Best of January 2014

Post sunset clouds over the rolling prairie of Fall River County.

It's hard to believe that January of 2014 is nearly gone.  As in 2013, I've resolved to self-critique and choose 12 favorite photos from each month.  Once selected, I'll post them to this photo blog.  Enjoy January's... click on image for a larger file to view and thanks for looking!

Trumpeter Swans taking flight early in the morning at LaCreek National Wildlife Reserve south of Martin, SD.

A curious northern cardinal through the twigs of his favorite tree at Farm Island State Park near Pierre, SD.

An abandoned schoolhouse at sunset along the Lyman and Stanley County line.

A beautiful iron cross in a country church cemetery one early Sunday morning at Lower Brule Reservation.

A jealous looking blue jay at Good Earth State Park in Lincoln County.

Pre-sunrise clouds over downtown Sioux Falls.

A red-headed woodpecker at Newton Hills State Park.

Highland Church just north of Garretson at sunrise.

Another view of Highland Church at sunrise.

A female snowy owl that visited northwest Sioux Falls in late January.  She hung out near my place of work and I happened to catch her in a clump of sunflowers in a nearby hayfield on my way in one morning.

The next afternoon she was hanging out on a rock pile just five blocks from where I live.

Favorites from 2013

January

 Last year, with inspiration from an Ansel Adams quote, I decided to do a "self" photo critique.  On this, my photo blog, I would only post what I considered my best twelve photos from each month.  Now that 2013 is well behind us, I took the project one step further and chose a favorite photo from each month.  This post are those results.  Feel free to click on image for a larger file to view.  For more info on each location and subject feel free to check out the previous twelve posts in 2013 for that info.  You can also see if what I picked as my favorite is what you would have picked.  It's been a fun process and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it again in 2014.  Thanks for stopping by!

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

December's Best

December's first significant snow falls on Phillips Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls.

Here are my twelve favorite photos from a cold and snowy December of 2013.  Click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in.  Happy 2014!

Sunset skies near Hartford, SD in early December.

Steamy breath and jingle bells adorned this hard working horse pulling sleighs at Fort Sisseton State Park's Frontier Christmas in mid-December.

Sunset over Willow Creek Lutheran Church in rural Minnehaha County.

The last light of the sun reflected off distant clouds adds a unique color to this old thistle weed.

Winter Solstice sunset in rural Miner County.

Subzero temps collided with open water below the Oahe Dam to great wonderful hoarfrost creations on December 23rd.

Grazing horses on distant hills artistically colored by late sunlight and snow in rural Stanley County.

A negative seventeen sunset along the Sansarc road in Stanley County.

An abandoned schoolhouse in rural Stanley County.

Pre-sunrise skies with the Korb windmill in the foreground just south and east of Isabel, SD in Dewey County.

Abandoned Our Savior Lutheran Church in rural Dewey County just before sunrise in late December.  This church and cemetery is located a few miles northeast of Firesteel, SD.

November's Best

A weak geomagnetic storm caused faint northern lights in early November.  Taken in McCook County.

Here are my favorite 12 photos from the month of November.  Just one more month on this little pet project of mine.  It will be interesting (and hard) to try to pick favorites from each month for the overall top 12.  Regardless, it has been a fun endeavor!  As always, click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for stopping by!

Sunset and prairie windmill in southern McCook County.

A church made from the stones found along the James River south of Menno, SD.

A Bighorn Ram at sunset in Badlands National Park in late November.

Pre-dawn clouds over Badlands National Park.

The first light of dawn strikes the Badlands.

A rather large Ferruginous Hawk perched above a prairie dog town.

A coyote howls along a road overlooking a prairie dog town at Wind Cave National Park.

A white-tail buck in Custer State Park.

Morning breaks over Custer State Park.

A white tail buck a few miles south of Isabel, SD in Dewey County.

An abandoned farmstead in Dewey County, SD

October's Best

Fall color as seen from the overlook at Little Moreau Recreation Area in Dewey County on October 1st.

Here are twelve of my favorite photos from the month of October, 2013.  For those visitors to this blog who may be new, check out "January's Best" entry for the rhyme and reason of why twelve photos per month.  It will be an interesting task to cull the best of 2013 at the end of the year.  It's been a fun process so far.  As always, click on an image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in!

Rare red aurora borealis in central Minnehaha County in the last hour of October 1st.

A self portrait with the northern lights on the dock at Island Lake taken during the first hour of October 2nd.

A windmill and corn field at twilight in McCook County in mid-October.

Beaver Creek Lutheran Church at Heritage Park on the campus of Augustana College in Sioux Falls.

Evening light highlights this autumn splendor in Brookings County just after a rain shower passed.

Sioux Fall's Old Courthouse Museum at twilight.

Harvesting corn with farm equipment of yesteryear at Beaver Creek Nature Area.

Allen Severtson looks back from his seat on a 1954 SC CASE tractor at the corn picker doing it's thing.

Fall along the Big Sioux River near Newton Hills State Park.

Golden leaves dress up these overhanging limbs along the Big Sioux River.

The setting sun through aligned openings of an unused barn west of Wakonda, SD.