Our World - June 30

Our corner of the world has been very cloudy and rainy lately. On the bright side (pun intended), it has made for some beautiful cloud formations and sunsets.

Linking to:
Our World Tuesday

Flowers & Tea Cups

A selection of flowers displayed in my china tea cups.

Linking to:
Mosaic Monday

American Kestrel - My Best Nature Photo EVER

My son and I went to McConnells Mill State Park in Portersville, Pa to take some nature photos. I was getting some great shots of the gristmill, waterfall, and wild flowers.

Suddenly, we noticed a small bird perched on a stone wall beside the mill. At first, we thought it was an owl, eventually we determined it was a small falcon, an American kestrel to be exact.

I was so excited to get these pictures!! It made my night!!

He sat perfectly still for approximately 20 minutes, while I took "tons" of pictures!!

Some people call them Sparrow Hawks.

It's the smallest falcon in North America.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters

Pink Peonies

When I was a child, my grandparents had two large peony plants in their back yard. I loved seeing them bloom each summer. I planted this peony plant last summer, in memory of my grandparents, and this is the first bloom.

Linking to:
Floral Friday Fotos

Flowers & Fence Posts

I spotted this pretty farm fence while driving down the road the other day. I pulled over and snapped some photos. I love the flowers that line the fence. So pretty!!

Linking to:
Good Fences

Outdoor at Alameda Park

Below are some pictures I took at a historic park in my home town. Alameda Park was an amusement park in Butler, Pennsylvania from 1901-1944. The park included a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, dance hall, and boating lake. Famous musicians and entertainers of the day performed at the park, including Louis Armstrong.  The Butler Eagle

Although the amusement park rides are gone, the park still exists today. The famous Carousel Shelter can be rented for family reunions and wedding receptions. The park also includes a community pool, play ground equipment, and picnic shelters.

I loved photographing the Carousel Shelter and thinking of the joy it's brought people since the early 1900's!

Linking to:
Outdoor Wednesday

Our World

My husband and I took a walk this evening and I captured the photos below of "our world." It was a perfect summer evening for a walk and for admiring the beautiful world around us.

 Corn fields - across from our house.

A dairy cow (and a bird in-flight)

Hopping down the bunny trail.

Blowing in the wind.

 Beautiful sunset

Linking to:
Our World Tuesday

Dandy Dandelions

Nothing says "SUMMER" like a field of dandelions.

Linking to:
Mosaic Monday

First Day of Summer

Yippee! Today is the first day of summer. This "shadowy" picture reminds me of the carefree summer days I spent swinging on the swing set when I was a kid.

Linking to: Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Chipmunks & Groundhogs

Below are some of the critters I've photographed while on nature walks in my neighborhood.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters

Farm Fences

Some "farm fences" from my neck of the woods. Enjoy...

Click to join Theresa for more:

Summer Daisies

The weather here has been hot, stormy, and rainy. Finding a chance to take pictures has been a real challenge. I managed to sneak out yesterday afternoon (while the sun was shining for a few minutes) to capture some daisies in our field.

My First Blog Post

The purpose of this blog is to share my photography. My interest in photography started about six months ago. My husband bought me a basic "point and shoot" digital camera and I started taking nature photos. I've advanced to a beginner DSLR camera. 

I love to photograph flowers, birds, landscapes, bugs, and nature in general. I also experiment with macro photography. For my first blog post, I thought I would share some of my first photos taken on my first camera.