A Day Trip and a Great Sunset

I took a half day today and our family went to Madison. We stopped by Whole Foods and got some goodies, and afterwards stopped by Ella's Deli .

The kids loved all of the fun gadgets and Rube Goldberg creations inside. They even got to ride on the carousel.

On the way back, I finally got to take a picture of this cool sculpture in Rosendale. I like the way the rock are so smooth. The plaque say 1924, but I'm sure that the rain has smoothed the rocks out even more.

We also stopped by a friends house and I saw the best thing ever!!!

It is the highly sought after but rarely seen Redneck Giant Budbag Chair. I gotta get one of these!!

After grilling up some salmon (a Whole Foods purchase) and some asparagus, I went out for a drive to find a spectacular sunset.

I am so glad that the rain stayed away today, and I got to get some fun sunset shots!



Another Soggy Day

Yes, it has been raining most of the day. I'm sure my garden is loving it! I only went out for a little while to shoot my barn photo today. I did find this little guy though.

This is a young one not wise in the ways of cars. It just sat there nibbling the clover as I pulled up about five feet from it and took a pic. Now only if I could find some eagles that would let me do the same.

As I only had a limited time out today. I will post a picture from a few weeks ago that I took at the Appleton Botanical Gardens .

When I went, not a lot was in bloom, and I got attacked by a red-winged blackbird.

Angry papa!!

My favorite image of the day was this.

A living purple firework.

Blue Skies! (For a few minutes)

I had just gotten back to work from getting some shots of today's barn at lunch when the clouds parted. It lasted about ten minutes, but it was great to feel the sun on my skin again. I keep hoping for a little more sun, and less rain. There are flood warnings out for the Wolf River. I am glad we are getting some rain though. Hopefully it will fill some of the Vilas county lakes that I am going to be fishing on in July. I am looking forward to some musky action!!



Cranes

Another cold dreary day in NE Wisconsin. First day of summer?????? Wow! I did get out today to find my barn and saw a few cranes.

They weren't too far away from this barn.

I loved the way this barn looked in B&W. The scene would look antique if not for the Case front end loader in the background. Oh well, I may go back and try some other angles on it. This is the barn for day number 4 of my 365 project. I have started geo-tagging the images so if you want to go see them yourself, it will pop up a Google map. Just below the picture, there is a location like Harrison or Grand Chute. Just click the link to get the map!

Damsels and Spiders and Butterflies... Oh My???

I was out in New London at a friends house tonight, and took a walk around my favorite pond. These are a few of the things I found.

Damsel



Spider

Butterfly

Hanuman and Ganesha

I was out looking for barns today north of Appleton and found myself over by a friends house. I was telling him about the barns project and he suggested I should go check out a barn on JJ near McCarthy Road. He mentioned something about jeweled elephants and other statues near one of the barns so I drove over there and waited for the rain to let up a little. Sure enough there they were!!

Hanuman

Ganesha

I was very surprised to see such colorful statues on such a rainy day. Thanks Cam!!



Back Track (06-18-2011)

Yes, you will see a lot of backtracking from me on the weekends as we have a camper on a permanent site in Waupaca. Saturday, we were at the Kaytee Learning Center for a birds of prey program. There was a great turnout!! A big thank you goes out to Kaytee for all of the donations they have given over the years.

On the way to Chilton, just outside of Sherwood there is a barn. A barn I knew I had to come back to so I could photograph it. From about 1/2 mile away you could see the skeleton of what at one time must have been a proud and hard working barn. I did go back after the program and take some photos of it. At that time I realized what it was that I was going to use for a 365 theme. NE Wisconsin Barns.

You can find a link to the gallery here: My 365 Project . There is also a gallery Here . Images from this gallery are available for purchase.

I did get the camera out at the program, and the showstopper was Aroura.

Randie and Aroura

Pictures of the Day

Here are some photos of the birds that will be at the Kaytee Learning Center Program tomorrow. Images of the Birds of Wind River can be purchased  Here . All proceeds from the sale of these images will go to Wind River to offset the costs of feeding the education animals and caring for orphaned and injured wildlife.

Thanks,

Bob

This is Aroura. She was brought to us as a fledgling from the Thousand Island Nature Center. Her eye is permanently damaged, and she would not be able to live outside of captivity.

This is Cloudrunner.  Cloud is a combination of three different falcon breeds. He is not able to be released into the wild due to a wing injury.

This is Phobus. Phobus is a Barn Owl that cannot be released as he was shot in the wing.

This is Thunder the red-tail hawk. She also has a wing injury and cannot be released into the wild.

Please come out and see the program if you are in the area!!



Kaytee Birds Of Prey Program

One of the wildlife groups I am associated with is Wind River Wildlife Rehabilitation. The rehab center is in New London WI. On Saturday, we will be bringing some of our birds of prey to the Kaytee Learning Center in Chilton WI. You can find out more about the program here http://www.kaytee.com/learn-share/kaytee-learning-center/learning-center-news.htm . It should be a good show!! The learning center is also fun for the kids, and don't forget the hamster races!!

Pictures of the Day

Of course with today's entry being Copper Box, what better theme for the picture of the day! This is a series of images I took at Houdini Plaza in 2009. I heard a rumor that some of these pictures are going to be inside of their next CD cover! Stay tuned, I will keep you in the loop. Don't forget to check them out at copperboxsite.com !!

This is a mug shot of the band

This is Danny givin everyone some hot tuba action

Michelle looking cool in her shades with her bari sax front and center

Jason, always hot with the sticks...

Kevin plays the teenie, weenie, ukelele when not dropping a bass line

Danny on the cornet

Sqeezebox too!!

Washboard, nuff said.



Copper Box

I would like to introduce some friends of mine, Copper Box! Here is a snippet of what they are all about:

Relix Magazine: On the Rise

Relix - May 2011

Fronted by Danny and Michelle Jerabek, Copper Box is a genre-bending celebration of fusion roots rock that channels the rowdy communal feel of a small-town party with their gutsy, Americana sound of artists like the legendary Esteban Jordan (the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion), Doug Sahm, Clifton Chenier, Los Lobos and CCR--a must see!   -Relix Magazine June 2011

These guys rock the house, and when Danny announces that it is time for some "Heavy Metal", don't expect any Judas Priest or Metallica, just be prepared for some hot tuba action.

They have a new CD coming out soon, just went in for manufacture this week. Should be good as always, I have seen them perform some of their new material live at a couple of local venues. You can check out their previous recordings here: http://copperboxsite.com/music . Just click on an album cover and preview the songs on the sidebar.

Photo of the Day



This picture was taken before the 4th of July fireworks in Neenah (2009).

First Day

Well, this is day one of Blogging. I am using this blog in conjunction with my photography site. Watch for Robert Elko Photography updates, upcoming events, and if I feel really ambitious, a 365 challenge. i will also prveiw a Gallery from my website weekly. Here is a link to this weeks Gallery "Skyscapes":

 http://robertelko.zenfolio.com/p183373459

There is a wide range of products available for sale on my website. Prints, canvas wraps, even coffee mugs and t-shirts.

Thanks for coming!!

Bob