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!