"Driftless Sanctuary" by John Pahlas

It was another fun hour-long photo shoot with John Pahlas. We took his metal hawk, that's part of his "Driftless Sanctuary" piece to nearby Cave of the Mounds. We quickly hoisted into a tree just at the ever gray skies began to actually open up. It's not often we've seen blue skies these past few weeks. I am really enjoying this collaborative effort. I wonder where else we'll find this hawk over the next few months?

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Ice Macro

I was getting ready to jump into the shower when I noticed the ice covering the outside storm window. That's when I recalled my MP-E 65mm macro-lens. I've very rarely used it. In fact, I actually bought it for my wife to use as she'd once enjoyed taking macro shots. Anyway, I had a little fun trying to capture some crystals.

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Odocoileus virginianus

White-tailed Deer

#forest #naturalwisconsin #wildernessculture #throughthepines #hikiginadventures #walkingtrail #bestshotz_tree #tree_magic #outdoorlife #getoutside #liveoutdoors #getoutstayout #getoutthere #naturelover #lifeoutdoors #optoutside #loveoutdoors #outdoorsy #outdoors #nature_perfection #midwestisbest #travelwisconsin #explorewisconsin #theoutbound #ventureout #in2nature #thegreatoutdoors #naturewalk #getoutdoors

Shea Prairie Preserve

I had a free hour today so I jumped in the Jeep and meandered to the SW of our home. As I wound around through the little valleys I happened upon a large flock of turkeys. There had to have been at least 40 all together. I rolled down my window and was able to snap a couple of shots, though not perfectly sharp I liked this photo. It was at this time I also discovered I was at another isolated pocket of prairie land. This time it was Shea Prairie I'm adding to my list of places to explore in more detail.

The 62 acre Shea Prairie Preserve is located within the dissected, un-glaciated landscape of southwest WI. It lies within what was once a large prairie that extended north to the Military Ridge, covering many thousands of acres. The prerserve is within the 50,000-acre Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area (MRPHA). The MRPHA has been identified as one of the best opportunities in Wisconsin for prairie/grassland conservation on a landscape scale. In addition to grassland bird use of the area, there are three state-listed plant species at the site: prairie turnip, Richardson’s sedge, and Hill's thistle.

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Cave of the Mounds

Cave of the Mounds, a natural limestone cave located near Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, United States, is named for two nearby hills called the Blue Mounds. It is located in the southern slope of the east hill. The cave's beauty comes from its many varieties of mineral formations called speleothems. The Chicago Academy of Sciences considers the Cave of the Mounds to be "the significant cave of the upper Midwest" because of its beauty, and it is promoted as the "jewel box" of major American caves. In 1987, the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service designated the cave as a National Natural Landmark.

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Anunnaki

'Anunnaki' by local artist John Pahlas that I took the other day. Today we met, scouted out locations and talked about projects, being an artist, and parenthood. It was truly a tonic for my soul.

#midwestisbest #midwestliving #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #travelwisconsin #driftlessarea #centergroundstudios​ #wisconsinar​​t​ #wisconsinlife #fineart #sculpture​ ​#finaeartphotography ​#art #featuredpalette #artlovers #artlover #steel #steelsculpture #mounthoreb #Anunaki #Anunna #Anunnaku #Ananaki #Anunnaki #ancient #Mesopotamian#midwestisbest #midwestliving #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #travelwisconsin #driftlessarea #centergroundstudios​ #wisconsinar​​t​ #wisconsinlife #fineart #sculpture​ ​#finaeartphotography ​#art #featuredpalette #artlovers #artlover #steel #steelsculpture #mounthoreb #Anunaki #Anunna #Anunnaku #Ananaki #Anunnaki #ancient #Mesopotamian

Tyrol Basin

After a quick dinner we drove all of 10 minutes to the nearby Tyrol Basin ski resort. We'd not been as I'm not much of a skier and Teri is more into cross country. Freja has done that with her mother for a few years but now she's interested in snowboarding. So we looked around and she's now signed up for lessons starting next week. I have this feeling that living so close to this place is going to be very interesting for her. Especially once she's old enough to ditch her parents and come with friends.

#midwest #madison #ski #skiing #snowboarding #snowboard #tyrolbasin #wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #midwestliving #midwestmoment #themidwestival #discoverwisconsin #conquer_wi #mounthoreb #madisonwi #midwestisbest #danecounty #goplayoutside #driftlessarea #winterfun #playinthesnow