Laura takes her Three Creek Basset pack out for a walk.
Christmas Garden
Henry Shaw’s home is ready for Christmas. This is the home of Henry Shaw on the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Henry Shaw was a businessman and amateur botanist in St. Louis when it was a gateway city to the West. His businesses supplied residents, pioneers and others. Having made his fortune, he was able to retire at age 40, pursue his interest in botany, and used much of his fortune in philanthropy. He is best known as the founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden, but he also donated the land to the city for Tower Grove Park and oversaw its development. He donated funds to several other city institutions as well.
The Botanical Garden sponsors an annual Christmas tour where the grounds are spectacularly decorated. Click here for more images: https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Botanical-Garden/. Click on the image for more information on it or to purchase a copy.
Fall Morning
This is one of my favorite photos of Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Also, it may be one of my all-time favorite photos. This is early morning on Lake Minocqua as the snows were starting to set in. I got up early one morning to photograph a sunrise in this spot but was met with this surreal site: a lake like glass and a low hanging fog that was not quite to the ground.
The Northwoods of Wisconsin is one of our national treasures. To see more photos of the area, go to my site: https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Northwoods/.
Wheatfield
The last couple of posts have been about barns, so I thought I would post one of my favorite barn photos. This is on Interstate 39 just north of Bloomington, Illinois. As I was driving on 39, I kept seeing these interesting barns and finally pulled over to photograph one. The sky and clouds were amazing that day adding to the photograph. I actually exited the highway and found the road that led to that location. I never had to leave the car, just supported the camera on the car windowsill and got the photo. This is a three shot HDR photo.
Click on the photo for a larger size, exact location and photo data. You can purchase a copy there too!
Late Fall in Minocqua
A few weeks ago, in Northern Wisconsin, leaves were still on the trees but snow was in the forecast. In this part of the country the lakes can freeze over for the whole winter. This old trestle was part of a network of railroads that allowed you to get in and out of Wisconsin’s Great Northwoods in the early 20th Century. My first encounter with this area was by train when I was 4 years old. The “Night Train” from Chicago brought to this spot as this trestle was the end point of the trip and the town of Minocqua was just on the other side.
Click on the photo to see a larger version and options to purchase.
Snowfall in Forest Park
Nice weather in St. Louis for Thanksgiving in St. Louis but winter is on its way! The snow here was falling pretty hard and the ducks did not have a chance to shake it off; a flap of the wings would have done the trick. This iconic scene is in the middle of St. Louis’ metropolitan area, in Forest Park. Here the ducks, geese and egrets thrive.
To see a larger version of this photo or purchase a copy, click on the image.
Hunt Master
Laura is holding these three hounds waiting for some others to catch up. The hunt this day was sparse as there were only a few scents to pickup. The hounds would eventually scour some fields down by the Missouri River before heading back up to the clubhouse and calling it a day.
To get this photo I had to sit on the ground (or a may have fallen) and used a 300mm lens to get a nice closeup of the bassets.