I’m not talking about the place with the best pancakes in Bismarck; rather, this quaint little building I found on a photo jaunt earlier this summer. Isn’t it lovely? I bet it would make a wonderful clubhouse…
Little cottage
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Foggy memory
There was one perfectly foggy morning this summer where I was roaming northeast of Bismarck and got plenty of really cool shots. As the sun came up and began to burn of the fog, this was one spot where it was still clinging to anything that could be loosely construed as a valley.
Blue
I thought I’d follow up Red with some Blue – although there’s plenty of red brick in this shot, too. This house is built into a hillside and has a wonderful valley view. Some of that brilliant blue paint still remains. One of the houses I grew up in as a kid was painted this same color, by the way. It really stands out.
Red
Sammy Hagar could not be reached for comment. Even though most of the prairie grasses and stalks of harvested crops are brown, I was able to find a brilliant red farm under a deep blue sky and with some rich green grass in the yard! RGB.
Three-step program
If you’re on your way to Flasher (and let’s be honest, who isn’t) you might want to keep your eyes open for this old foundation. It sits along Highway 21 just a little ways east of town. It’s on posted land, but thankfully the best angle for it is just outside the fence anyway.
Wind River storms
The last time I was in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I watched (and felt) a storm roll in while standing atop the Wind River Overlook. I had trekked into the park before sunrise, getting one of my favorite sunrise photos EVER after slogging up the Little Missouri on foot for a ways, and was using my early-bird status to mosey around the park before the tourists arrived.
This area, while far different from the Rocky Mountains I enjoyed as a kid, makes me homesick for them nonetheless. It seems that even in North Dakota the skies get bigger the further west you go. I’d love to take a week or two and simply work the park, going back to Medora only for some shut-eye at night and fresh bacon in the morning! Let’s put that on the bucket list.
Who’s the new guy?
There are actually a few decrepit windmills in Bluegrass, ND, but the remnants of the little town are encroached upon by subsidy-sucking wind turbines on all sides. I stopped to grab a quick old-vs-new shot during my most recent drive past the remains of this ghost town.
Flame on
We were doing a family thing, but I couldn’t help but dart outside for a quick Aurora Borealis photo. They weren’t visible from town when I drove in later, but from our place they looked quite lovely! They came and went over the course of an hour or two, and may not be done yet – but I am. I have a rough couple of days ahead.
When the clouds are on your side
This barn sits south of Mandan, beckoning to me every time I’m near St. Anthony. Of course, the correct pronunciation is more like “Snatnee” – sometimes even with some h’s in there for good Cherman measure – but I won’t get mired in the details.
Some mornings I like a blazing sunset, washing the landscape with brilliant color. But overcast mornings have their way of bringing out color, too. First off, there are none of the hard shadows of that piercing sunrise light. Second, the muted tones lend themselves very well to the color already present.
I’m glad I had the clouds on my side when these photos were taken. Much of the detail of a beautiful barn like this one would be lost in shadows, and I wouldn’t have been able to photograph both sides of it in one sitting!
Bridges, not walls
That was the title of one of my speech textbooks in college (among other things, I hold a Speech Communications degree). I took this shot south of Mandan a couple Fridays ago. I was so excited to get the golden light from the impending sunrise, but once that happened I found myself seriously underwhelmed.
I like this shot a lot better, from a short while earlier and before the sun broke through the clouds. I also like the angle better as well. But part of the fun of this photography hobby is the experimentation part!