets go take photos Mom.”

Patience.  You have to have a fair amount of patience and time to just wait.

Patience photographing wildlife. Hoping for one great shot!

Patience waiting for the light to be just right or for rainbows to form.

For Lady Slippers to bloom.

Seeing how many Orioles you can get in one photograph.

Most of what I photograph is right in the yard…or within a few miles of home.

All my photos are backed up to two simple save devices and to disk..but I am way behind on my disc back up…I have to purge some photos first.  I save way too many photos.  I have to learn to save only the best!  I absolutely love the digital age of photography.

We are fine, yes it is freaking cold. The HIGH yesterday was –14 F or –25C.  Wind chills are brutal.

Sunday Drive

We went for a Sunday Drive.  

We saw a Classic Car a 1957 Chevy.  It was perfect.

Far Guy says “Look at that paint color on the roof…It is Willow Green just like my old Desoto!”

Yes, that is a hay bale in the ditch.  Up here in Minnesota many farmers take advantage of roadside grass.

Near Staples Minnesota I saw this field.

I think this is a Flax field…not in bloom yet..but soon.  If you have been reading my blog for a long time you know that I have wanted to photograph a Flax field for a long time…it has been on my photographic bucket list.  Well I got the photo but without the flowers.  I was tempted to stop at one of the farm houses down the road from this field and ask them if they would call me when it blooms..but they probably would have thought I was nuts.

I could be..nuts that is.  What is on my photo bucket list?  A baby buffalo, lightening and a Flax field in bloom.

It was another warm day 90 F or 32 C  and 85% humidity.  The humidity just hangs in the air.  If you ask me the heat is making lots of people a tad cranky.  Oh, it was warm in the museum on Saturday…the building has finally caught up..now whatever the outside temperature is..well that is the inside temperature too.  I am thankful that we have air conditioning at home:)

Covered Bridges

Last fall when we went to Indiana. One of the things I wanted to photograph besides Tobacco Barns was a covered bridge.

On our way home.  We stopped at a rest stop in Illinois where they had tourist info.  The lady pointed us in the right direction but said we would have to walk across because no vehicles were allowed.

We found it in a park. 

 

It was called The Lake of The Woods Covered Bridge.  We have a Lake of the Woods here in Minnesota you know..but no covered bridges as far as I know.

 

Far Guy and Chance stretched their legs.

Just incase you wanted to see the light at the end of the bridge!

The lady at the tourist center was mistaken..cars could drive through from both directions.so we did.

I will have to re-visit my photography bucket list someday soon.  I know I still want to photograph a baby buffalo and lightening…and  Northern Lights if I am really lucky:)

Two Highlights and a Non Highlight

Well another week down the tubes..a couple of fun things happened this week.  Far Guy and I went to the “Rez Parade” last Sunday.  We took Chance and parked near the Church and sat in the car until the parade started.   Before anyone calls me racist..the Native Americans call it a Rez  parade themselves. The highlight? 

This photo, how many people have a photo of the cops throwing candy at them.

Tuesday we went up to Jen and Andy's, their house is coming along…I am waiting for her to share before and after photos on her blog.  She made the move over from Area Voices to Blogspot..so now she is easier to find. Her blog is called East  Side Professor.   If she were not enamored with the English language and teaching she would have made a great Interior Decorator.  We went along with Noah to his guitar lesson, and then we all went out for supper.   The highlight?

This photo, I had to bump it up a bit in Photoshop..but I finally got one of the photos that is on my bucket list..a Rainbow!!  The blooming Flax field, Lightening and a baby Buffalo still remain on the photo bucket list.  We have had lots of rain this summer, and we have seen a few rainbows..but they either disappear before we get to a safe spot where we can photograph them or are so puny they don’t show up in a photo. ..this one I just took out of the window on our way back from town.

The non highlight this week was a Dental Checkup and Cleaning where it was discovered that I have not just one abscess but two ( sometimes I am just an over achiever)  and I will undergo two root canals on Monday morning..the infections have been treated with four doses of various antibiotics over the past six months. I told the Dentist to just pull them both out, he said he wants to try to save them..especially the one that shows when I smile..I told him that I am a cranky old woman and rarely smile anyway:(

Delphinium Tour Part Two

Stop One : My Mom's

Mom has a huge clump of mauve Pacific Giant Delphiniums. They were stunning this past week. Mom has a very large cage surrounding her Delphs. My parents are doing fine, although Dad tried to cut off his finger with a saw last week. He needed some stitches in the ER.

Stop Two: Jo's

White variety, Magic Fountains.

A sky blue color, which I find just about the best color and most difficult color to achieve in flowers. Blues are really tough colors, either they end up with purple or pink undertones. This one is a spectacular sky blue. A bit of sky in a flower.

A loosely stacked seeding variation, but with good clear color, a little in purple undertones.. still a nice flower.

Stop Three: Back at my Wildflowers. I had forgotten that this little guy even existed. I grew a series one year of little border Delphinium ..ten inches tall or less called "Summer Series" a border Delphinium. I believe that this one is called Summer Blues. It is surviving quite well!

Such ends the Delphinium tour, I had fun, and I hope you did too. As the days grow shorter every evening, I clamour to get enough photographs of flowers to last the winter. We have LONG winters up here you know, and only about three months of flowers. I do have a few other things on my summer photograph wish list.. are you curious?

Rainbow, Double Rainbow, Flax Field, Sunflower Field, a Beefalo calf, and a flash of lightening during a storm. I think I have the lightening one all figured out, I am going to have Far Guy drive and I will set up my tripod in the back of the Tracker and I can shoot out the hatch without getting electrocuted :)