Best of November 2014

The waxing moon taken with early November bare tree branches as frames.

It's been a cold November punctuated by a couple of snow storms and below normal temperatures.  I was able to spend one of those snowy days out in the southern black hills with a host of South Dakota's winter wildlife, which was a lot of fun.  This time of year is always good for spectacular sunsets and interesting weather photos, too.  Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

An early November sunset over Mud Lake near Hurley, SD

A Northern Cardinal I found in Terrace Park of Sioux Falls

Trinity church on the southwest corner of Kimball, SD

Winter white-tail buck in Custer State Park

A bison bull in the midst of a heavy snowfall

Pronghorn on a snowy day in Custer State Park

A nice 5X5 buck in hot pursuit of a shy doe in Custer State Park

White-breasted Nuthatch in Custer State Park

Winter sunset from the Sylvan Lodge area of Custer State Park

Frost and fog at a country church east of Lennox, SD late in the month

Post sunset color behind West Prairie Lutheran a few miles southeast of Lennox, SD

Best of October 2014

The standing remains of Holy Family Church in rural Mellette County

Here are my favorites from October 2014.  I had two notable encounters with snakes this month.  The first was a very colorful garter snake in a country church cemetery (photo below).  The second was a close call with a rattler which nearly gave me a heart attack on the steps of the church in the photo above.  I did not get a photo of the rattler as it turned out to be just as scared of me as I was of him... which is probably a good thing!  As always click on a photo for a larger image to view and thanks for stopping by!

Garter snake in a rural Charles Mix County church yard

Bugling elk at Wind Cave National Park

Fishing on the Missouri near Running Water, SD

The Old Courthouse Museum clock tower on an autumn evening in Sioux Falls

The Queen Bee Mill and a portion of the Falls of the Big Sioux at Falls Park in Sioux Falls

The Falls of the Big Sioux

Autumn color in South Sioux Falls

St. Joseph's Cathedral framed by fall colors

Found at Prairie Trails Park in south Sioux Falls

Fall foliage at Rotary Park along the Big Sioux River in central Sioux Falls

A little over an hour's worth of star trails and a few passing headlights provided the light for this image of Zoar Lutheran church in rural Day County, SD