Quit bugging me

Had a Yucus family reunion of sorts at Lowell Park in Dixon today. All of my Grandma Hansen's extended family was there, including my aunts, uncles, first cousins and a few in-laws and beaus.
Took to the trails to see what I could find. It's a beautiful park, and the sun was shining down through the trees with very lovely golden hues.

I didn't find any great "sun shining on something beautiful" shots, but I did find some bugs inspecting a few wildflowers. I positioned myself as close as I could, and let them do their thing. It's safe to say I'm getting hooked on "macro" photography.



It appears what we have here is a condylostylus dining on an American Bellflower  (thanks to Matt Baker for help with IDs). As per the fly, those wings look so incredibly delicate.

Hanging around at the office. It's a bug's life.



Coming in for the landing (I love the cross-shpaed shadow of the stigma courtesy of the aforementioned golden sun).

This guy looks content, lapping up some nectar. But as always is the case in nature, he's never quite safe.... (Note the little  orange circle underneath him.)



....it turns out there's always a little trouble in paradise.

Just in case bugs aren't your thing, a solo shot of a flower for the ladies.

King Corn

Drive during summer time in the Illinois Valley and you are sure to be surrounded by corn. The ubiquitous plant is how the Midwest was won, and is only interrupted by brief patches of soybeans and a few other assorted crops in the fields that line nearly every road.

There is a new source of revenue sprouting up in northern Bureau County alongside the mile after mile of magnificent fields of maize -- windmills.
The two battle for dominance of the landscape, the corn rows stretching endlessly into the horizon, the blades of the windmills arching upward towards the heavens.





Windmill, in corn field, just off of Route 26 north of Ohio.



Of course, long rows of corn need long rows of grain bins for harvest time.

It was hot out Thursday with temps right around 100 degrees, so not a lot of multiple takes and preening on this mini-shoot on the way home from visiting the family. Mom and Jen had just returned from their trip to Uganda, so it was a very nice visit.



Coneflower power

Went to visit the family out at beautiful Sand Prairie Farms north of Ohio on Sunday. Had a great lunch from Chef Dad on the grill, then we did a little fishing at the pond.

 Matt took his RC boat out and we're pretty sure he scared all the fish away. It's a pretty neat little boat though, so not too upset.

I kept the fishing to a minimum and took a few pictures. The star of the afternoon was some Echinacea plants along the sand road to the pond.

 The wind was whipping so it was a little tough to keep them in frame at first for some macro shots of sorts.  I eventually cheated and held them still from the bottom. My photo assistant and helped a little bit as well when they saw me contorting and struggling.

Shooting close with the 35mm was the order of the day.  Thankfully, I had some beautiful models.

The wind did do a lovely job of fanning the drying petals.

Not much more to say, except to note the beautiful prairie sky.



Of Course, prairie flowers aren't the only things worth snapping at beautiful Sand Prairie Farms. Not much difference between a weed and wildflower when you get down to it after all....

That fly is tiny. Very tiny. Didn't even  notice him when I cast the picture, but he got top billing after the edits!

More weeds, more beauty.

I always love a trip out to the family farm. My dad has done a great job with conservation efforts over the years, and the farm is all organic these days. I could probably shoot nothing ever but nature out there and still have enough to keep me satisfied (who am I kidding?). 

There are plenty of projects in the works for out there. Stay tuned.

Buffalo Rock

"There's a waterfall at Buffalo Rock."

This tree and cable have become increasingly "intertwined" over the years.

Those were the words that started our first state-park trip this spring.

Technically, I think it's correct, but the waterfall is at Ottawa Canyon, on the other side of the Illinois River.

Even though we didn't find that elusive waterfall this day, we did have a lot of fun.

One of the themes of this trip was that nature takes all of our efforts in stride.

Give a tree enough time, and it will swallow up all traces of the past.

The penalty for trespassing? $25-300. Don't have the cash? ... a tree eats you.

This is my Google search page background. A very tranquil scene just steps away from the parking lot.

Last, but not least, a view of the Illinois River from the bluffs.

We didn't make it out all the way to the Effigy Tumuli on our first visit here, largely because it sure didn't look like there were any waterfalls down that way. Always more to explore!

The Bridges of Cumberland County

Went down to Charleston, IL. for the state track meet, and stayed in a little town called Greenup.

I did a little exploring Friday when I had a good portion of the afternoon free.

A covered bridge outside of Greenup. A beautiful spot for turtle relocation it turns out.

Fox Ridge definitely has the "ridge" part right,
with plenty of elevation changes on the trail... 

... but the closest thing to a fox was this mama raccoon,who was
 not too happy with me for me bumbling around near her babies.

It was plenty hot, with temperatures in the mid 90s and high humidity, so I didn't have the reserve to complete the trifecta of area tourism and visit the Lincoln Log Cabin historical site. (Those hills killed me!). Guess there's always next year.

Day trip to Ottawa Canyon

In what may be a rehearsal for my wife Jacquie's "Trash the dress" shoot, we took a day trip out to Ottawa Canyon near Starved Rock to check out the waterfall.

Here's a few shots from the trip.

First off, the elusive Ottawa Canyon Waterfall. But getting there is only half the fun.

Right when you arrive and head out to the trail there are some pretty beautiful sights. Some kids were taking the path less traveled to explore.

Meanwhile, on the path more traveled, we spotted this tap-dancing machine.

Plenty more beautiful sights on the trails. We had to scoot out, so not a whole lot of time to explore further-- but we will definitely be back!