Sunrise Over Iowa

Few things are as breathtaking as a

gorgeous sunset or sunrise.

Thankfully I was awake when this

beauty of a sunrise

appeared and my son pointed it

out to me. My house doesn't give

 me the best spot to take

sunrise pictures, but I knew

that in a matter of minutes

the gorgeous colors would be gone so

I had to make do with what I had.

I thank God for giving all of us

a beautiful sunrise over Iowa

on the morning of Monday September 17.

This especially goes out to all the

service men and women

who are serving our country overseas

and weren't here in Iowa

to see this sunrise.

May you come home safely.



Fall Colors

I can't believe how quickly autumn has caught up

with me. I can't believe my last blog entry was

2 months ago.

Time flies.

I spent some time on a

beautiful day this past week

at Jester Park. If you're anywhere

in Central Iowa and have not been

to Jester, you're missing out on quite a treat.

It's always gorgeous, no matter what time of year.

The park is well maintained and the

beautyof the land

along the Des Moines River

can't be beat.

Here's some photos of the

pelicans that stop by the area every year

on their journey south.

I also found every color

of the rainbow as I traveled through

Jester Park in search of the perfect photos.

It was such a peaceful place to play.

Summer Colors

I love all the colors of summer.

Not a day goes by that I can't find

something wonderfully colorful to photograph.

These pictures were all taken

in a friend's yard or in an unplowed

field on the edge of town.



Dragonfly

I always think of dragonflies as a symbol of

hope and good luck. They're hard to photograph

as they don't stay still for very long. I found this

one resting on a recent hot afternoon.

Fireworks: For our Troops

Yesterday morning, after sleeping in a bit late,

I went to church. I drove my car there.

Many people were there talking, singing, preaching, praying.

Spent time watching a silly movie with my family

 at one point yesterday,

Last night we went to see fireworks

(yes, they had them on July 3rd).

Today we celebrated the 4th by going

 to Adventureland, swimming and going on rides

(okay, watching my son go on rides as they make me sick).

Spent some time doing yardwork and then

playing a game with my family.

Simple days, yet I see all the freedoms

we have in the United States and how fortunate we are.

I know we take these things for granted, yet I also know

we are lucky to be living in the greatest nation on earth.

I am thankful to everyone who helped build this great

nation and those who still fight for our freedom today.

Thank you, God bless you, and may you come home safely

so you may also enjoy simple yet precious days with your family.

Here are some firework pictures I took last night.

I haven't tried firework pictures before so I wouldn't say they're

anything spectacular, but some had interesteing effects.

These are sent out especially to all our men and women serving

overseas who weren't able to be home to celebrate with fireworks.

Iowa: Storm Approaching

I went out of town to watch the storm clouds

 that were approaching, but still far off in the distance.

I love the sun shining on the back side

of the clouds, lighting up the farthest side.

The storms never did reach us on this particular night.