I admit it. This blog has looked a bit like this road lately. Underused. And maybe there is now a little grass growing in places where there was once a source of traffic. But, I’ve been putting the time to good use by sort of just chilling and spending time with the family. I’ve enjoyed it. But the kid is gone at Grandmas and the wife is in bed so I’m back. Though it won’t be for long. Friday night I leave my house in the capable hands of the house sitter and I go away for the rest of the month. But when I’m back, I hope to have a month or more of the most beautiful images I’ve taken yet. I hope.

This photo was taken this past weekend standing in the middle of the road that runs behind my family’s cabin. using one of the rented lenses. this one a 17-55 mm one at its most wide angle. A touch of photoshop work to make it how it has always looked in my mind’s eye and it is the perfect place to get away from it all.

butterflies must love whatever this is… it was in their garden

Same as yesterday, pretty much. This one’s yellow, yesterday’s was better, but what can you do? Still a pretty little one. Learned something at the butterfly garden. Butterflys taste with their feet. Hope he likes that one since he’s ankle deep.

After almost three years of having a membership to the Minnesota Zoo and visiting at least once a month we finally found a time when the Butteryly Garden was open. Normally it is too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy, too anything but perfect. I was starting to wonder if the garden was, in fact, a myth. I guess not.

I’ve always liked dragonflys. It appears from a quick google search that I am not the only one. In cultures as diverse as Southwestern Native Americans to the Japanese they were considered messangers to the gods. They mean different things to different cultures. I don’t know where I ever got the idea, but when I was much younger I always thought that they were what fairies looked like during the day. And I’ve had a soft spot for these creatures ever since.

This one was on my deck just sort of hanging out. I was able to take his photo by basically hanging over the railing and resting my hand on the upright of the rail on which he was hanging.

My camera is in for its annual cleaning. There is no use renting fancy L-Series lenses only to take super sharp pictures of dust. (Ok I know that the dust is between the lens and the sensor so it won’t be any sharper, but still…) So I’m showing off a bit of my wife’s work. She loves flowers even more than I do and takes their photos every time she sees a new one. I hav eno idea what this is, but it is pretty.

I love lilies. Whatever part of the country I move to next, I will have to have some sort of lily there. I’m not normally a flower guy. But for some reason, this type makes me happy. And I have a bunch of different kinds. I have Asiatic, Day, Tree and maybe one other that I am forgetting. But I think this one is my favorite. I love the color.

Taken on a visit to St. Paul this past weekend