Sharing the world through my lens.
I saw my first ever comet tonight the Twuchinshan-ATLAS over Lake Barkley in Kentucky. It was an amazing sight to see as it just appeared to float over the horizon for almost 45 minutes. There were a number of other people at the Lake Barkley Bridge at the Land Between the Lakes to watch the comet.
The Royal Canadian Air Force is celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2024 and is flying around North America to help promote the strong heritage and legacy of the Royal Canadian Air Force. One of their stops was the Wings Over the Wabash Airshow at Robinson, Illinois. The F-18 Raptor demonstration team put on an amazing air display in their F-18 flown by Captain Caleb “Tango” Robert that has a special paint scheme this year to honor the Canadian AF.
You can learn more about the Royal Canadian Airforce at https://forces.ca/en/about-us/air.
I was at Wings Over the Wabash Airshow at Crawford County Airport near Robinson, Illinois. About a year ago a tornado hit this small rural airport and wiped out numerous structures and damaged many aircraft. Since that time the airport has rebuilt a hangar and is open again for business.
This was the first airshow in a number of years and it was great to see the crowd turnout.
This show featured the USAF A-10 Demonstration Team. The Air Force has decided to retire the A-10 from the airshow circuit so this was one of the very last show the team is making an appearance at.
This A-10 was piloted by Major Lindsay “Mad” Johnson and is based at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona. Mad is a fantastic pilot who put on a great show.
One of the special places in the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) is the Elk and Bison Prairie. This is place where both Elk and Bison have been reintroduced to the LBL. Both were native species before being hunted to extinction as settlers moved into the area and Native Americans were moved out. This particular piece of the LBL is fenced off and gives the Elk, Bison and other species, hundreds of acres to roam freely. Visitors are welcome and you can drive through the prairie to catch a glimpse of the critters.
More information can be found at: https://landbetweenthelakes.us/elkandbisonprarie
Big Boy is a 1941 seam engine operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. It was in service from 1941-1961 and accumulated over 1,000,000 miles of operations. It was then retired from active service. The engine was eventually restored by the RailGiants Museum in southern California. It was then fully restored to active service and today helps keep alive the history of the railway industry.
Big Boy is currently taking a tour across the midwest and came through the St. Joseph, Illinois area.
One thing about living on the Prairie is that the storms come through fast and furious. I never get tired of seeing the amazing cloud formations which come across the sky.
Historic Grace Lutheran Church was founded in September 1841. The first minister was Reverend Francis Springer. This church is located a block from the President A. Lincoln home. Rev. springer and President Lincoln were good friends. The congregation is still very active today making a difference in the Springfield community.
We opened the door to our shed the other day and later I noticed what appeared to be a rock suspended magically in the air. Upon closer examination, I saw that it was indeed a rock, but it was hanging in the air by a spiders string.
In a way it was almost magical, but truly illustrated the power in one small creature, the spider.
Quite often we don’t spend enough time to slow down and look at the little things that life can offer. I spent a good 10 minutes studying this rock and spiders work. I was simply amazed.
The sky came alive at the 2024 Coles County Air Show. A full afternoon of a variety of aircraft made for a great show.
One of the greatest pleasures of living in the nidwest is the ability to see the sunrise and sunset over the horizon. In summer especially, you can get up early in the day and see this sun as we begin another day. I found this poem titles At Sunrise, written by Bliss Carman:
Now the stars have faded
In the purple chill,
Lo, the sun is kindling
On the eastern hill.
Tree by tree the forest
Takes the golden tinge,
As the shafts of glory
Pierce the summit’s fringe.
Rock by rock the ledges
Take the rosy sheen,
As the tide of splendor
Floods the dark ravine.
Like a shining angel
At my cabin door,
Shod with hope and silence,
Day is come once more.
Then, as if in sorrow
That you are not here,
All his magic beauties
Gray and disappear.
Gregory Knott - Why Knott Media 