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Postcard from the Plains
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August 08...The month of the butterfly. August has brought with it some very beautiful weather here in Nebraska. Temps in the 80's have been common, and the humidity hasn't been bad at all. This has been a great month for outdoor activities. Although Dorothy is still recovering from the knee replacement, there are signs that she is improving. I've recovered from a back problem, and now I am enjoying full activity again.
As I have taken my walks in the country I have noticed the most beautiful butterflies. This one is called a "giant swallowtail." When I first saw it at Platte River State Park, I was surprised by its size. When I looked more carefully at the photos that I had taken I realized that the coloration was a variation of some other swallowtail species. After a little research I realized that this was a new butterfly species for me. I am not an entomologist, but I do love the artistic patterns in nature. It's hard not to appreciate the beauty of this little "flying kite."
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At Pawnee State Park a farmer has been allowed to plant a field of sunflowers. For a few days the entire field was in full bloom. It is intriguing how the entire field of blossoms follow the rise and fall of the sun. During this time the butterflies and bees were quite attracted to this area. Here a monarch enjoys the feeding opportunity.
Below, in just a few days the bloom was gone. However, this is when the buntings and goldfinchs were in this field by the dozens. Everywhere you looked there were goldfinches. The deer also loved this field as evidenced by the stalks that were half eaten or taken off. I wondered if the farmer would have anything left.
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Painted Ladies on zinneas. Platte River State Park.
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I hope that you can appreciate the work that this spider did to create this pattern. Dorothy thought that it looked like a basket weave. I thought it was beautiful as its design was illuminated by the morning sun. The circular part of this web was about 18 inches in diameter, but the supporting strands of the web stretched several feet.
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Friends: Old and New
Karen Holtz, pictured below, came from Eastern Iowa to spend a few days with us. Karen has helped Dorothy recouperate a number of times during the years. She was a good nurse on this visit as well. We really enjoyed her company, and I dare say that having her here represented a turning point in Dot's recovery. To the right are some of the participants at a party that we hosted. The guys are some of the people that I play golf and tennis with. It was nice to have the house full of people, and we enjoyed some croquet and boce ball as well! As I have mentioned before, the pictures of people don't show up so well on this page. If you would want a better look you should download the pictures and they will show up well on your computer. Part of the problem is that I have to make the files pretty small to load them on to this free web site.
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Below, a rainbow after a rain shower at the family farm.
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The color of a flower,
The grace of a butterfly,
The song of a bird,
Life doesn't have to be complicated to be beautiful.
3,170 hits plus the odometer.
PICS are originals taken with a Canon Rebel XT or a Kodac Z612
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