By your leave

Long photo post yesterday, most likely another epic post tomorrow night after dinner at Mom and Dad's... yeah, I figured today would be a good day to just go with some leaves backlit by the late-afternoon sun. I know when to conserve my energy.

Fair play

Today we closed things up at work a little early so we could all head over to the Washington County Fair; our coworker Sarah was participating in some of the riding events, and we wanted to cheer her on.

As you'd expect, there were some gorgeous animals there:





Loved this appaloosa:





Sarah on her horse Thunder:





Today was the gymkhana, a series of different timed events that require the riders to exhibit a variety of skills—the one we got to see was the ball and chain. A ball, attached to a chain, is hooked to a post on the two long sides of the paddock; the goal is for the rider to grab each one as they make a lap around. Miss either one, and your time doesn't count. The rider who successfully grabs both in the fastest time wins.

With the first ball and chain in hand, this gentleman reaches out for the second:



Talk about being focused on the target:



Sarah and Thunder's turn:



Despite having closed her eyes so near to her goal, Sarah not only snagged the ball and chain but ended up finishing third overall:



Included because it made me laugh:



Since my plan for the afternoon included eating plenty of junk food, I was content to check out this ride from afar rather than risk my stomach staging a rebellion:



Broom corn. Which, interestingly enough, is actually a type of sorghum:



Just thought this combination of the steam coming off the fryers, the late afternoon sunlight, and the heat shimmer made for an interesting shot:



Sunset from the grandstand:



And, of course, I had to try a couple of shots of the rides all lit up:

Yet more bird photos

Sorry—I'm severely lacking in post title inspiration this evening...

I stopped by on my way home tonight to say hello to Mom and Dad, and ended up staying for dinner. And we all know what that means: more pictures than I know what to do with.

To start off, a few shots of some Chickadees on the water fountain:



You can tell they're still in the last stages of molting—this one has a feather that's on the verge of being dislodged where its tail and body meet:



I laughed when I saw the hummingbird bustin' a move in the background of this shot:





The hummingbirds definitely love perching on the Tiger Lilies:





A Chipping Sparrow announcing its presence with authority. Or calling the kids to dinner—I'm not sure which:



An inquisitive-looking Purple Finch:



This bird... I'm honestly not 100% certain what it is. I know I identified a similar bird as a Yellowthroat earlier this month, but when I was researching I discovered that that bird was actually a Canada Warbler (and yes, I was anal enough to go change it on the post in question). However, this bird has bars on its wings, which the Canada Warbler does not. So my best guess is that this one is a Magnolia Warbler. But don't quote me on it:





Two Song Sparrows checking each other out:



I don't know what it is with me and spider webs lately, but this time I almost walked right through the darn thing (situated in the corner of the canopy Mom and Dad set up on the porch) before I noticed it:





And another plethora of Kaylee pictures for you today, starting with a shot in which I don't think she could look more regal if she tried:



Helping with the corn husks does have its dangers:



"Psst! Hey Mom... you gonna eat that?"



"Score!"



Such a cutie pie...

Great afternoon

After work today I decided to drive over to Whimsy Pond, just for a change of pace. It was pretty quiet when I got there; I could hear and see a Kingfisher flitting around across the post, but that was about it. So I started photographing various things that caught my eye, just to make sure I at least had something to post when I got home:









I had just taken the above picture and was on the verge of calling it a day when a big white bird flew past right in front of me. I sprinted up the road (well, given how out of shape I am it was more like an ambitious jog), doing my best to keep it in sight, and was incredibly happy to see it land at the other end of the pond. Turned out it was a Great Egret:



As it worked the edge of the reeds, I kept edging as close as I dared. The resulting pictures aren't great, as I was still a good distance away, but I really liked how clear the egret's reflection was in the relatively calm water:







Shaking out its feathers:







I loved how the reflection of the reeds on the right of the photo ended up looking like a circle:







Taking off:









Wheeling around:



And some in-focus shots I managed to get as it flew back by: