More bad storms ...

Storm Chasing ....

Garden of the Gods.


Field in northern Kansas.


Pikes Peak.

Chalk Monument, Kansas (soon to be famous)

Abandoned house, northern Kansas

Starting Thursday, April 24, I started on my mission to storm chase in Kansas or wherever the storms would be for the next few days. I did manage to see one tornado and live, thus I consider that a success. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to photograph that tornado as it was at around 1 a.m. and only viewed by lightning. Location: just outside of Concordia, Kansas. After that date, the storm chasing trip turned into a road trip since blue skies dominated the nation. Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and the not-so-famous (yet) Chalk Monument in Kansas were some of the main attractions. All in all, after about 2600 miles in six days, I feel it was a great exploration. Thank you to my friend, Rich, for accompanying me and keeping me grounded! I can't wait until the next storm!

Spring renewal ....

Upper 70's and I am so enjoying the sunshine! I carried the camera with me this weekend as I went for a walk around the farm, lake, and around the countryside. The sunsets are ripening and the smell of rain and freshly disced dirt is in the air. Outside, the birds are chattering louder as each day passes and finally, my lawn is beginning to turn green. Spring is a great time of the year!

Beautiful Day!!!!

Today, it was sunny and 73! This was the best day we've had thus far this year. Sure, it was a little windy, but the skies were blue and the sun was shining. Welcome Spring, don't go away any time, soon!

In case your not one of the natives viewing this blog, this is an image of the Rock River looking south toward the power plant, hospital, and the rest of Dixon. The river is a little high at this time of the year and the forecast calls for more rain in the coming days!

"Boss, the plane the plane ...."

For those of you who don't know what that quote is from, it's from that magical show in the 80's called Fantasy Island. The above images are of the pelicans that graced the Rock River near Dixon for the past few days as they have done for the last couple of years. These birds are likely on their way to the upper Wisconsin area. They only stick around for a few short days, but according to Wikipedia, each pelican consumes around (4) pounds of fish per day. We must have some good fishing in that part of the river! Different from other pelicans, this sub species does not dive for its food, instead it eats while swimming. In fact, these birds swim together as a colony, circling their prey, netting it with one another, and feeding. These fowl are absolutely huge, weighing up to (16) pounds each. But when they fly, they are so graceful and precise, and very, very quiet when they glide in for a landing.

Catching up ....

View looking up at all of the images at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

A quote from Elie Wiesel's book Night, in which he recalls his childhood being stripped away from him during the Holocaust.

Korean Monument at night.

A tombstone at Arlington with a rock on top.

Spring comes earlier to D.C. than Illinois; unfortunately, it was still very cold while we were there.

Jets flying over Arlington for a burial service.

The gate into Chinatown in D.C. We were able to partake in the Chinese New Year! Awesome!

The dragons breathing in the New Year!

Fresh Cuisine!

Obama speaking at the University of Maryland during the Potomac Primaries.

The press corp ready to cover the primaries. Over 18,000 were in attendance for Obama's speech; most people looked to be under the age of twenty-five.


Street Musician.

Okay, so I may have been a little off as to when spring was going to arrive, especially given the fact that it's still in the thirties outside. With that said, however, a little birdie, actually several birdies, have told me by their whistles that spring is right around the corner, and with that, far warmer weather. I simply cannot wait. I'm tired of catching colds and the flu and am looking forward to sunny skies!

As for the images that you see here, they are various images that I didn't have the opportunity to post until now. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!!!! -- Farley's 1st!

March 7 was Farley's very 1st Birthday! Jake was very good about persuading Farley to go to Dairy Queen to celebrate, where, by mere coincidence, they both had a vanilla cone. Needless to say, it was a hit. No ice cream headaches and they simply cannot wait until next year .... or at least until they get to celebrate someone else's birthday!