The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge spans the Missouri River, joining Omaha, Nebraska with Council Bluffs, Iowa. If I straddle the line in the middle of the bridge, I am on the edges of two states at the same time.

The deck of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge across the Missouri River.

In this picture of a bridge pillar, I used the edge of the ladder to straighten the picture. It helps give extra dimension to the shot.

I love the way the blue glass casts jewels against the pure white background in this setting.The shot I took when I zoomed in is, I think, even more dramatic. This challenge, though I was stumped at first, was a lot of fun and really made me stretch!

Looking onto Antelope Island from the
Great Salt Lake.

Looking across the Great Salt Lake from Antelope Island.

One of the most beautiful places I have ever been is Antelope Island State Park situated in the Great Salt Lake. Until last summer, I had never heard of it, but on a recent trip to Utah we noticed it on our map and decided to check it out. It is nothing short of spectacular, incredible, magnificent…my pictures can certainly not do it proper justice.

It is reached by a causeway that all by itself offers great views, many reasons to stop along the way, and a great number of shorebirds to see.

The Antelope Island State Park Causeway

Not so long ago I caught this “swarm” of white pelicans at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, Missouri. Riverlands sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

White Pelicans at Lincoln Shields. a part of Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

These pelicans were in Ellis Bay at Riverlands.

That one moment when you want to catch the hawk before it flies off…and you capture it just as it is spreading its wings!

Rolla is a small town in south central Missouri. It is also the county seat of Phelps County. Over the years, the county government has occupied three different buildings. We are fortunate that all three buildings are still standing and still in use by the people of Phelps County. They are all located across the street from one another.

The three buildings have definite differences in architecture based on the eras in which they were constructed.

The first Phelps County Courthouse was the John A. Dillon House, built of hand-hewn logs in 1857. Today it houses the Phelps County Museum

The John A. Dillon House

Here you can see a close-up of the construction of the Dillon House.

The Old Courthouse

The Old Courthouse was built in 1859, and was used for county business from 1860-1994. It was built of sand-mud brick, the first brick to be made in Rolla. The Old Courthouse was built at the cost of $7,975.00, of which $2000.00 was denied the builder due to a claim of poor workmanship.

During the years of the Civil War, the Old Courthouse was used as a hospital, and at one time, as a storage building for horse’s hay.

The cupola on the Old Courthouse.

Earthquake rods were built into the sides of the Old Courthouse.

The courthouse in use today was built in 1994 with a distinctly modern architectural style.

The Phelps County Courthouse

Three eras, three distinctly different courthouse architectural styles, one county seat. I am glad we have chosen to preserve all three of them!

I saw this barn on our drive into St. Louis today, and thought it was perfect for my post today. It is truly a burst of color in this otherwise white and brown landscape.

I did some research to learn why barns are painted red. European settlers brought this tradition to America when they arrived here many years ago. Linseed oil was applied to barns to seal and protect the wood of the barn. These farmers found that if they added ferrous sulphate, commonly known as rust, to the oil, it caused the oil to take on a red color. They also believed that it gave protection against certain fungi and molds, which, if unchecked, allowed the wood to deteriorate sooner. So there you go, a pop of color and a bit of information!