History or Memory

A local radio station has been airing something to do with Patriot's Day (today) on a regular basis. Included in their on-air material is, for me at least, a bit of an eye-opener. For today's school kids the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 are not memories... they are history.

The stunned emotions of realizing our nation was under attack are foreign to our young people - our future. A sky void of contrails as all aircraft were grounded is just something to imagine. Learning of so many innocent deaths likely does not hit our young folks like it stung so many of us on that fateful day.

As a family member and I drove to the healing place to the north today, we drove through several communities that had flags lining the road. At our destination we had conversations with several people based on the topic of "where were you" when the attack happened. I will share my response.

On that morning I was...

In Search of Trees

My "picture mood" today tracked with the weather - I wasn't looking for "blue sky" images as I explored. No, today I was hoping to find an interesting composition featuring trees... just trees - in quiet light.

I knew when I found a grouping of birch trees that I had the base image for several versions of "trees" that I (and others) might like. I will share the base image and then a pair of edited versions. I hope you enjoy them.

Wildflowers at the Fairbank Fen

Today's adventure was to hike the Fairbank Fen - a first for me. This fen is different from the Rowley Fen in that I did not find a couple of plant species I was looking for. They may be present and I just did not find them. Bottle (Closed) gentians were easy to find though and made the trip worthwhile.

Thank you Esther for the thought-provoking conversation that led to my visit to the fen. I appreciate it!

I put a video together capturing my wildflower hike at the Fairbank Fen. View the video at this link:

A Wildflower Hike at the Fairbank Fen

High Hopes

This barred owl had high hopes of capturing and consuming a mouse meal recently. Unfortunately the mouse to be eaten had been caught on a "sticky trap" and the owl was unaware. As a result, the feathers on this bird were covered in the sticky adhesive on the mouse trap. Flight for the bird came to a halt. Safety for this bird was at risk.

An angler on the Cedar River noticed the owl and gave me a call. The plan was for a combined effort to capture the owl to transport for treatment. But, before I even arrived at the scene the owl was captured and ready to move to the rehabber.

Our owl is now in the care of Terese with Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project. The owl will get a food...

Scenes From 10+ Hours of Fishing

What a day... 10+ hours of fishing with grandkids. What fun! We saw so much while on and around the water. These were some of the scenes.

Bookends with Excitement

Restful sleep has eluded me for years. I tend to be awake all hours of the night (and day). Rather than struggle this morning, I popped out of bed determined to hone my skills on dark sky photography. While my star images were a work in progress, I was able to record the quiet of our farm home as the sky was beginning to brighten with hints of a sunrise.

On the other end of today's daylight... I decided to spend just a few minutes making one trip up and back down the river as the sun was setting tonight. The sunset was beautiful, so I recorded what I could. Digital images come close, but do not match how pretty this scene was in person.

The excitement between the day bookend photos was this northern pike that...

How About a Bowl or Depression or Something???

For several years I have been watching a bald eagle nest expand. This one must weigh tons already. (The view from this angle minimizes the size of this nest.)

One detail I always assumed was the actual eagle-incubating and raising...

What is Not To Love About This?

I am an equal opportunity watercraft picture poster. A few days ago I shared an image of one of my canoes. Tonight I share a photo of my dear old beater boat - the HMY Kristina. She is old, she is rough, she is dented. But, she keeps water out, she isn’t afraid to go where others won’t (or can’t), and she is special.

This boat joined my fleet years ago after getting away from her previous owner and floating stern up, down the river. A conservation officer and I towed her back to the boat ramp where I offered the owner a pittance for her. About six weeks later he asked if I still wanted her and I did. I paid the pittance price and then bought a tube of JB Weld to patch the holes. I have since...

River Zits

It is my honor to share my thoughts and sometimes information with you, the viewers of this page. Today our topic will answer the burning question of "What causes the bubbles on river scum?" I know, we all wonder, but probably not enough to ask. Today I will delve into the topic.

As I checked the river conditions on the river in front of our cabin early this morning I noticed not only an exceptionally thick assemblage of scum, but scum with many bubbles. Those bubbles got me wondering... why?

According to numerous sources, bubbles on water are created by the decomposition process in the water. Living creatures release...

Short Distance Migration

Early this morning I was able to watch the short distance migration of six trumpeter swans. Two were on one pond while two other pairs circled low, then...

Today the Process Worked

Lately my photographic efforts have been less on documenting what I see and more on creating images that reflect what I am feeling. More often than not, the process of making something others can view and understand based on an emotion is challenging and requires multiple attempts.

This morning my mood, with my camera in hand, was to create something that - no matter when I see it - reminds me of one of my favorite pastimes - paddling a canoe. I wanted the final image to look good on a computer screen as a background or as a canvas print hanging on a wall. The completed work had to nudge the emotional nerve that instantly puts me in the outdoor mode... to make me remember my time on the water. Or, the image should make others...

Beauty Comparison, Like A Fishing Ratio...

Long ago an angler friend of mine told me 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. Since first hearing that statement others have said the same and I believe it to be true. The fish aren't wide spread and ready for the catching. No, the vast majority of fish are in specific areas where there is an appropriate mix of habitat, cover, and food.

I thought of that saying as I was exploring a local body of water this morning. On the whole the lake was pretty, but not of the caliber I needed for photography. As I continued to explore the lake for a photo-worthy scene I struck out - as if I was fishing in the ninety percent area where there was not habitat. There were no pictures to be found.

Then I rounded one narrow spot connecting two halves of a pond - a chokepoint of sorts. As I passed from one large area into another, the ten percent was found. (Really, it was more like the one percent was found.) In just a small area measuring maybe ten feet by thirty feet I was seeing steam fog rising from the lake. The scene was one of my favorite - steam rising on a cool morning, a...

No Fear - A Harmless Little Snake

I know there are folks who are not fans of snakes, but little northern redbelly snakes like this one are certainly worthy of a look.

Northern redbelly snakes are non-venomous, very small, and quite docile. As these pictures show, this snake was not threatening in any way.

If you are hesitant around snakes, learning...

The Color Attracted Me, The Detail Kept Me

As I waited for lightning to appear tonight (still waiting), I noticed colorful garden cosmos and sulfur cosmos in full bloom in our CRP. I waded through the long grass to the blossoms where I then documented them. It was when I reviewed them on my computer screen that I realized...

Fen Wildflower Photography - How The Pictures Were Made

Almost on a whim this morning I decided to explore a fen with cameras in hand. Fens are a unique soil type - saturated and sometimes spongey, with more unique qualities for plants. I went looking for a couple of plant species and found them, along with several others. I am going to share a sampling of images here, but encourage you to watch the video to virtually join me on the exploration to see how the photographs were made. There will be more photos in the video.

Click here to view the video:

Fen Wildflower Photography - How The Pictures Were Made

Following Up on an Observation from Saturday

Last Saturday I recorded video and still images of the paddling portion of the Rugged Toad Adventure Triathlon. As I was looking at the river and paddlers, I noticed interesting shadows from trees along the shore. But, on Saturday I was there to photograph paddlers and was not able to get artistic at the same time. Today I returned to hopefully capture some semblance of what I saw on Saturday. To make the photograph I needed to be...

Not Seen Everywhere

In an effort to beat the heat on a hike this morning, I left quite early for the...

Looking Around

From early this morning until late this afternoon I was out looking around for flora and fauna in Bremer County. I found several “picture-worthy” scenes that I have documented here. There is...

No Consistency But I Had Fun

Today was one of those days dedicated to photography on two projects that had no direct connection to each other.

Project 1 was to shoot video and still photos of the paddlers in the Rugged Toad Adventure Triathlon - 2024. If you wish to view the complete video, click on this link:

Rugged Toad Adventure Triathlon 2024

While waiting for the paddlers to make their way down the Cedar River I had an osprey do a close fly-by. Of course I recorded the few seconds of "together time."

Project 2 was a...

Ghost Plant (aka Indian Pipe) and More

It is the time of year when a very unusual flower is visible in limited locations. Indian pipe or Ghost Plant or several other names is now blooming where conditions are suitable.

What makes Indian pipe unique is the plant lacks chlorophyl. As a result, Indian pipe is white. Since the plant cannot convert sunlight to energy, Indian pipe...