Bright Orange Dot

Another good title for this post would be "Why Dogs Don't Make Good Photographic Assistants". Although I took this photo when I was still about fifteen feet away, I know it's a Gulf Fritillary butterfly. I did get a closer look without my camera and , besides, my identification guidebook says "there is no mistaking this butterfly for any other." (I love it when ID guides make statements like that.)

When I first saw this bright and beautiful butterfly out in the garden, I just watched for a while. I figured trying to get into the house and get my camera would be pointless. The butterfly would be gone when I returned. However, when the butterfly just kept hanging around, I decided to try taking a photograph. I got the camera and headed back out into the garden. Bucket decided she just had to come and greet me and, of course, she chose to come running down the aisle where the Gulf Fritillary was alit. When the butterfly flew, I figured that was the end of that. However, the butterfly returned to the same spot a few minutes later. I picked up my camera to try again, but only got off this distance shot before Rusty decided to blunder down this particular aisle. This time the Gulf Fritillary did not return.

Bright Orange Dot

Preparing To Dig Sweet Potatoes

On Saturday Jo and I gave our sweet potatoes a haircut so we could dig them on Sunday. After planting the sweet potatoes, we covered them with welded wire hoops to keep the deer from eating the vines. Since the mesh in the welded wire is large enough for a rabbit to get through easily, we covered it with chicken wire to keep the cottontails out. Covering our sweet potatoes with wire worked. As you can see above, the vines didn't get trimmed to the ground by varmints as they have in the past. However, with sweet potato vines growing up through the wire, we couldn't the wire off without giving them a good trim. We decided to go ahead and trim away most of the vines while we were at it.

Preparing To Dig Sweet Potatoes

BNSF Locomotive

A train ran right outside the park grounds where our last show was held, and when I say "right outside", I mean within about twenty-five feet. Fortunately, the locomotive did not make frequent runs. It passed by while we were setting up Friday afternoon and then returned a few hours later. It was pulling cars loaded with coal on the first trip by Sequiota Park, and returned without those cars. Obviously, there's a power plant not too far away.

BNSF Locomotive