The Hottest Day of the Summer

Up and out by 8 am to beat the heat and take advantage of prime lighting. 80 degrees at 8 am. Off to the creek and then to a remanent prairie to photograph flowers. An exhausting 80 foot vertical hike up a seep on the side of a bluff with no hand holds followed by a grueling trip back downhill and on to a relief giving dip in the creek to wash off the poison ivy.

Beautiful Morning light

The footwear needs of a photographer on location

Climbing the bluff

Blazing Star

A view from near the top

Touch me not

High in a silver maple over the creek

Mackerel clouds in sight...raining in coming with 24 hours.

Hellgramite egg cases

You can see Andrew just above my hair clip doing photography

Dew on the grass with backlighting

Fishing spider (yes it is that big)

Scaly Blazing Star

A variation of Blazing Star

Rough Blazing Star

Highbush Cranberry

Field Outing

Took the family to Battelle Darby Metro Park today to see the work Andrew has done in the past 15 + years in restoring former farm fields to native prairie. The prairie was in peak and full bloom and we had an enjoyable day visiting the nature center and going to dinner at Ann and Tony's Italian Restaurant followed by a trip to Rita's Ice when we got back in town.

Common milkweed

Queen Anne's Lace

Purple Coneflower, Gray-headed Coneflower

James with a "flight" of ice from Rita's Italian ice.

A Yard Work Kind of Day

Prepping for company and detailing the yard.  It was a beautiful day to be out and our gardens look the best they ever have in the 18 years that we've lived here

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Independence Day

First year in recent memory that it has rained on July 4th. Went to the movies to see The Shallows. Since we grew up in the era of Jaws and The Deep-The Shallows did not disappoint.

Came home and grilled out between raindrops with my brother and our neighbor Judy. Great day overall. Happy Independence Day!

Flowers and Fish

Spent the day photographing prairie flowers, visiting Mac's Riffle and doing a biotic survey for darters at Darby Creek.

Nolan and Lacy

Just being cute...as usual...

New Blooms