A visit from a Great Blue Heron

A Great Blue Heron made a visit to the Smith Ranch today and I was fortunate to capture this beautiful bird from our studio window.  Here are some interesting facts about this bird.  It is the largest heron in North America.  In flight, it looks enormous, with a six-foot wingspan.  Thanks to specifically shaped neck vertebrae, Great Blue Herons can quickly strike prey at a distance.  Despite their impressive size, they weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones--a feature all birds share. The oldest recorded Great Blue Heron was found in Texas when it was at least 24 years, 6 months old.

Pictured below is the Great Blue Heron that paid us a visit today.  It appears that he is looking directly at me while taking his picture.  Ain't he purty?

Kansas wildfire causes awesome sunset!

Talk about a unusual sun photo!  It's hard to believe that a wildfire that was in the southwest part of the state could effect how the sun would look around 200 miles away.  Here are two images taken around 7 o'clock last night at The Smith Ranch and included for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!

Ace at sunset

I couldn't resist capturing Ace at sunset on this beautiful and unusually warm day in February.  I grabbed the camera using our 100-400mm Canon lens and called Ace who was across the pasture. The images below show him responding to my call and ends up with a closeup of his face.  I like how the sunset is backlighting Ace and puts a pretty rim of light around him. I've included seven images of Ace for your viewing pleasure!

Beautiful view of Junction City from atop J-Hill

What a beautiful day it was to capture Junction City after sunset atop of J-Hill!  This photo is four images merged/stitched together to create this panoramic view of my beautiful town of Junction City, Kansas!  Yes, I love this small town where God sent me at the age of 18!  I hope you do too.  God bless ya'll!

...thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice (Psa. 65:8)

Tonight some dear friends and I enjoyed the stages of a amazing sunset.  The sunset stages are shown below along with a panoramic of the final stages of the sunset in the second-to-last image below.  I like how the clouds have a windswept softness to them. The last image was south of our property and is a view of the city of Dwight, Kansas, and reflects a pink hue during this amazing sunset.  You can make out the Dwight grain elevator in the center of the image.  

Psalm 65:8 tells us how King David described the wonder of God's provision in picturesque language -- ...thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

A Yorkshire Terrier and a Giant Toad!

We babysitted a Yorkshire Terrier named Honey Bun for about a week and a half and captured Honey Bun as she became acquainted with our horse, Ace, and as she happily explored life outside at the Smith Ranch.  Honey Bun enjoyed her stay inside also as our doors and windows are low where she could observe any outside activity. You never know what you will see at the Smith Ranch as depicted in the last image of Honey Bun looking out the back door!

A Patriotic Sunset

I couldn't help but notice the colors of the flag in the beautiful sunset that I captured last night from our front porch, so I named it, "A Patriotic Sunset."  Thank you to all who have served the military in any capacity and fought for the freedom that we enjoy!