Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Driving north of Wisconsin’s lakes and Northwoods, you come to Lake Superior and furter north you come to the small town of Bayfield. Beyond that are the scenic Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. This is a stunning 69,540-acre protected area located on the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula along Lake Superior. Established in 1970, it encompasses 21 pristine islands and a 12-mile stretch of mainland shoreline renowned for its dramatic red sandstone cliffs, spectacular sea caves, and deep old-growth forests. A major stronghold of regional heritage, 80% of its land is designated as the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness, protecting the ancestral homelands of the Ojibwe people and the densest concentration of historic lighthouses in the entire U.S. National Park system.

This is one of the structures common to the islands.

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Eagle watching over the American Flag

Wisconsin contains thousands of lakes. The Minocqua area has a chain of lakes connected by channels making it a great place for boating. This summer we were boating between Lake Minocqua and Lake Tomahawk via a thoughfare and saw this flag at the entrance and if you look closely you can see two eagles, one on top og the flag pole and one in the trees overlooking the flag. I think the eagle on the flag is wooden but the one watching over the flag is real.

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End of Summer

Summer has ended in the very northern part of Wisconsin. On the lake, people are sitting on a pier on Lake Superior in Bayfield Wisconsin, watching one of the last runs of the sailboats for the season. This peninsula juts out onto Lake Superior ending in the beautiful Apostle Islands.

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Pumpkin Drop

B-25 Mitchell - Show Me

The annual Pumpkin Drop is held at St. Charles, Missouri’s Smartt Field. Pilots can enter a contest to drop a pumpkin on a target and around noon, the warbirds come out with their bomb bay doors loaded with pumpkins. Here is the Commemorative Air Force’s B-25 Mitchell dropping her pumpkins.

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PT-17 Stearman

PT-17 Stearman

The Commemorative Air Force has some great warbirds at the “Missouri Wing” in St. Charles, MO. In addition to this they have the B25 Mitchell “Show Me”, TBM-3 Avenger, L-3E Grasshopper and the PT-17 Stearman shown here.

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is an American biplane was formerly used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman, or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy (as the NS and N2S), and with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civilian market. In the immediate postwar years, they became popular as crop dusters and sports planes, and for aerobatic and wing walking use in air shows.

I took this photo during Smartt Field’s Pumpkin Drop. The Pumpkin Drop is open to all aviators who wish to take a chance at dropping a pumpkin, out of their airplane on a target below. The War Birds come out around noon with bomb bays full of pumpkins and then put on a great airshow. The event is held on the first Saturday before Halloween. A great way to stard off the season.

Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force can be found at St. Chairs Smartt Airport.

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TBM-3E Avenger seconds before takeoff

TBM-3E Avenger

The Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger stands as one of the most rugged and formidable carrier-borne torpedo bombers of World War II. It incorporated structurally lighter construction, enhanced avionics, and specialized surface-search radar housed in a pod on the right wing—transforming the massive single-engine aircraft into an incredibly effective anti-submarine hunter and night-patrol bomber.

This photo was taken at St. Charles Smartt Field where the TBM-3E is kept as part of the Commemorative Air Force’s restored warbirds. The event was the airport’s annual Pumpkin Drop where, in honor of Halloween, pilots can try their skill at dropping pumpkins on a target.

I go every few years for the photographs. This year I was working on photography panning skills in order to show prop motion.

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B-25 Mithchell – Show Me

B-25 Mithchell Show Me

Show Me is a member of the Commemorative Air Force, Missouri Wing, Located in St. Charles, Missouri. Here is Show Me taking off for a target run at St. Charles Smartt Field Pumkin Drop. The Pumpkin Drop is an all-day event at the field where any flyers can participate by flying over a target and tossing a pumpkin out of their plane. The Commemorative Air Force is stationed at Smartt Field so, of course, they must participate. However, they have a bomb bay full of pumpkins!

This plane was delivered to the USAAF as 44-31385 in January 1945, this B-25J served as a trainer until its retirement and storage at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona, in 1958. In 1959, the Aircraft Disposal Office sold it to its first private owner, and its call sign officially changed to N3481G. A windstorm damaged the bomber on the ground in Seymour, Illinois, in 1969, grounding it until 1975. In 1982, it joined the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and was officially renamed “Show Me,” with the civil registration N345TH.

Thus began its life as a living history aircraft and one of the few elite bombers of the Ghost Squadron.

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Bond Falls

Bond Falls

Bond Falls is a spectacular, 50-foot multi-tiered cascade waterfall located on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Spanning more than 100 feet wide, it is widely considered one of the most breathtaking and photogenic waterfalls in the entire state. A hydroelectric dam upstream regulates the river, ensuring a beautiful, steady rush of water over the fractured rock year-round.

The falls flow in steps with this as the final grand finally.

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Hyde’s Mill

Hyde's Mill

A historic, picturesque 19th-century gristmill located at 6875 Mill Rd, Ridgeway, Wisconsin. Originally built in 1850 by settler William Hyde, it stands as one of the state’s most iconic and photographed hidden gems due to its rare wooden waterwheel and scenic stone dam on Mill Creek.

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LightForm

LightForm

Patterns in Nature: The Art of HYBYCOZO explores the wondrous connection between art, science, and nature through 21 intricately designed and interactive installations located throughout Missouri Botanical Garden. This mesmerizing display is the first exhibition of its kind in Missouri.

Created by artists Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk, HYBYCOZO’s large-scale geometric sculptures reveal the hidden systems that shape the natural world—expressed through light, shadow, and monumental form. As sunlight and illumination filter through intricate designs, shifting patterns bloom across the landscape, inviting you to explore, reflect, and feel a deeper connection to the world around you.

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