A Lucky Shot - aluckyshot

Puzzle me this
Pieces of a puzzle I will never put together.

Insignia
Located above the judge's chair in the Hamlin County, South Dakota, courtroom

Awaiting trial
Empty spectators chairs in the courtroom in Hamlin County, South Dakota.

Swan.JPG


Lemur chillin2.JPG
These guys were the favorites!

Not happy.JPG
We thought he was going to start to cry!

Parrot4.JPG


Parrot5.JPG
Parrot5.JPG 2011-09-30

Bridge1.JPG
Love the lines

Bridge4.JPG
Love the details

Bridge5.JPG
Love the reflection and vertical lines

Parrot1.JPG
Parrot1.JPG 2011-09-30

Milkweed sneeze.jpg
Ah-choo!! It should have covered its mouth with it's leaf.

Field corn closeup.jpg


Leaf with ripples.jpg


leaf in water darkened.jpg


Leaf in water with ripples


Ladybug dogpile crop and sharpen.jpg

These little guys reminded me of kids on a playground or even a football game.

Ladybugs on foam crop and sharpen.jpg
L

Ladybugs on green major crop.jpg


Ladybugs on stick crop and sharpen.jpg


Ladybugs piggyback.jpg
Can you imagine the conversation between the lead bug and the two that are horseing around behind? I'm betting the first one is the mom."If you guys don't quit horseing around, I'm never taking you to the shoreline again!"

milkweed fluff closeup.jpg
An explosion of milkweed!!

Milkweed scenery.jpg


Snail shell yellow closeup.jpg
Another vacated home...

Snail shell yellow crop and sharpen.jpg


Snail shell.jpg

Butterfly cropped closeup.jpg
Butterfly cropped closeup.jpg 2011-08-12

Dragon fly.JPG
Dragon fly.JPG 2011-07-17

Kayaking.JPG
Kayaking.JPG 2011-08-07

Unemployed textile workers copy.jpg
Unemployed textile workers copy.jpg 2011-07-26

Fireworks silhouette.jpg
It looks like he is awfully close to the action; I'm glad he's a firefighter!!

Storm Clouds
Pretty but dangerous

Fluffy storm clouds


Thunderheads


First flowers of the season
Thanks to my friend Ron who gave me the purple irises

Howard and the Garden Chair
Howard caught on to the reason I put a chair in the garden.

White Iris


Purple Iris bud


Iris bud purple


Purple Iris
It wasn't open when I left on Saturday. It was in full bloom on Memorial Day. Beautiful!

Shadows on the ground
This is a water hydrant handle.

Waiting in line for the fish buffet.jpg
The pelicans grab at the fish as they come shooting out of the culvert in the rushing water

Knot in a tree.jpg
Looks like a head and arms are surrounding the gray space.

Two eyes.jpg
The red and amber lights on the school bus looked as if they were wearing caps or even long eyelashes.

One foot on Presidents Day.jpg

Jerry stuck a ruler in the snow to measure it. Don't know if this is official, but it's got to be close.

Foot deep so far.jpg

I hate to say "so far," but it's not July yet...

West side of house 2-21-11.jpg

Cool formation as the wind swept the snow from the roof. (No, the picture isn't crooked; the solar light is.)

Who let the cat into the bag.jpg
Finally. A picture of Lewis. I went to grab my iTouch out of my purse and two yellow eyes were staring out at me from inside of my big red bucket of a school bag. Even Mary Poppins didn't have a cat in her bag.

Too fast to freeze.JPG
On the east side of the highway coming into Hayti from the south. The water continues to rush through that culvert from Lake Marsh on its way to Lake Poinsett and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. (Seems like everything is going south these days...)

One beautiful winter day.JPG
This scene reminded me of a Bev Dolittle painting. There are no horses hidden in the trees, but I could imagine a few raccoons...

Winter reflection.JPG
Serenity.

Hattie the Stripey copy.jpg
Just lying around on a snow day.

WinterGreen copy.jpg


Fringes of Frost copy.jpg


Frosted Butterfly copy.jpg


Cold Sun copy.jpg

Atlas Moth copy.jpg
Atlas Moth copy.jpg 2010-12-15

Atlas-moth-snake-wing.jpg
This wing looks like a snake as a protection for the moth. This moth only lives 3-5 days. The female has about a 6" wingspan. The male can have up to an 11" wingspan.

Black.jpg
Black.jpg 2010-12-16

Black and pink.jpg
Black and pink.jpg 2010-12-16

Black and red.jpg
Black and red.jpg 2010-12-16

Black and red on blue.jpg
Black and red on blue.jpg 2010-12-16

Black and red on green.jpg
Black and red on green.jpg 2010-12-16

Black and red on yellow.jpg
Black and red on yellow.jpg 2010-12-16

Black and white on orange flower copy.jpg
Black and white on orange flower copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Black full.jpg
Black full.jpg 2010-12-15

Black on red flower.jpg
Black on red flower.jpg 2010-12-15

Black on red flower copy.jpg
Black on red flower copy.jpg 2010-12-15

Black white orange on leaf.jpg
Black white orange on leaf.jpg 2010-12-16

Lunchtime.jpg
Lunchtime.jpg 2010-12-15

Multi.jpg
Multi.jpg 2010-12-16

Not a monarch.jpg
Not a monarch.jpg 2010-12-16

OBW striped on leaf copy.jpg
OBW striped on leaf copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Orange black and white copy.jpg
Orange black and white copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Orange black and white on green leaf copy.jpg
Orange black and white on green leaf copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Orange flower black and white closeup copy.jpg
Orange flower black and white closeup copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Orange flower black and white copy.jpg
Orange flower black and white copy.jpg 2010-12-15

Waterfall.jpg
Waterfall.jpg 2010-12-15

Orange white black striped copy.jpg
Orange white black striped copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Owlet copy.jpg
Owlet copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Owlett copy.jpg
Owlett copy.jpg 2010-12-15

Owlett eating oranges.jpg
Owlett eating oranges.jpg 2010-12-15

Spotted on the outside blue on the inside copy.jpg
Spotted on the outside blue on the inside copy.jpg 2010-12-16

Graycie.jpg
This is Graycie Randolph. I call her Graycie. The boys call her Randolph. They designed microfleece after her fur - it's that soft.

P1060429.JPG
This is the newest addition to the family. Her name is Hattie Howard. (I called her Hattie; the boys call her Howard. Hence, the first and last name.) Her eyes are sparkly blue and she knows how to protect her food! I think she's even softening Jerry's anti-cat heart. He's been caught talking to and feeding her, but he'll deny it if you ask him about it!

Birthday roses.jpg
I received a dozen yellow/orange roses AND a dozen red roses for my birthday from my guys.

Graycie
Graycie is my teenaged girl cat. Soft, loveable, tentative Graycie. The last in the food line or out the door, the first to snuggle. However, not usually as aggressive as her brother Lewis, she will suddenly grab him around the neck with both paws and pummel his stomach with her hind feet. Graycie walks softly but carries a big kick.

Steam along the shoreline.JPG

The slough look ominous this morning as I drove into and through the fog. A great look for Halloween time!!

Cows in the cornfield tree framed.JPG
Cows in the cornfield tree framed.JPG 2010-10-09

Cows in the cornfiled vertical.JPG
Cows in the cornfiled vertical.JPG 2010-10-09

Early morning steam on the slough.JPG

The birds rose before the sun this morning to enjoy the fog above the slough.

Fall foliage.JPG
Fall foliage.JPG 2010-10-09

Lacy weed at the lake.jpg
The beautiful autumn bokeh (color in the background) is the reflection of a cottonwood tree on the water.

Lacy weed.jpg
I think that's milkweed fluff caught on this weed.

Zooming across the lake.jpg
This isn't a picture-perfect picture (pun intended) and, close-up, it's kind of grainy, but the cool part about this is that I am over a quarter of a mile away on the adjacent shoreline (of Lake Marsh), and I had my camera settings set somehow to obtain INCREDIBLE zooming power. Now I have to figure out I did that! 

Lake reflection.jpg

On the shores of Lake Marsh

Milkweed silk and seeds.JPG

A cascade of white fluff at the edge of the lagoon.

Milkweed pod silk and seeds.JPG

Before and after - all on one stalk.

Southeastern Clark County.JPG
Southeastern Clark County.JPG 2010-09-12

55 MPH.JPG
Really? You think going 55 MPH is okay on this road??

Blades and tail.JPG
Blades and tail.JPG 2010-09-12

Hummingbird.JPG
Can't believe I got this shot without it being too blurry - those buggers move fast!

Needs paint.JPG
Needs paint.JPG 2010-09-12

Old house.JPG
Old house.JPG 2010-09-12

Red Hinge.JPG
Red Hinge.JPG 2010-09-12

Risky at 55.JPG
Our county tax dollars at work - when entering this road from the west, the first sign says Minimum maintenace - travel at your own risk. Look closely at the sign further into the picture- it says Speed Limit 55. I guess it's okay to risk going 55 on this road with the ruts and grass strip down the middle for the WHOLE MILE, except where there's a mudhole across the whole "road."  *Geez*

VERY close.jpg
VERY close.jpg 2010-09-07

Up close and insulated.jpg
Up close and insulated.jpg 2010-09-07

Example of contrast.jpg
Example of contrast.jpg 2010-09-07

Not a mint Lifesaver.jpg
Not a mint Lifesaver.jpg 2010-09-07

Still doing the job.jpg
Still doing the job.jpg 2010-09-07

Touch of fall copy.jpg
Touch of fall copy.jpg 2010-09-07

Wildsunflower crop.jpg
Wildsunflower crop.jpg 2010-09-05

Utility Pole silhouette.jpg
Utility Pole silhouette.jpg 2010-09-05

White insulator.jpg
White insulator.jpg 2010-09-05

Wild sunflower close up.jpg
Notice the green bug!




Lagoon.JPG
Not from the movie or the book, but on the Hamlin School property. Pretty, but I wouldn't swim in it if I were you.

Lewis and Clark retouched.jpg
Two of my kittens - Clark (or Randolph, if you ask my sons) on the left and Lewis on the right. Yes, they are adventuresome little kittens!

Manitoba.JPG
60 feet into Canada. I think the border guards thought we were the dorkiest tourists ever!

Sihouette 2.JPG
On the shores of Lake Marsh

Standing water sharpen.JPG
After one of the torrential rains to fall this summer.

Unhinged.JPG

Gatlin Bros.jpg
Steve, Larry and Rudy. Their voices still blend so well, unless they are harmonizing, they sound like one voice.

Larry Gatlin solo.jpg
Class act all the way.

Gatlin Bros Band.jpg
The drummer, another guitar player, Steve, Larry, Rudy, and the piano player. (I think the piano player was reading music - did my heart good to see that!)

Neon weed.JPG
Neon weed.JPG 2009-11-21

P1010850.JPG
P1010850.JPG 2009-11-21

Sunflower crop.jpg
Sunflower crop.jpg 2009-08-17

Tracks SW of Vienna.JPG
Tracks SW of Vienna.JPG 2009-11-21

Where sky earth and water meet.jpg
Where sky earth and water meet.jpg 2009-09-03

Colorful weeds.jpg
Colorful weeds.jpg 2009-09-03

Duck duo closeup.jpg
Duck duo closeup.jpg 2009-09-03

Frog on the Rocks.jpg
Frog on the Rocks.jpg 2009-09-03

Mallard hen friends.jpg
Mallard hen friends.jpg 2009-09-03

Reflection of a beautiful evening.jpg
Reflection of a beautiful evening.jpg 2009-09-03

windmill crop and adjusted.jpg
windmill crop and adjusted.jpg 2009-08-06

Bacon in the Cave.jpg
Bacon in the Cave.jpg 2009-08-03

Crane reflection.jpg
Crane reflection.jpg 2009-08-06

Dandelion closeup.jpg
Dandelion closeup.jpg 2009-08-06

Geronimo!.jpg
Geronimo!.jpg 2009-08-06

Kids on the cliff crop.jpg
Kids on the cliff crop.jpg 2009-08-06

Through Levi's eyes.jpg
Through Levi's eyes.jpg 2009-08-02

P1010429.JPG
P1010429.JPG 2009-08-04

P1010432.JPG
P1010432.JPG 2009-08-04

Traffic on the road.JPG
Traffic on the road.JPG 2009-07-20

Carpet of cornfield.JPG
Carpet of cornfield.JPG 2009-07-20

Culvert.JPG
Culvert.JPG 2009-07-20

Gate.JPG
Gate.JPG 2009-07-20

Green - and BLUE!.JPG
Green - and BLUE!.JPG 2009-07-20

Green - you gotta love it.JPG
Green - you gotta love it.JPG 2009-07-20

Green green, its green they say.JPG
Green green, its green they say.JPG 2009-07-20

Heading home.JPG
Heading home.JPG 2009-07-20

How quickly the weather changes.JPG
How quickly the weather changes.JPG 2009-07-20

Obviously the path of least resistance.JPG
Obviously the parth of least resistance.JPG 2009-07-20

Please, nothing bad.JPG
Please, nothing bad.JPG 2009-07-20

Rear view.JPG
Rear view.JPG 2009-07-20

Storm clouds gather.JPG
Storm clouds gather.JPG 2009-07-20

The Road Not (often) Taken.JPG
The Road Not (often) Taken.JPG 2009-07-20

To the southeast.JPG
To the southeast.JPG 2009-07-20

Sunset over Laube Farm.JPG
Sunset over Laube Farm.JPG 2009-06-24

At the end of the driveway.JPG
At the end of the driveway.JPG 2009-06-26

Clem.JPG
Clem.JPG 2009-06-24

Stop Men at Work.JPG
Stop Men at Work.JPG 2009-06-26

Bee on a daisy cropped.jpg
Bee on a daisy cropped.jpg 2009-08-07

Soaking up sunshine.JPG
Soaking up sunshine.JPG 2009-06-17

Augie and the peony.JPG
Augie and the peony.JPG 2009-06-17

Bee in the peony closeup.JPG
Bee in the peony closeup.JPG 2009-06-17

Green bug in the peony.JPG
Green bug in the peony.JPG 2009-06-17

Peony.JPG
Peony.JPG 2009-06-17

Peony close up.JPG
Peony close up.JPG 2009-06-17

Picnic alongside the road.JPG
Picnic alongside the road.JPG 2009-07-20

Butterfly closeup.jpg
Butterfly closeup.jpg 2009-08-06

Ditch roses.JPG
Ditch roses.JPG 2009-07-20

Sun and storm clouds.JPG
Sun and storm clouds.JPG 2009-06-16

Sunkissed.JPG
Sunkissed.JPG 2009-06-16

Almost sundown.JPG
Almost sundown.JPG 2009-06-16

Shadows on the hayfield.JPG
Shadows on the hayfield.JPG 2009-06-16

Just a view.JPG
Just a view.JPG 2009-06-16

Bird on a wire.JPG
Bird on a wire.JPG 2009-06-15

Foggy morning breakfast.JPG
Foggy morning breakfast.JPG 2009-06-16

Gate.JPG
Gate.JPG 2009-06-16

Grass.JPG
Grass.JPG 2009-06-15

Grass closeup.JPG
Grass closeup.JPG 2009-06-16

Sunset SW silos.JPG
Sunset SW silos.JPG 2009-11-09

Sunset SW silos.JPG
Sunset SW silos.JPG 2009-11-09

Sunset silos trees.JPG
Sunset silos trees.JPG 2009-11-09

Sunset silos trees.JPG
Sunset silos trees.JPG 2009-11-09

Sunflower silhouette in the morning.JPG
Sunflower silhouette in the morning.JPG 2009-08-27

Sunflower silhouette in the morning.JPG
Sunflower silhouette in the morning.JPG 2009-08-27

Spirit Lake sunset.jpg
Spirit Lake sunset.jpg 2009-06-13

Spirit Lake sunset weed.jpg
Spirit Lake sunset weed.jpg 2009-06-13

Spirit Lake sunset horizontal.jpg
Spirit Lake sunset horizontal.jpg 2009-06-13

I love peonies.  And daisies. And columbine.  They remind me of Grandma Mae's garden behind her house in Hayti. They are a symbol of heritage and antiquity.

 

A few years ago, my friend Don gave me some white peony transplants.  (Well, I asked if I could dig some up from the huge bush that was buried in overgrown trees and weeds, and he said he didn't care.) Anyway, I planted them on the "ridge" just east of our house, right next to where Jerry's grandma's house was.  I call it Peony Ridge now, and this morning they were beautiful, with even more buds just ready to burst open.  You could tell the ants were working as fast as they could to help these little guys along in their quest.

 

The bees and little green bugs were busy chugging down the nectar, or whatever it is they do deep inside the petals. I got a couple of lucky shots of them slurping the syrup.

 

Not to be upstaged by a flower, Augie made sure he was around there, too, vying for my attention, but not trying to be too obvious. What a guy - a real sunsoaker on a beautiful day like today. (Aren't we all?!)

Actually, we didn't get the storms tonight that some locations in South Dakota did - thank you, God! Instead, we got cool looking clouds and about 10 minutes of the sun shining through the trees.  It was just a lucky shot to get the one with shadows on the hayfield and with the sun highlighting the trees and grass.

No, this is not about death and after life.  This is about my morning walks to the cemetery corner.  It's not a long distance, but it's a pretty one, especially at 5:45 AM, when the sun is just starting to wink at me through the trees, or even at 7 AM.  This morning it was foggy; yesterday morning was the only sunshine we saw until later in the evening.

 

These are some of the scenes I get to witness along the way. I've noticed some of them before on the millions of turns of the tires as we drive that road daily.  But walking the same path allows me to soak it all in - no buffers.  Instead of an audio book playing in my ears, there were grackles having a intense discussion about something, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with SportsCenter. Instead of bugs on the windshield, I saw insects I didn't recognize on the freshly blooming ditch flowers.  I got a lucky shot of neighbor Jon's cows eating breakfast in the morning mist.

 

Only thing I missed was my dog.

The sunset pictures were taken at Spirit Lake in Kingsbury County, South Dakota on June 13, 2009. I was taking the backroads home from Huron, and nearly drove in the ditch several times, admiring the sunset in my rearview mirrors.  I think God kept me on the road so I could get these lucky shots.

G. K. Chesterton (whoever that is) once said (or maybe repeated himself several times), "If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God."  That is why I am sharing these photos with you - I think I heard God saying, "Work with me here, Stephanie!!"  He also may have said "Why don't you take a picture? It will last longer." (But He didn't say it snotty like some kids do.  He meant it.)

11/10/2011 2:28:03 AM - 002063483736
Your EYE for photography is to be envied! You take photographs -- I take pictures! I have learned something from looking at your work! thanks. They're amazing. gail.

6/15/2009 10:25:48 PM - 000059301259
the sunset pics are awesome. i would like to start playing around more with photos and taking them. Very NICE!!!