My husband was sure he spotted a albino duck in a small body of water not far from our home. The duck turned out to be a snow goose!
I did at least get a shot of this sky and its reflection.
RAMPIKE
My lost stop on our Sprint Car Race journey was this home right along the way, close to home. All of the homes I found were right along side the road which make for perfect roadside shots, which I generally don’t like.
What I most enjoyed about this yard was that big, old, dead evergreen.
The front of the home was obscured by the other live trees.
I ONCE STOOD TALL
The first time I photographed this barn, we were on our way to Grand Forks for a hockey tournament. I’d have to say it was 2013 or so.
Each year after that I admired that it was still standing and relatively straight. This is no longer the case.
HIGHWAY 17 – Cando, ND
When our impromptu trip to Grand Forks was planned, I figured it would be the perfect time to wander out to an old church that has been on my to-see list since last summer.
Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be easy to get to with at least 10 miles of travel on unknown gravel roads that had been subjected to rain. I chickened out and decided to wait for my husband to travel with me.
I did find this one on the way though.
HIGHWAY 281
On our way to Grand Forks I spotted this house. Homeward bound I stopped for this shot. When we left Grand Forks it was pouring and cloudy. When we got to this one it was still drizzling but not enough to stop for a couple quick photos. The sky was perfect so I stopped.
First stop, this house right on the side of the highway.
The skies were amazing and a little adjustment with my exposure produced this shot.
This is also where I discovered I have two flecks that I can see in my view finder but don’t appear on my photos!!
The weather continued to be off and on for the rest of the ride which gave for some very “moody and dreary” shots.
SITTING BULL and the RALPH ENGELSTAD ARENA
Sitting Bull was the leader who led his people during years of resistance to United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation during an attempt to arrest him, at a time when authorities feared that he would join the Ghost Dance movement.
North Dakota and its University teams were famously known as the Fighting Sioux from 1930 until the university retired the nickname in 2012, ending a seven-year battle with the N.C.A.A. North Dakota had been one of 18 institutions the N.C.A.A. singled out in 2005 for American Indian mascots it deemed hostile or abusive. The dispute dragged on, with the state Board of Higher Education and the Legislature weighing in. Ultimately, in June 2012, North Dakota voters overwhelmingly chose to phase out the nickname.
This statue of Sitting Bull sits outside the Ralph Englestadt Arena. Said to have cost the former Fighting Sioux goaltender $100 million. He spared no expense when the facility was built. He had granite imported from India to have the Sioux logo put into the floor of the main entrance. 3.2 miles of brass was also used in the building.
The arena truly is an amazing site with a whole lot of history. Kind of like Sitting Bull.
SUNNY BANKS
Remember the house who was lived in by the little lady whom never married and would ocassionally get on the school bus and go to town for the day and return home on the school bus? Well her sister married the gentleman who bought this land in 1939. Her nephew still farms the land.
It was here that Mr. farmed cattle and hogs on the land until his death in 1977. His Mrs. lived on and passed in the home in 2001, the last time this house was occupied.
Mr.’s grandfather was born on July 13, 1883 and moved to Canada when he was in his 20’s. Here he met and married his wife and together they raised 4 children. They farmed in Holmfield for many years and moved to Killarney in 1961.
When I first posted this photograph on Facebook, my post received a comment advising me that as a child, the poster played in this house with his childhood friend.
Speaking to the new Mrs. of this land she advised me that years ago they had inquired about repairing the roof and replacing the windows in this old family home. They were quoted an amount near $20,000.00. I often read people’s comments “oh, what a beautiful home, why don’t they save it?” I think we forget how much these sorts of repairs can cost. We are working hard to keep our own homes maintained, let alone a century old home that likely needs a new foundation, windows, upgrades to the heating and water systems and likely a host of other issues due to its age. I can’t imagine it’s easy to watch these old home deteriorate beyond repair, especially for the generations of family still here that have fond memories of the home.
This home has been on my to see list for some time. This weekend I called and after some hesitation, was granted permission to take a couple photos. I am happy I was able to find and receive some history. Thank you Mr. & Mrs.
KISINAA or COLD
In November, 2012 my family and I headed to the Christmas parade in town to see the floats. It was cold that evening, -26 if my memory serves me correctly.
On our way home from the craft sale in the mall, we heard a kitten crying. It ran past us down the street. Of course I ran after it and caught it. I took it inside one of the local businesses and asked the people inside if it belong to anyone. It was tiny. It fit in my hand and I could cover it up with my other hand.
I stuck the kitten in my jacket and drove home. It licked my face the whole way. Long story short, no one claimed it and there was no way the kids were giving it up anyways. My husband then started looking for the perfect name for our frozen little kitten who had frost bite on her feet. Her name would be Kisinaa, the word for cold in Ojibway.
Now on to the point of my post. The other night after playing 21 with my son and husband and getting beat again, I sat down and here she came for cuddles. So I got the camera out to play around. Now instead of putting the 50mm on, I went with my standard 50-85mm f 4-5.6 kit lens and got this shot of her. I would say its a pretty decent shot, sharp around her face and eyes and then blurs out to a perfect DOF. Now unlike my other attempt with the 50mm with Payton and Walker, the sun is not nearly as bright as it was coming upon the golden hour. The days of just turning on the camera, making sure its on auto mode and taking a photo is something I want to get away from. No matter what lens I have, if I adjust my camera to the appropriate settings, I’ll get a good shot, regardless if I have a kit lens on or some other fancy lens that I likely didn’t need to buy.
I’m also trying to convince myself that I don’t really need a 600mm lens for shooting birds and wildlife although I really, really want it and my husband is sick of hearing about it and has already told me to buy it.
Now let me tell you a funny story about Kisinaa. Last year around this time, my husband came home from town, clearly unsettled. When I asked him what was going on he advised me that he found Kisinaa on the highway and she was in the back of the truck and I needed to tell him where I wanted her buried! After some arguing I went with him to the driveway to see if it was really her. I have to admit that it looked a lot like her but something was off in her face. She has all the right markings, white tip on the tail, but she was too big. So off her went to the back field to bury her. I was sent off to pick up the kids from friends and when we had gathered them up we were going to tell them.
After we all settled down it was time to make supper so Cade was out on the deck BBQ’ing when he felt something brush up on his legs. At our house that could mean anyone as we have more than 1 cat. We have more than 5 cats actually. When he looked down to see who was loving him up, he said he almost fell to his knees when Kisanaa was standing there looking up at him. His first thoughts were Pet Semetery. We never did find or hear of anyone missing their cat who looked like our Kisanaa. And clearly, our Kisinaa is alive and well.
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 