Memorial Day

The first County Fair is coming up in three weeks. Kim is practicing her baking and I am looking at photo's to enter. One of the categories, is photo that represents patriotism. I have looked at over 10,000 photo's from the past year, and I can't find anything. And then I came across these photo's of my dad. My dad, Levern Narveson, was part of the Greatest Generation. He never talked about the war, it was something that you did. You did your job, you came home, and life went on. If I asked my dad about the war, he would tell me anything I wanted to know. But he always end the story, by stating "Everyday I wake up, is a bonus day" My dad lived his life that way, and I feel he passed some of that on to me. There is a book being written about the 99th Infantry Separate Battalion, or other wise know as the Norwegian Ski Troops.  This was a group of men, that not much is know about. Other then they did what they had to do. To me, a Patriot, is someone that does what it asked and doesn't ask for anything in return. That would have been my dad.

Thanks dad.

Levern T Narveson

Liberty Ship off the Normandy Coast

My dads view of the Normandy Beach

American flag in our yard

Just Add Water

Just add water and you will find something.
I will let the photo's speak for themselves.

It's Warbler Time

It's Warbler Time? Warblers are a very small, colorful, bird. That spends in winters in the tropics, then spends in summers along the US and Canadian borders. So for us, finding one of these little birds, (about 3" in length) is not always the easiest. And they never stop moving. They come through here in May and then again in September. These are just a few of those that we spotted last week.

Magnolia Warbler

Nashville Warber

Yellow Throat Warbler

Black and White Warbler



American Redstart



Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler



Sitting Duck



Spring is in the air

With Spring, in the air. You never know what you are going to find and sometimes, you just have to be in the right place.

 This Tom Turkey, was looking for a mate, but no one was taking him up on his offer.

 These two Snapping turtles, where doing what Snapping turtles do in the spring.

 Now, each Spring, we have two Mallard ducks, in our backyard. They spend time in the stream, eat the bugs in the yard, but we never see, any little ones.

 How about this monster, will maybe it thinks it is. This is a Red Belly, it is the smallest snake in Minnesota. It's about the size of a night crawler. But Kim, still acted as if it was three feet long!

 A Pie Billed Grebe, their not very big, and once the marsh grass fills in, you will not see them.

Or, this Solitary Sandpiper.

Or, seeing Kim, caught in the rain. Sorry, there are no photo's of that. You learn a few things, after 25 years of marriage. I like my camera to much, to take that photo.

Sun's Coming Up

I know, some of you when you can't sleep any longer, you laying in bed watch TV, read a book or just toss n turn. Me, I get up, grab my camera and see what the new day is going to bring. Just call me nuts, but the half hour before and after sunrise is the best time to be outside. Now, Kim doesn't always agree with me, unless she has a large coffee in hand. The next Saturday or Sunday, when you can't sleep any longer, head outside and see what you find. The photo's below, are from a park, not to far from downtown Minneapolis at that time.

White Egret

Red Winged Black Bird



Canadian Goose




Wood Duck