Niijima Foats with Float Boat

Chihuly in the Garden is the latest of our Missouri Botanical Garden’s events. I took advantage of an unpublicized “photographer’s night” and was able to wander around the grounds to see the displays both in daylight and after dark. This is one of the displays in the Climatron. I have processed most of my photosContinue reading “Niijima Foats with Float Boat”

Old and new

North American P-51 Mustang flying with Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The Mustang was introduced in 1941 and has a top speed of 441 mph. The Raptor was introduced in 2005 and has a top speed of 1,500 mph (well, maybe). The extreme maneuverability of the Raptor is demonstrated here, where it is easily flying inContinue reading “Old and new”

Dorris St. Louis

This is the 1904 “St. Louis” model of the Dorris automobile manufactured by the Saint Louis Motor Carriage Company. The automobile has a wooden body with brass fittings and black leather upholstery and is painted blue. St. Louis was a center of the early American automobile-making industry between 1900 and 1930. The “St. Louis” modelContinue reading “Dorris St. Louis”

Stunning light display at Missouri Botanical Garden

One of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s more interesting events is its winter Garden Glow. Bright displays are setup and visitors can walk the grounds to view them and in some cases become part of them for group photos. People can also stop at kiosks for hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night or a bitContinue reading “Stunning light display at Missouri Botanical Garden”

The Hardy Gallery on Anderson Dock

A rare example where graffiti is an accepted part of an attraction is at Anderson Dock in Door County. A posted sign notes that boaters have “signed” the dockside warehouse walls for years with the’r boats’ names and the year that they docked. “We encourage boaters and visitors to continue the tradition by being creativeContinue reading “The Hardy Gallery on Anderson Dock”

Observation Deck

4,256-acre Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is a  preserve located on the south side of the Missouri River at its confluence with the Mississippi River. Annually they plant Sunflower fields for residents to explore and photograph. In the photo is an observation deck that makes an interesting addition to the photo. Columbia Bottom is for thoseContinue reading “Observation Deck”

Backyard Cardinal

Playing with my Nikkor Z 70-200mm lens today in the backyard. There are a lot of Cardinals back there and this turned out to be one of favorite photos. The Cardinal is about 120 ft away sitting on an old log. The settings were: 310mm (using a 2x Teleconverter), f6.7, 1/180sec, ISO 800. Camera NikonContinue reading “Backyard Cardinal”

Waking the Beast

If someone woke you up, you would be grumpy too. Starting this Wright Twin Cyclone’s 14 cylinders is fun to watch as it kicks and backfires during the startup process. Here you see the co-pilot watch the engine as each cylinder comes in line until they all are working in unison.  Once all is running smoothlyContinue reading “Waking the Beast”

Spanish Lady

“Spanish Lady” is Nose Art on a North American Aviation T-6 Texan. The Spanish Lady is a 1949 North American T-6G Texan. She was originally manufactured by North American Aviation in 1944 as an AT-6D and was used to train allied pilots during World War II. The Texan is two-seat aircraft and served as theContinue reading “Spanish Lady”

Stearman

Commemorative Air Force’s P-17 Stearman. The Army and Navy both used the trusty Stearman where they were referred to primarily as a PT-17 with the Army and a N2S-3 with the Navy.  Although the Stearman was challenging to fly in the hands of a student pilot with no previous experience, it allowed instructors to quickly evaluateContinue reading “Stearman”