Backyard Deer - 12/24/2020

Christmas Eve was beautiful and cold in the morning.  Sigrid treats the deer to corn and sunflower seed snacks every morning.  Most of the time we have does and their babies.  During November, we saw the reclusive bucks often as they chased after the does.  At one point we had four bucks of varying sizes in the backyard at the same time....that is rare.  Then photos below are of the largest buck, a 10 pointer and one of the does.  We also got a Christmas treat as six Cardinals decorated the trees in the back.

Carefully watching me.

Deer and squirrels will eat Hedge Apples.

We have seen as many as 10 Cardinals at one time.

Sigrid took this photo...my favorite.

The Great Conjuction of Jupiter and Saturn - 12/21/2020

Sigrid and I joined the throngs of people viewing the planetary conjunction last night. We passed by several good viewing locations and there were lots of people jockeying for a spot at each one. I had scouted locations earlier in the day and decided on going to New Longview across the street from the Longview Community College campus in Lees Summit.

While there were bands of clouds in the sky, the planets were visible between bands while we were there. We found a good spot amidst the streams of cars and people with binoculars, telescopes, and tripod mounted cameras. A few of the people were pesky because they wanted to look at the images I was capturing and had their noses way too close to me in a Covid world. I had to run them off and it caused us to leave a little sooner than we wanted.

I have seen some nice photos posted on Facebook. Mine didn't turn out as good as I hoped for but I planned to try again the next night. Unfortunately, the skies were not clear enough to take that second set of photos. Got to wait for another 500 years for the next opportunity.

I was using a 1,200mm lens on my camera and it was very difficult to focus. Even cars driving by would cause the image to jitter. Just touching the focus ring would cause the planets to jump out of the viewfinder. You have to use manual focus on photos like these.

The moon was looking good so I took a photo of it and it was so much easier.

The first photo shows both Jupiter and Saturn with rings. The moons of Jupiter don't show due to the editing and a lack of lighting.

This photo shows Jupiter and its moon. Saturn is there but you can't make out the rings.

The moon was much easier to photo and was very clear and bright that night.

Our Amaryllis Plant for 2020

Sigrid bought a nice looking Amaryllis plant at Costco in late November.  It started blooming almost immediately and I was concerned that it might be done for the year before Christmas.  As it turned out, it just kept blooming over and over again and we will have new blooms even after New Year's day.  Amazing!

Sigrid put the plant on the dining rooms table in order to create a reflection on the table top.  It turned out great.

Loess Bluffs Wildlife Refuge - 12/9/2020

Sigrid and I were looking for a chance to get out of the house while keeping safe from the Covid Virus.  We wanted a longer trip that didn't involve overnight stays.  We settled on a photo adventure at Loess Bluffs Wildlife Refuge.

We had visit the Refuge in 2011 and 2013 so it had been a while since our last trip.  The Refuge is located just off I-29 near Mound City, MO.  That is just a short distance north of St Joseph, MO.  It took about two hours to drive there from our home in Lees Summit, MO.  The weather was great with sunny skies and 66 degrees in the afternoon.

The Refuge is the winter home for millions of Snow Geese as well as a number of other birds and animals.  The geese can be found all over the Midwest from November to March.  The Refuge is also a breeding ground for Bald Eagles.  The geese migrate to northern Canada and the Arctic Circle to breed in the summer months.

The refuge was originally named Squaw Creek but the name was changed since the term "Squaw" was deemed disparaging.  Here is a link to their website.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Loess_Bluffs/

Here are photos taken on the trip.

A Muskrat Lodge is the perfect place to get dry and preen a little.

A juvenile Bald Eagle.  Most of the adult eagles were somewhere else.

What makes this photo extra special is that the trees in the background have at least 12 Bald Eagles perched on the branches.  This indicated how many at at the Refuge if you can get 12 in one photo.  You may have to enlarge the photo to see them all.

A crowded landing.

Two eagles relax as a passenger jet flies overhead.

There were too many Muskrat Lodges to count.

A panoramic view of just a small part of the Refuge.

The video below is of the geese flying in formations above the pond.  The patterns of flight at different levels is amazing to watch.  It was taken with a cell phone one the side of the road with traffic passing.  The sun obscured the screen so it was difficult to frame the picture perfectly.  To get the most out of the video, make sure that you have the volume turned up to hear the thousands of geese.  Watch the video in full screen so you can see all the very faint geese flying in the air.

https://youtu.be/9sI01a5xPVM

We hope you enjoy the post.

 

2020 Oktoberfest Party - 10/23/2020

We hosted the neighborhood Oktoberfest Party this year.  Unfortunately, we had a cold snap hit on the day of the party.  The day before, it was 80 degrees but party day only made it into the mid 40's with a stiff breeze that made it feel even colder.  We had planned to have most of the party in the driveway for social distancing but were forced to move into the garage as much as possible.  We had close to 40 neighbors join in the fun.

Here are photos and comments on the party.

Sigrid and Sue baked and salted the pretzels for the party.

The menu included brats, sauerkraut,  German mustards, potato salad, pretzels, crockpot veggies, hotdogs for the kids, Apfel (Apple) Strudel and another German dessert cake, and finally....two types of real German biers.

We had Cheddar Bier and Polish Bratwursts, as well as Weisswurst Brats.  A Weisswurst is a traditional Bavarian sausage made from minced veal and pork back bacon. It is usually flavored with parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger, and cardamom, although there are some variations.  It has a nearly white color unlike all other brats.

Sigrid found a backdrop of old Rodenberg Germany that added an old world feel to the party and made for great photos.

A number of the ladies found really nice aprons that added spice to the event.

After dinner, it was the kids turn to have fun with a pumpkin piñata.  I guess you can find a piñata for every holiday.  The kids were organized so that the youngest took the first swings.  The older kids had to wear a blindfold to make it more challenging and fun.

Mia is always last at 11 years old.  She usually brings down the piñata and all the candy inside with two or three swings.

It was a great party.  Everyone took home a few brats, biers, and desserts so they could enjoy a little German food the next day.  Thanks to all who helped with the food prep and cleanup.