10/05/24

 This is another image of the Blue Angels that I was able to get at the Frontiers In Flight Air Show at McConnell AFB in Wichita.  As I mentioned, there is a great documentary on them on Amazon Prime.  Each pilot is only in the group for, at most, 3 years.  It is a very prestigious position but requires them to be away from home for quite a lot of time.  They have a Winter Training where they have to complete 120 flights and then a very rigorous schedule of shows across the country.  They fly Boeing FA-18s and pull very high G Forces in the maneuvers but don't wear G suits as it can affect them having complete control over their plane.  They control G Forces by doing muscle contractions. When they perform their maneuvers, there are times that they are only 18 inches apart.  Pretty incredible.

# Frontiersinflight

10/04/24

 It's Friday, TGIF!  Today's image is of my lovely Hollyhocks.  I was pleased to see several blooms open at once.  I was also pleased by the lovely bokeh behind them because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!

10/03/24

 I was out watering my plants this past weekend, because we haven't had enough rain in forever.  😞  This Tree Frog hopped out of my Lantana plant because he, apparently, wasn't fond of getting wet. I had no idea it was in there. It then stayed on the deck long enough for me to grab a couple of images of it.  I find these little guys kind of cute.

10/02/24

 It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog!  Today's flower is one I enjoy a lot.  This is Wooly Verbena.  It usually flowers June through September so it is done now, I took this image during a bike ride a while back.  It is very drought resistant with roots that can extend to 12 feet.  Cattle do not like the taste as it is bitter.  Plains Indians made a tea from the leaves to treat stomachaches. 

10/01/24

 It's October already today and autumn is on the way.  I have a Hummingbird feeder hanging off the deck but lately the Hummingbird has also been visiting the flowers I have in pots on the deck.  It was actually raining a bit last weekend and I was finally able to capture the hummer visiting the Lantana.  It looks a bit frazzled due to the rain.  I am pretty sure this is a female Ruby Throat.

09/30/24

 It's Monday, happy new week!  It's also the last day of September already!  The year is flying by.  Today's image is of my Morning Glory which is finally blooming.  It took forever to start but it is putting out several blooms each day and looking lovely.  This is a 3 image focus stack of a few of the blooms.  I planted 4 seeds and the result was blooms in dark pink and light pink.

09/29/24

 It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog!  I had been sharing cab photos and I have one more to share of the ones that I operate.  This is the inside of the 14 inch scale Wagner locomotive at the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion.  This was on Thursday before the show as we were steaming up to test and it started to rain so it is partially inside the roundhouse.  The steam pressure gauge is showing close to 125 lbs of steam pressure.  The red handle under that to the left is for steam to the oil pump. Just above that in a darker red is the left side water injector steam.  The chain is for the whistle.  The black handle to the right of the chain is the "blower" to get airflow through the firebox when you have steam pressure up to help the fire burn better.  The red handle is for the right side injector to bring water into the boiler.  The 3 handles at an angle are the Try Cocks.  They help you determine where the water level is in the boiler in case something is wrong with the sight glass (the angled tube on the left of them, or just as a double check.  The handle in the middle is the throttle.  The black lever to the lower right is the Reverser which also makes it go forward.  The little knob down at the right is for the cylinder cocks, to open and close them.  The lever on the left is a brake which kind of works.  😂 The blue valves on the lower right and left are for the water from the tender for the injectors.