Birdwatching. Shiloh Conservation Area, Billings, Montana. June 21, 2022.
Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge this week is Pick a Topic from her photo (see it here). My first picture picks up a few of Cee’s suggested topics: candid, fence, bird, wild grass, blue, and green.
Cell Phone Camera and Bug in a Web. Norm’s Island, Billings, Montana. August 25, 2022.
The telescope in Cee’s photo, the camera being used by one of the birdwatchers, and the cell phone all have lenses. It may be a stretch, but I picked the topic “through a lens.”
Taking Pictures. Thanksgiving Week 2022, Riverfront Park, Billings, Montana.
These last two candid shots are just for the fun of it!
Knowing that amber was Cee’s Midweek Madness January Color Challenge, I’ve been looking for amber colored items for the last week or so. The only thing I found in my house is a bar of soap!
Leaves, Riverfront Park, Billings, Montana. October 18, 2022.
I found a few images in my digital archives I thought might work. When Cee included a color palette in her post (see it here), I decided to include several mores photos.
Cattails, Shiloh Conservation Area, Billings, Montana. October 15, 2022.
The rose is probably not quite amber, but its color is somewhere between yellow and orange so I think it counts.
Roses, Yellowstone Arboretum @ ZooMontana, Billings, Montana. July 9, 2022.
I was surprised by the amber rings of color in the candles when I was trying to get a candle picture for my Christmas cards. Here’s one of the photos I didn’t use.
I knew immediately which picture I wanted to share for this week’s Midweek Madness Challenge when I saw Cee’s challenge photo (see it here)! I’m mesmerized by the reflection in the surface ripples of water – both in Cee’s photo and mine (above).
This next photo is of the same area – just further away and from a different angle.
The last three photos were taken in quick succession a little earlier on the same day in the same place – November 4, 2022 at Riverfront Park, Billings, Montana. I was just starting my walk when a flock of geese flew overhead, circled and landed on the water.
Cee’s Midweek Madness November Color Challenge is tangerine orange. What I found in my digital files is an eclectic mix: the top of a hot air balloon as it is being inflated, a globemallow flower, an Icelandic poppy, and some of the ingredients for making sundaes and orange (or root beer) floats.
This picture of bubbling chokecherry syrup was the first I considered in response to Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge of words with two letters “r.” A friend had given us a bottle of chokecherry juice to make into syrup and after adding sugar and bringing the mixture to a boil, I had to grab a camera. The bubbles were prettier in person, but chokecheRRY fits this week’s challenge!
Riverfront Park was on the agenda for a walk yesterday. It wasn’t until on my way there I realized the words river and riverfront meet the challenge! The Yellowstone River is pictured above and some meRRy friends at RiverfRont Park are shown below.
Heading home on Rimrock Road after running errands, I realized the largest feature of the landscape here in Billings also fits the challenge: rimrocks! The city is located in the Yellowstone Valley, bordered to the south by the Yellowstone RiveR and to the north by the RimRocks. Read more about the rims on Wikipedia.
This picture of the rimrocks was taken at Phipps Park on the northwest corner of Billings. Bonus for this week’s challenge: a railroad line!
Just because I have it, here’s a picture taken a week ago from the top of the rimrocks, looking SSW over the city.
Pioneer Park, Billings, Montana, October 11, 2022.
Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge “Pick a Topic” photo this week included a park with playground equipment, people, and trees. If you look closely, you can see all three in the photo above.
Zoo Montana / Yellowstone Arboretum, Billings, Montana. October 15, 2022.
With Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge of “October Autumn Colors” in mind, I carried my camera on walks in Billings city parks over the last several days. There weren’t nearly as many yellows, oranges and reds as I expected! Here is an early October 2022 glimpse of the varied vegetation in Montana’s largest city (population 117,116).
Riverfront Park, Billings, Montana. October 8, 2022.
The Yellowstone River marks the southern edge of Riverfront Park – a place flooded by the river back June. Dirt trails to the river’s edge take off through the woods from the single paved path.
Phipps Park, Billings, Montana. October 10, 2022.
Phipps Park is in the Rimrocks on the northwestern edge of Billings and includes a steep hike to the top. Once at the top, there’s plenty of open space to roam.
Pioneer Park, Billings, Montana. October 11, 2022.
Closer to the center of Billings, Pioneer Park is far more developed than either Riverfront or Phipps Park. While there are many amenities (see https://www.billingsparks.org/location/pioneer/), the tall trees are the best reason to walk there.
Tanya’s Tomatoes. Quincy, Illinois. September 24, 2022.One on the Vine. Quincy, Illinois. September 24, 2022.Dad’s Tomatoes. Billings, Montana. October 6, 2022.