Sky Watch Friday # 17

Sky Watch Friday has on it's own site. Please check out the site and link in if you wish to participate. There were 359 people last week with beautiful Sky photos. You can link in from my side bar or at the start of this post.
I start at a sunset with a promise of some blue coming through between the trees of the neighbors. The sky wasn't much here on this day but the trees are ablaze with color a few week back.

This is the same stand of trees this week. The sky is better but the trees have lost their brilliance and are getting ready to shed.
Since the election I have been feeling a little reflective and so I offer some shots to prove that's the way I'm feeling. This is my favorite pond and we are looking North.
This is the same pond looking East toward the horse stables which can be seen in the background.
I do love reflective photos. Now, go visit some more wonderful skies.

Wednesday Potpourri #3

Here it is Wednesday again and I get to show you any photos I choose.

I thought I would start with a prayer for our first black President Barack Obama. Who better to lead us then one of my local Black Squirrels. When I saw this photo I wonder how I would use it. May Mr. President Obama lead our country out of the mess we are in at this time.
My other Black Squirrel on the Maple Tree looks on and doesn't know what the fuss is about.
There is a local Grey Squirrel that joins in on the prayer, may all people black and white join in to help this country heal from its present problems.
Our temperature is 75 F today and this was last week in the morning. My car was covered with ice and snow. The ice was so think I had to let the car warm up to be able to scrap the window.
This is my truck and the snow can clearly be seen here. It is warm for a few days then the weekend will come in with more cold weather. What an unusual Fall.
I do hope you enjoy the potpourri of shots I chose to share.

Halloween in Kent

There are some people in Kent that decorate for Halloween. This is one of the most decorated in a 25' x 10' front yard they do a lot. This was the day after Halloween, note the snow on the car.

These people also do a lot in their front yard.

Downtown Kent and the Kent State University have a party downtown. The streets get really crowded at 11 PM. This is 10 PM at the half time of the Ohio State / Penn State football game and I wasn't willing to stay longer.

Kent lights up some buildings for the show.

The streets and sidewalks are filled with revelers.
This was my favorite group display. The boat Orca and Jaws itself chasing it. Really cute idea.

Where's Waldo?

These two adults just came from a renaissance fair.

My number one pick for best costume. This guy walking on his hands all night. I hope you got this one as your number one pick also. (He is really on his feet and he has holes in the pants to see through. Click on the photo and you will see this.)

There were about 10 real policemen on the corner. They normally arrest about 100 people. About 60 of them for under age drinking. The legal age is 21 in Ohio. There is a special court the on Sunday to clear the cases.
Our calm downtown becomes active on a few days a year but this is the most late night activity. All the bars are filled to over capacity.

My world #3

This is the third posting for the My World meme . It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar,Sandy, Wren, Louise and myself. Last week there were 132 people showing their worlds to us. Won't you join, I want to see where you live.

I am driving from my home on the northwest side of Kent,Ohio into the center of town. these streets are bypassed if you are traveling on the state routes. As I go across the Cuyahoga River bridge. The center of town is at the intersection of Main and Water Streets.

I parked on the bridge and walked to look along North Water Street. You can see the silos that I showed on the first week of My World to the left. We have banking, restaurants and bars along this street. The street is only 5 blocks in length in this direction. You then you have to turn across the Crain Avenue Bridge to get to State Route 43 and then north to Lake Erie.

I walked across the street looking toward East Main Street. There are several businesses and a converted movie theater at the top left that now has live performances. If you continue on for three blocks you will reach the campus of Kent State University and State Route 59 to the next main town of Ravenna, Ohio.

Now looking south down South Water Street (whoops the light changed). This leads to State Route 43 South in three blocks which leads to major interstates highways. These buildings are mainly businesses and restaurants.
When I looked west I see West Main Street and the Cuyahoga River which leads to the Kent car strip and Stow, Ohio. There are bars on the left and a little park on the right.
I walked one block toward the bridge to see Franklin Avenue. This is the only street in Kent where you don't exceed the 25 MPH speed limit. The brick street is pretty neat but fairly rough while driving. The buildings on the left are bars and restaurants. The building on the right is a converted railroad station which is an upscale restaurant called The Pufferbelly (cute name). It has good food at a medium price. The second building on the left with the awning is Rays Bar which has the best chicken wings in town and also fresh cut fries. We go there often and it's a neat place but really loud.

This is the center of my town. If you check tomorrow I will show the transformation on last Saturday when the town turned into Halloween. The university and the town join to have a celebration.

Today's Flowers #13

My friends Luiz and Denise have a Today's Flowers Meme, check it out. Come and join with your flower photos. Sunday at 7GMT is the post time.

I planted some annuals to add color in my house border. I used Impatients this year for the white, pink and red colors. The first photo was taken in early summer showing how the plants started to spread.
This is the way it looked late in the season along with my little nature sanctuary. The plants did a nice job of filling out the area.
Here is another area that has some perennials, chives and the color around the air conditioner. We had good rain much of the summer so it allowed the plants to grow without any watering.

I really enjoy sharing my flowers. If you would look at this area today you would see nothing but dead plants. I didn't want to share that look.

Camera Critters #30

Camera Critters by Misty Dawn, go here to see who's participating.

I was at a pond a few weeks back as fall was approaching. I saw some ducks at a pond and my camera was ready to see what they would offer. When you decide to shoot you always want something interesting to occur. There were three Mallard females under a tree.

They got up and moved toward the water.

They jumped in and swam duck paddled from shore.

There was one female Mallard Duck on the other side of the tree and she stayed put. You know me, I moved in for some close-ups.

The duck finally got up and hopped toward the shore. Note; I didn't say waddled.

Anyways; what's with the wing. the duck was standing there on one foot and preening it's feathers.

I was then able to get to the other side of the duck as I walked and made a discovery of why the duck hopped. It had a deformed leg and had to go on one leg. I don't know that this was a serious problem and it could swim fine. I wonder if it can fly.

Sometimes in nature something will happen in the duck life to cause injury.