Tammey Browns Photo a Day Blog

2010 - January 4

2010-01-07T21:06:00.000-06:00

Because of the insane amount of snow and cold Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we had to be a little creative and get with family when we could. All in all, it turned out to be a very pleasant holiday.

I love this photo! My sons dog was just exhausted watching him open presents! LOL

2010 - January 3

2010-01-07T21:03:00.000-06:00

One of the things I had to adjust to over here is that there are no hills. I used to love taking my kids out in the mountains to well known sledding hills that would leave you absolutely exhausted after two trips down and then back up again! Here, Fargo is so flat! They have made several little hills for the kids to slide down on :)

2010 - January 2

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This is really a sidewalk! LOL This is after 24 hours of snow!

2010 = January 1

2010-01-07T20:56:00.000-06:00

A new year is here! I kind of dropped the ball on my 365 Photo A Day adventure last year. No promises this year, but I'm going to try it again! We got so much snow Christmas day! The drifts were several feet deep everywhere. The little 'hill' she is climbing is just snow that has blown and piled next to the car! BRRR

June 6 - River (152/365 or is it 158/365? lol)

2009-06-06T16:46:00.005-05:00

The rivers around here always surprise me. I grew up around fast running, ice cold and clear rivers and lakes. In this area the rivers are a muddy brown and very slow moving. Usually, I try to avoid taking photos of the river because it is so brown and dirty. People tend to comment on my photo colors being off as the water isn't blue. I saw this little bend in the river and it called to me, so here it is. What do you think?

June 5 - Turtle

2009-06-06T16:39:00.004-05:00

As I've shared before, we have a lot of ponds and standing water around here. We also have a lot of turtles and frogs.

This little guy watched me intently as I walked around the bank to get a better photo. He really made me laugh. After I took the photo, he silently slipped into the water and vanished.

June 4 - Conk

2009-06-06T16:30:00.004-05:00

I believe this fungus is called a conk. It's actually the sign of ill health for a tree. I've known many artists that collect conks, dry them and then paint on them.

In the Rocky Mountains I have seen these conks get amazingly large.

June 3 - Cardinals

2009-06-06T16:15:00.005-05:00

As I've mentioned many times on this blog, there is so much wildlife around here! It is mind boggling. The more I look for it, the more I find :)

I'm not much for ornithology and this blog has really shown me how much I don't know! I think these are cardinals.

I find it so peaceful to be out with my camera. The only really bad thing is that being out with all of the trees and creatures also means I'm out where there are ticks. After this hike I found several climbing on me. Thankfully, none had bitten or anything. They were just wandering around and holding on to my clothes. Such disgusting little creatures. Gotta take the bad with the fabulous I guess. I've been around them all my life and they haven't kept me home yet.

June 2 - Pelican Rapids

2009-06-06T16:10:00.002-05:00

I thought for sure I would find pelicans at Pelican Rapids. I was wrong. Normally this water is not over the feet of the statue, however, with all of the flooding, the water was still pretty high.

The next morning I ran down to my favorite coffee shop (Ristreto's) and I could NOT believe it when a pelican flew right in front of me and landed in the pond near my house! Of course I didn't have my camera with me on my latte run! ugghhh

June 1 - Blue Heron

2009-06-06T16:02:00.007-05:00

I'm not sure what this bird is. It was a ways away and held very, very still while I was trying to get this photo. My husband and I went to Maplewood State Park in Minnesota and that's where I found this guy. When he was tired of me, he was gone in a flash! So quick, I didn't even get a photo of it in flight!

If you know what type of bird this is, please let me know. At first I called it a Blue Heron, but then I couldn't find any photos of Blue Herons that looked just like this guy.

Thank you CBGD for posting the comment and link :) Now I know.

May 30 - Dragonfly!

2009-06-03T12:12:00.005-05:00

I came across a field of dragonflies! There must've been thousands of them flitting all over the place. Every time I barely moved, they all lifted in flight! It was VERY difficult getting a photo! Thankfully, I have a fantastic zoom lens!

I spent more than half an hour just sitting there watching those beautiful creatures flit here and there :)

There were several types there too! I didn't get any photos of the other blue ones with round bodies. They were just way too fast and way too busy!

May 29 - LOVE spring colors!

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Not sure what kind of bird this is, but I love this photo!

May 28 - We went to the park

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We went to the park tonight and roasted beef franks. After we ate, the boys went out and tossed the baseball. We went to the park last weekend too. Skyler could not catch that ball! He was pretty scared of it and spent a whole lot of time chasing it down.

Today when his dad tossed it to him, he caught it more often than not! My oldest son and daughter joined us. What a gorgeous day! The sun was shining and there was a nice light wind blowing. We did see one skeeter while there. Not sure how many we didn't see.

Skyler ran and ran and ran. At one point he got my son, Mark, to chase him. Mark has been able to run lighting fast since he learned to walk. Skyler got to giggling so hard all he could do was fall to the ground in surrender! As you can see, there were lots of trees to hide behind and have fun with.

He comes back from his moms for the weekend of Fathers Day. He's already asked if we can go to the park and go fishing! LOL

May 27 - tiny ducklings! (I'm all caught up!!)

2009-05-28T09:32:00.004-05:00

Awwww how cute are they??!!

Look at those tiny little babies! I mentioned before how many ducks and geese there are this year, and there usually are. However, this year there seems to be twice as many as usual!

Whew, I got a bit behind on my photo a day blog, but spent the time and got it all caught up.

I will try to get over and post on the other blogs over the weekend.

May 26 - Recipe Album

2009-05-28T09:20:00.002-05:00

This is the project I made with my scrapbooking group last week. We make 6x6 recipe layouts and then exchange/swap them. I didn't know what to do with all of the layouts.

I made these fun little albums to hold the recipe layouts. To see more examples and the instructions, visit my scrapbooking blog.

May 25 - Watching

2009-05-28T09:16:00.002-05:00

This tree is so funny! Like a sentinel watching over the park.

May 24 - Bears

2009-05-28T09:14:00.003-05:00

Oh look what I found outside my door!

Okay... they were out my door and a 40 minute drive south to the Chahinkapa Zoo in Whapeton, ND! I had to shoot through dirty plexiglass, but I think it turned out pretty well despite that!

These guys are eating very large, very frozen fish.

May 23 - No bees....

2009-05-28T09:12:00.001-05:00

I went all over today to try and get a photo of a bee. I couldn't find even one! So, guess you'll have to look at more flowers.

I'm on a mission to find a bee though.

May 22 - Bird Condo

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And somehow.... I've managed to find yet more birds to photograph!!! ;)

May 21 - Everything is blooming!

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MMMMM can you smell that???

May 20 - Peacocks

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Wow, I don't think any explanation is needed here! What amazingly beautiful creatures.

May 19 - Ducks

2009-05-28T09:03:00.001-05:00

And you thought I was done with duck photos! Nope.... here are a few more :)

May 18 - Nesting

2009-05-28T08:55:00.002-05:00

This photo kind of makes me think of those 'Where's Waldo' books!

This is a duck nesting in some dense underbrush. Can you see her?

(The orange thing at the bottom is where someone has thrown her a hamburger bun)

May 17 - More blossoms!

2009-05-28T08:53:00.002-05:00

You should see the burst of color that has erupted everywhere! We went from blinding white snow to brown muddy river water and now to this!

It wakes up the soul and everything around here is chirping and bursting with life!

May 16 - Blossoms!!! (132/365)

2009-05-28T08:50:00.002-05:00

We had a blizzard just a month ago! The weather here can be so extreme. It is one of the things I love about this area. It keeps things exciting and constantly changing.

The air is ripe with the scent of all of the blossoms! I can't help but stand and inhale deeply every time I step outside. It is so beautiful!

The greens are so green! The blue sky goes on forever and the rainbow of color is astonishing. What a beautiful area I live in.

May 15 - Turkeys

2009-05-28T08:47:00.002-05:00

Within a mile of my house there are two ponds and a river. I live in a fairly large city, however, I'm kind of on the outskirts. Not as far into the country as I'd like to be, but far enough out that I get to see wildlife like this!

There is a herd of turkeys that live south of I-94 and tend to hang out on Cheyenne street. I'd like to get some pics of the tom all strutting his stuff. Every time I see him out there all ruffled up, I don't have my camera with me!

May 14 - Goose

2009-05-28T08:44:00.003-05:00

Tired of the geese and ducks yet? I saw a deer yesterday, but she was way too quick for me to get a photo of. So, I guess you're stuck with more geese!

This one made me laugh. He was very curious and I think it really shows in this photo.

(PS The water behind him isn't blue because the water here isn't blue! LOL It is all a muddy brown. It's odd to those of us that grew up with the amazing clear water of the Rockies!)

May 13 - Birds

2009-05-28T08:43:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been a long winter and now spring has finally arrived. This little guy swooped in and was stealing bread crumbs lol

May 12 - Lamp Post

2009-05-28T08:35:00.005-05:00

Once again I was drawn to the Main Avenue bridge (also known as Veterans Memorial Bridge). The flooding is so apparent and startling there.

The first photo here I took around April 28th at the height of the flooding. As you can see, the top of the street lamps is barely visible over the water. Yes, those are actual street lamps. There is a road 30 feet down!!

There is a really nice bike path down there too.

The water as begun to recede and now you can see that lamp post again. The flood waters have caused it to lean. This is the same lamp as the first photo! You can now see the sidewalk that goes from the bridge down to the road and bike path below. Before, all of this was under water so you couldn't really see it.

You also can't see the inches of gooey, smelly silt that has been left behind. Even as much as the water has gone down, we are still at flood stage. You still can't see the road that is normally there.

May 11 - Flood waters are receding

2009-05-28T08:27:00.003-05:00

Wow, what a difference! I posted a few weeks back with a photo from the Main Avenue bridge looking over towards the Fargo Tower (Big brown building). At that time the water was over 40 feet deep and way past flood stage. (See photo 1) As you can see the water is up to the stairs and they have built a dike to help hold the water back. You can't really tell in the first photo where the dike is, because you don't know what isn't normally there.

However, if you look at todays photo, you can really tell. See the pick up truck in the second photo? That road was closed in the first photo as there was a huge wall of dirt there to help hold back the water. You'll also notice that the stairs are once again visible.

Photos just can't do it justice. The mind boggling amount of water that flows through here is very difficult to describe.... even with photographs. The photos just can't seems to really grasp the immense amount of water and the power behind it.

May 10 - Happy Mothers Day! (126/365)

2009-05-28T08:26:00.001-05:00

As close to a self portrait as I'll ever get! Isn't he just the cutest little guy ever??? LOL Okay, so I'm a little biased ;)

May 9 - Green!

2009-05-28T08:09:00.002-05:00

The rivers here are a muddy, soupy brown color. It took a while to get used to them as I grew up in the Rockies where the rivers are crystal clear, ice cold and run VERY fast.

Here, they are lazy little things that meander along.... until spring thaw that is! Then they grow to be little monsters that take over the land.

There are a couple of positive things I've noticed from this. One, it brings in an amazing amount of water creatures. Everything from frogs to pelicans. The second thing is, it desposits nutrient rich river bottom in a fine layer over all of the farmland. That, combined with the rich soil/clay here seems to really be a key ingredient to the fantastic crops all around.

Just look at this.... it's breath taking in person. Such rich, fertile soil and vibrant green.

(north of Whapeton on the old county road)

May 7 - That silly goose

2009-05-28T08:08:00.001-05:00

Remember the landing goose? Well here it is flying up to that nest I was telling you about.

I think I'll try to go back there with my zoom and see what I can see IN the nest!

May 7 - Budding!!!

2009-05-28T08:07:00.003-05:00

BUDS!!!!! Finally! I was so thrilled to see these tiny, tiny little green buds on the tree. I didn't think winter was ever going to let go of us this year.

Ahhhh spring is finally here!!!

May 6 Landing

2009-05-28T08:05:00.002-05:00

This goose has a large nest built on the beam of a very, very busy bridge. If you know the Main Ave bridge in Fargo that connects Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN - look at the east side beam on the north side of the bridge. Everywhere you look you'll see tracks where she has wandered around in the silt left from the receding flood waters.

May 5 Goose (121/365)

2009-05-28T08:02:00.002-05:00

I love watching the birds on the water. It doesn't matter that I saw the same ones yesterday, I seem to be able to watch them over and over and over with the same amount of joy ;)

It is still pretty wet and muddy here, so rather than post more flood photos, I thought I would take more bird photos! lol

May 4 - Ducks

2009-05-28T07:58:00.003-05:00

One good thing about all of this flood water..... there is so much wildlife about! I've never seen so many ducks, geese and other types of water foul. It's quite amazing.

May 3 - Awww Babies!

2009-05-27T22:44:00.003-05:00

Awww look at the babies! We love to go to the little park and watch the geese, ducks, and squirrels. People will often throw bread and duck food down for them.

May 2 - Peacock

2009-05-27T22:40:00.003-05:00

There is a family of peacocks near my house. I live near some very busy roads so I always watch for them when I drive by. It was great to see they made it through the winter!

May 1 - Grandson (117/365)

2009-05-27T22:38:00.004-05:00

I can not believe how quickly this little guy has grown! He is already talking and trying to walk - hence the bruise on his forehead. He has stunning blue eyes just like his sister.

Apr 30 - Easter Egg!!??

2009-05-27T22:36:00.002-05:00

Imagine my surprise as I was cleaning today when I realized that the oval shadow in this plant was.... yep, you guessed it! An Easter Egg!!!!!

Can you see it? Obviously, the Easter Bunny did a great job hiding them this year lol

April 29 - Little Thief (115/365)

2009-05-27T22:34:00.004-05:00

After a bitter winter and all of this flooding, it looks like this little guy has learned to be creative! He just stole some bread!

April 28 - Flooding

2009-05-27T22:30:00.003-05:00

I took this as we were driving so it is a bit blurry, but I had to show you what the flooding still looks like around here.

That is river water that has moved up and out of the banks and across the land to threaten homes, farms and outbuildings. The white around the house is not sandbags. It is a large inflatable balloon really. They fill it with water and it holds back the water! This house had water all the way around it. I sure hope the new gadget works for them.

Apr 27 - Gorgeous Bird

2009-05-27T22:29:00.002-05:00

This little guy is new to the feeders. I don't know what he is, but he's gorgeous! He is definitely more cautious than the other birds. Any move at all by anyone and he was gone.

Apr 26 - Birds are back!

2009-05-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

It never really seems like winter is over until Mom gets out her many bird feeders! This little guy couldn't wait to take advantage of the bounty.

She also has humming bird feeders and it gets many visitors once the weather is warmer. It is pretty amazing when so many locals claim there aren't humming birds around here lol

Apr 25 - Fargo Force Wins!!! (111/365)

2009-04-26T20:55:00.005-05:00

We went to the hockey game last night and it was fantastic! The Force ruled the ice! That puck saw more airtime than a soccer ball! They all skated with speed and force and swept the other team.

First photo: Ref has the puck and ready to throw it into the game.

Second photo - puck is airborne!

The Fargo Force won 2-0.

Apr 24 - I29 (110/365)

2009-04-26T20:43:00.002-05:00

This photo was taken as I was heading wouth on Interstate 29 towards Fargo. Yes, the flood water is up ON the interstate forcing traffic to use just one lane.

Apr 23 - Sandbags (109/365)

2009-04-26T20:35:00.002-05:00

It is amazing where I find sandbags. There is a house I can see from the interstate where the water is all the way around it. It sits up on a little bump, not even a knoll, just higher than everything around it.

Instead of describe it, I believe I will try and get a photo. Of course, I can't stop on the interstate, but maybe I can talk dh into a drive :)

Apr 22 - Caution (108/365)

2009-04-26T20:29:00.003-05:00

Well, it looks like the river is going down and the days are getting warmer. Now the real fun begins; cleanup time!

The water has really done some damage around here.

Apr 21 - Flag (107/365)

2009-04-26T20:14:00.007-05:00

Salute to our MILITARY
My great admiration for those enlisted

In spite of fear, courage existed
Love for a homeland from across the ocean
Indeed fortified through your devotion
Trials, fear, lonely days and toil
All to protect our American soil
Respect, honor and appreciation
You deserve it all for protecting our nation!

~Tammey Brown

Apr 20 (106/365)

2009-04-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

Watching Uncle Skyler as he participates in his first play!

Apr 19 - Birdhouse (105/365)

2009-04-26T20:05:00.003-05:00

This beautiful, weathered birdhouse held out through the bitter winter. I watched as it was tossed about by the wind.

Apr 18 - Elephants at the circus (104/365)

2009-04-24T18:12:00.005-05:00

Okay, I know they aren't great photos, but we had so much fun! The had the lights down and the spotlights up. We were about half way up the stands and in the middle, so we had great seats. We took our 9 yo boy, the 5 yo grandson and the 2 yo grand daughter. My adult daughter also joined in the fun. My stepsons maternal grandparents, aunt and cousin also joined us. We took up the whole row! My little grandson absolutely adored my stepsons grandmother. Later he told me she was a very nice gramma and I would have to agree with him. lol

We let them get cotton candy, which normally is a huge no-no. It just didn't taste like it did when I was a kid. I remember really liking it back then. I think I enjoyed the circus as much as the kids did. I'm the first to admit it though, I'm just a big kid myself! I clapped and cheered right along with them!

Apr 17 - Exotic Blossoms (104/365)

2009-04-24T15:17:00.003-05:00

Speaking of my moms house (see yesterdays post), my mom has an *amazing* green thumb. I can't remember what she said this flower was called, but usually she gets a few blooms. This year, WOW!

I swear, my mom can grow anything. One time, she was at my house and saw my poor plants. I did not inherit her green thumb. She took pity on my plants and took them home. Now one of them had been brown for some time lol

I kid you not, a few months later I'm at my moms house and I ask her, 'Wow Mom, where did you get all these plants?' She laughed at me and told me those were my plants! They were full and healthy and gorgeous. ALL of them! Even the 'dead' one.

So am I very surprised that these exotic bulbs, in a pot in her basement, would be lulled into blooming for her? Nope, not at all. She just has that way about her.

April 16 - Not all bad..... (104/365)

2009-04-24T14:51:00.003-05:00

Ok, tired of the flooding photos? Here is another one! This one is just stunning though, I think. I don't know how these leaves and this pod actually made it through such a crazy winter and wet spring, but here it is. Lazily hanging out in the gutter right in front of my mothers house!

I went to step over it, stopped, grabbed the camera and took the photo. My daughter laughed at me. After all this flooding, this was such a sign of spring for me!

Apr 15 - Flooded Roads (103/365)

2009-04-24T14:35:00.009-05:00

A few days ago I posted about how the farmers build their roads and driveways from the main roads to their farm houses (and I use that term lightly as many of these homes are just exquisite!) up higher than the fields to keep the run off from corrupting their roads.

Well, in this case, the water won! Here the flood water has gotten deep enough, and swift enough, to take out this farmers drive way/road completely.

Note: The mailbox looks funny because I blurred the name on it.

I see this more and more frequently lately. I don't know where all of the water is coming from, but it seems to still be running full blast!

My heart really goes out to all of the families impacted by the flood this year.

We are winning the war, but the battles are exhausting. I can't go to a coffee house, grocery store, or even the gym without hearing talk of flooding. Fargo is now talking about cleaning up all of the sandbags.

I'll get photos of those this weekend. It is unimaginable.

Apr 14 - Whirlpool (103/365)

2009-04-24T14:20:00.004-05:00

Now this is something you don't see every day! The photo from yesterday was a corn field under a few feet of flood water. The geese and ducks were at the far east side of the field.

There is a drain that lets the water off of the field, under the road and to the other side. Imagine how much water it takes to fill the river, go up and over the banks, cross miles of farm land, be draining from the field fast enough to cause this whirlpool AND be enough water to keep this field FULL of water 24/7. It has been like this for weeks now.

This water goes on and on and on and on. Here is another drain just south of the first one. As you can see here, the water is draining as fast as it is pouring in.

It's quite the sight.

Apr 13 - More Birds (102/365)

2009-04-24T14:08:00.003-05:00

These white birds are much larger than the ducks and geese that I'm used to seeing.

There are more ducks and geese this year than I've ever noticed before. It's probably because there is more water out there than I've ever seen before!

They can be found in every puddle! The ditches have water in them - and ducks! The fields have water in them - and geese! The field by my house has standing water in large puddles - and more ducks!

Apr 12 - Snow Geese? (101/365)

2009-04-24T14:05:00.002-05:00

Just north of Fargo the river is still very high and spreads out over the land. It is a real draw to the birds! I think these are snow geese. I was shooting from quite the distance with a zoom lens! That is how wide this water has come up over the banks of the river and across the fields.

Apr 11 - Where to park (101/365)

2009-04-24T13:59:00.004-05:00

The farmers around here have been through it all. When they built roads to their place, they built them higher than the farm land. The farmland fills with water as the snows melt and the river rises.

Many people have to park out on the road and walk in to their houses. The river water is up to, and over, their roads and driveways. To continue to drive over the soft mud would tear up their road.. so they walk.

Just like the previous photo, there is not normally water here!

Apr 10 - Flood waters (100/365)

2009-04-24T13:50:00.004-05:00

There is not normally water here at all! I took this while driving west over I29. The river is actually locate well to the right (east) of this interstate!

Normally you would not see any water from this vantage point at all!

Apr 9 - Flooded Corn Field (99/365)

2009-04-24T13:42:00.004-05:00

I'm so sorry I'm so behind! I've been taking photos of the flooding because there isn't much else to take photos of! I did try to mix it up though.

This is a flooded cornfield north of Harwood, ND (which is just north of Fargo). The little dots are birds! If you click on it, it will open to full size and you can see all of the birds out in the water. I saw ducks, geese and what I think are swans! I'm not sure and I could not get close enough to them to really tell.

Apr 8 - Geese (98/365)

2009-04-10T16:34:00.012-05:00

Wow, guess it has been a week for birds! We were standing outside visiting when all of a sudden the sky erupted in noisy chatter!!

We looked up and for miles we saw what seemed like strings across the sky! I quickly realized it was what looked to be thousands of geese migrating north!! It was an astounding sight!

They were very high in the sky and what you see here is nothing to what filled our view for miles around and could see them far to the south, east and west of us. The 'strings' went on and on for several minutes! The unbelievably loud cacophony of the birds filled the air.

These birds must have set stopping places, like favorite resting spots, on their path north because we see a lot of them sitting on the ice of ponds and lakes around here; not on the water, but on the ice as many of the bodies of water here are still frozen!

I realize I left the roof of the neighboring house in the bottom of the photo, I felt it helped to ground the photo a little and make it less of a large blue rectangle ;) I didn't dare run back in the house for the zoom lens to get more of a close up of the birds. Besides, it was the amazing number of birds in the sky that inspired today's blog post.

Note: I did know a group of geese was a gaggle, but I did not know if they were flying it was called a skein! Thanks Nicky! :)

I shared this photo with a very bird savvy co-worker and he says they are likely snow geese. I am going to go looking for close ups this weekend!

Apr 7 - Kite (97/365)

2009-04-10T16:32:00.004-05:00

Oh this was such a nice sight! Even with snow on the ground and a touch of winter still in the air, this adventurous soul was out with a kite! There is almost always a breeze, if not an outright wind, here all the time.

This was such a fun bit of color to see in the sky!

Apr 6 - Eagle!! (96/365)

2009-04-10T16:24:00.012-05:00

What an amazing treat! I'm used to seeing falcons, black birds, what I think are some type of seagull and tons of little birds... however this is the first time I've gotten such a clear photo of an eagle!!

For whatever reason, this little white bird was very agitated to have such a predatory one circling so lazily above where we were.

Apr 5 - Falcon (95/365)

2009-04-10T16:13:00.002-05:00

I love Falcons, I actually love all wildlife and really enjoy photographing them. Living on such an amazing expanse of prairie does not allow a great opportunity for photographing wildlife.

My husband and I went to Alexandria, MN to a resort and on the way we saw at least twenty majestic falcons sitting in the trees right off the interstate! Driving down the interstate did not allow me many photos and every time we pulled over to get a photo, those wily birds took off!

We saw another 20-30 falcon sightings on the way back home! It was amazing. I loved it. I had to use my zoom lens and stop, be prepared, and snap quick to get these two photos before he was gone!

Apr 4 - Otter (94/365)

2009-04-10T15:58:00.002-05:00

My husband and I love to take drives around the area with the camera. I don't know why, but I enjoy taking photos of the large animal statues around here. There are a lot of them in MN and ND, it's actually quite surprising.

Anyway, there is a large cow in Salem, ND and Bison in Jamestown, ND, there is a fish in Wahpeton, ND and I found this new one that I hadn't seen before.

We were in Fergus Falls, Minnesota which is located in Ottertail county on the Ottertail river, so I guess it isn't so surprising that they have this HUGE otter! Isn't he cute? LOL

I will photograph the many large animals and share them here. They all make me laugh!

Apr 3 - Nests (93/365)

2009-04-10T15:52:00.003-05:00

There is a little island out in this pond. Normally it's a pond, however right now it is still an ice skating opportunity! It might be April, but we still have snow and ice!

If you look at the base of the tree you will see a nesting (or getting ready to) pair.

I hope to go back here later in Spring/early Summer and see these nests full!

Apr 2 - Must be Spring! (92/365)

2009-04-10T15:39:00.005-05:00

Does anyone else have this problem? This is the second time blogspot has done this to me! I can not force it to upload this photo correctly. It's crazy. I can even turn it in the software and save it and it imports it turned up like this!

Anyway, I saw these Geese out on a frozen pond. It made me laugh. The third one came up and the one chased him away. Then the first two seemed to kiss!

April 1 - Fargo - 10-26" of snow (91/356)

2009-04-01T21:00:00.010-05:00

Thank goodness it wasn't rain! We got almost a foot of snow yesterday. Some areas around us got as much as 26" of new snow! Many businesses that had not closed for the flood were now closed for the blizzard. It made for a very eerie landscape.

When all of this melts the river will crest again, but the authorities have all said they are confident it won't get anywhere near as high as it was. Right now the river has dropped four feet in just a few days! Wooo hoo

(The white bubbles are indeed snowflakes :)

Fargo - Bison Tough

2009-03-31T11:51:00.007-05:00

Yes - we are having a blizzard here in Fargo. Yes, we are still flooding, but the river is dropping. Schools are closed, the interstate is closed, businesses are closed.

I took this photo at 7:30 this morning. Even with all of this craziness around us, there is such a serene calmness, such an amazing strength and a palpable resolve in the residents and in the land itself.

Fargo will survive and the people will be the stronger for it.

(Note: This photo is of the front gates to the North Dakota State University. It is the home of the NDSU Bison)

Had Enough....

2009-03-30T21:03:00.006-05:00

I've already posted my photo for today, but I just had to share this one. Last Saturday when I went up to the Veterans Memorial Bridge (aka Main Avenue Bridge). We parked and walked in. As we were walking back to the car, I saw this guy walking over the bridge with his bags. He gave me permission to take the photo and said he'd had enough.

Catching him at a green light with the arrows overhead just seemed too good to pass up.

Right now we have no travel advised and at least a couple of inches of new snow on the ground. Schools are already canceled due to the flood fight. It looks like tomorrow we are expecting winds of 30-40 miles an hour. You would not believe how 40 miles an hour can blow around that snow! It makes it almost impossible to see when you're driving. The biggest trouble right now is that the snow makes it hard to see, but the icy flood water along the roads and in the ditches makes slipping off the road treacherous.

March 30 SNOW!!

2009-03-30T19:37:00.005-05:00

I'm sure you've all heard by now because the press LOVES drama lol We are expecting 6-10" of new snow!

Yep, on top of the flooding, Fargo is in a blizzard! Total white out conditions. The snow was gone earlier this week.

I was not willing to walk very far to get photos, so it's just photos of neighboring places for today's post. You can see how large the flakes are and how much snow we've gotten.

This is just crazy.

The good news is that the river has dropped down from record breaking depths at 41.82 to 38.79! That may not sound like much, but it sure looks like a LOT! I'm not sure what all of this snow is going to do. It's wet and mushy snow and there is a whole lot water out there on the fields. As it melts, it will join the Red River and raise it up again. The mayor has said he doesn't think it will hit a record crest again. We'll see....

Mar 29 - Mikelson Park is flooded

2009-03-29T16:17:00.005-05:00

This is Mikelson Park and it is located at 9th Ave and Oak St N in Fargo, ND. It has hosted state and national fast pitch tournaments and is home to Little League Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball. Notice the small building at the top right side of the sign. You can see that the flood water has started to climb.

Here you can see that they are putting in earthen dikes to protect us from the rising flood water. They are actually piling dirt on Oak Street. You can't see them in this photo, but just to the left (behind that tree) is an apartment building.

Remember the building in the first photo? Here it is again, but a little more underwater. It looks like some sort of storage building maybe. There is a chain link fence around it and I know it isn't the first time it has flooded. It flooded back in 1996 as well.

The flood water has continued to climb steadily so I was not surprised to find today that the little building was well hidden below the muddy, icy flood water.

Here is is again. Can you spot that little building now? The other photos were taken as I stood on Oak street just south of the park.

This photo is taken from one block west of Oak on the intersection of 1st and 9th. As I looked east towards the rising water, I noticed that little building out there. It is a great way to gauge how hi and how quickly the water is rising.

Here you go, the earthen dike is finished. It is protecting these resident from the destructive flood water. This road is closed to all but residents of the area.

I am so proud of our city and how this has been handled. I want to thank ALL of the volunteers that stepped up and helped us. We never could have done it without you. Today I saw 7 South Dakota patrol cars right in the city. We have 1700 (I think) National Guard members here helping out too.

I tell you what, if Mayor Dennis Walaker ever runs for any other office, he has my vote. I didn't know him well before this happened, but after listening to his calm, in charge voice on the radio and seeing him in the news conferences - he's got it together and has done an amazing job.

Mar 28 - Flood Peak?

2009-03-28T20:36:00.009-05:00

What a difference ONE week can make! The first photo is one I posted last weekend (Mar 21) from the south side of Main Avenue and from the Moorhead, MN side of the river. You can just see the flags flying and the bridge through the many trees. You can also see the lazy river winding through under the bridge.

The second photo? It is from the south side of the Main Avenue bridge (Mar 28), but from a closer vantage point, the bridge itself! The water is up to the bridge. I've pointed out some of the more familiar points on the bridge for those that have visited here before.
This is also take from the Moorhead side of the Main Avenue bridge. The freezing temps have calmed the rising river. I would take the cold over the flooding anytime. This walkway drops down to a road and walk path that normally follows the river. You can see the road in the first photo of today's post.
This is from the bridge looking east and where that closed sidewalk leads to. That is indeed a lamp post you see jutting from the flood water. Where I took the first photo from is under the river water.

It seems we are winning the battle. We never could have done it without the amazing amount of volunteers that have stepped in to help. There is no way to thank them all, but I do thank each and every one of them. My son lives near that river and was able to stay in his home because of the diligent effort of those volunteers. The National Guard, Fargo PD, Mayor Walaker and everyone else involved in this have gone beyond the call of duty and to the call of family. With all of their hard work and the drop back down to below freezing weather, it looks like the water has finally slowed... for now anyway. I don't think we're through this yet though. We went for a drive in the country south of Fargo and there is still a LOT of water out there and a lot of snow. At some point this all has to melt and we will do this all over again.

Here is a site to see the river levels and great photos of the river raising at Dike west, it is located at USGS Flood Tracking. The photos show the ND side of all of the photos I posted here and on March 16.

Flood photos from past years; http://www.ndsu.edu/fargo_geology/floodphotos.htm

Mar 27 - Drainage Ditch 27

2009-03-28T20:26:00.006-05:00

I'll admit, I've been feeling pretty safe this week as I live in the south west part of Fargo right on the border of Fargo and West Fargo. The Red River is clear across town from me. I was listening to the radio at work and heard them talking about Drain 27 and how it was being diked due to rising water. I didn't know what it was, so I looked it up. It runs east and west and then turns south for a ways.

It is two blocks north of my house AND two blocks west! This body of water shown here is normally a little muddy trickle down in the bottom. So empty it couldn't even support mosquitoes! Yet here it is, the water is all the way to the top and climbing! You can see the sandbags on the right side of the photo, they've added several feet to the sides to accommodate the rushing, rising, icy, muddy water.

Here is a map showing where Drainage Ditch 27 is. Normally it is just a little, empty ditch. It was built to catch some of the overflow and help avoid flooding.

This year though, there is so much water that everything is full to the brim and in some places, over flowing. This last photo is the city adding just a little more protection to the dike around Drain 27. This is located north of 40th Ave south and west of 42nd St. (Just north of Ristreto's, Swansons and Microsoft)

Mar 26 - Old Tree

2009-03-28T20:21:00.003-05:00

I headed out to get pics of the flooding while staying out of the way. That proved to be too difficult. Anywhere I wanted to go to get a photo of the action, there was just too much action for me to be there. The waters are climbing so fast.

This is north of Fargo. I was going to take a photo of the climbing water and the huge ice chunks as the river has completely left its banks and is spreading across the land. Instead I found this great old tree! It just seemed to fit.

Mar 25 - It's snowing

2009-03-28T20:19:00.001-05:00

I cannot go out and take my usual pictures today. So, I opened my door and this is what we woke up to today. The river is still rising fast. The roads are treacherous with the rain we received last night. Then it turned to snow and we now have glare ice and blowing snow. The snow was basically gone.

This morning the channel 11 news crew ventured out 7 miles south of town to report on a levee that broke. The news crew was not sure if they were going to find a way back to town because of the icy roads and all the water! The national guard had to rescue a family with two children that had lost their home to the flood. It is getting dangerous here.

All schools have closed. Malls have closed. There are many communities around Fargo that have no water. There are places that need to boil their drinking water. Lift stations are failing. If you have never been in a flood, life basically stops as we know it. Now with the snow it just complicates things more.

Even with all of this, the city of Fargo is now 95% done with where they wanted to be for this flood. On Monday the volunteers made 450,000 sandbags. Tuesday the volunteers produced over 500,000 sandbags! One thing that you can say about a flood; all differences that people have with each other, no matter what they are, they are put aside. This has brought 1000s of people together in the same cause. Protect the city at all costs.

Mar 24 - Old Barn

2009-03-28T20:13:00.002-05:00

Well in town there is water everywhere and people are sandbagging. We have volunteers coming from all over to help. The radio and news is full of flooding news. It was becoming too much. Here is a nice serene and dry scene for todays post. I was out driving in the country and came across it. I know it is north of Fargo and north of Georgetown, MN.

March 23 - Overland Flooding

2009-03-28T20:01:00.004-05:00

When the spring thaws hit, the farmland around here disappears under a few inches to a few feet of water. As everything thaws, it pools in the little rivers and tributaries around here. They all seem to then lead to the Red River of the North.

In just a couple of days, this country dirt road will no longer be visible and this whole area will look like a lake.

Mar 22 - Water is rising

2009-03-28T19:44:00.005-05:00

My daughter and I took a ride today. Spring thaw has indeed come early and the water is rising. We drove over to the Moorhead Center mall in Moorhead, MN. From there you can see the river as it flows under the Main Avenue bridge and the railway bridge. When the flood hits the water will rise up to almost touch the bottom of these bridges!

I crossed under the railway bridge shown in the first photo and came out pretty quickly on the south side of the Main Avenue bridge. That bridge is only a few years old. They raised it due to the 1997 flood. I think they raised it to accommodate a flood of 43 feet. Normally the river you see flowing below this bridge is about 14 feet or so. I took this photo from the Minnesota side of the river. If I would have turned to my left, I could have taken a photo of Dike West on the North Dakota side.

Mar 21 - Spring Thaw

2009-03-28T19:33:00.004-05:00

Well, the fun has begun. Today was overcast, but the river is breaking up. We seem to be thawing early this year. The rivers here move very slowly. I should mention that the Red River of the North that goes through Fargo and divides Fargo, ND from Moorhead, MN flows north! Yep, you read that right... it runs north. The Nile is the only other river in the world that flows north.

Mar 20 - More Bison

2009-03-28T19:27:00.003-05:00

Here is another one! I don't know where all of them are, but I'll keep searching. I believe after the project was over these were auctioned off. I'm not positive about that though. They are from the Herd About the Prairie project.

Mar 19 - Grazing Bison

2009-03-28T18:14:00.006-05:00

This one is in downtown Fargo right in front of Atomic Coffee. I love how they placed him at that little bush. It looks like I've interrupted his grazing!

I looked on the Herd About the Prairie site, but I couldn't identify this one on the list. Maybe you can?

Thanks Andrea for letting me know this one is called "Nights in the Valley". There are more photos of these guys by local people that can be found at http://www.areaphotos.com/community/?page=thumbnails&gallery_id=44

March 18 Art

2009-03-28T18:09:00.004-05:00

This is a bison and it is painted, but I don't know if it is one of the Herd About the Prairie project. I found these up on 7th Ave North in Fargo, ND

Mar 17 - Bison

2009-03-28T17:39:00.006-05:00

There are a bunch of these creatively painted Bison all over town. They were part of the "Herd About The Prairie" project. We are home of the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison and I'm guessing that was behind these. I'm tired of snow photos and thought some color was in order!

I do not know the names or artists for these creatures, but I will try to find the info and post that as I find the various beasts. This one is located just across the river in Moorhead, Minnesota in front of the museum.

I found it. This one is Gogh-bison-go by Geri Burkhart-Weiner of Fargo, ND

Fargo Flood Pics 2009

2009-03-27T08:05:00.002-05:00

These photos are NOT lakes or beaches. This is ALL farmland south of Fargo under a whole lot of flood water.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090327/ap_on_re_us/midwest_flooding

March - Fargo is flooding

2009-03-23T09:19:00.007-05:00

Would you like to know what's going on around us? Here in Fargo we deal with a lot of spring run off every year, however, we don't usually have this much water! We did in '97, but this isn't as bad of weather, just as bad of water and run off. In this photo you see a backhoe building up the dike. This is a dirt mound follow a road between downtown Fargo and the quickly rising river. You can just see the river to the right of this photo. They water WILL reach up and lap at the top of this dirt wall.

Current Video - our local news went up in an airplane and took video of the flooding yesterday.

Fargo Flood Forecast Display Tool - http://ffdt.rrbdin.org/index.php

Fargo Flood Cam is HERE - Now realize what you are viewing is downtown Fargo and that normally you don't even notice the water there! It's a tiny little river wayyyy down 30' + lower than it is now!!

I've compiled a few links for those emailing me and asking me about the situation:

I realize I'm behind on my photo of the day blogging and I'll try to catch up here this week. I DO have photos, just haven't had the time. We are pretty consumed with the weather and flooding right now.
Thanks,
Tammey

Mar 16 (76/365) Watch it grow

2009-03-16T21:02:00.007-05:00

Well it is about that time of year. I thought I would start out by showing you this 40 foot tall measuring 'stick'. It looks pretty silly up on that hill of snow, right?

Now, see the next photo? That is the little river (Red River of the North) that runs north at the bottom of this little hill of snow. Yes, it runs north to Canada!

With this much snow and more expected, we will flood this Spring. I will continue taking photos so you can watch as the river overflows the banks and moves up this hill and climbs up this measuring device.

The 40 does indicate 40 feet of water is the maximum this area can hold. It is impressive. It (the river) moves from this very small slip of river (left), up over the banks, past where you now see a man walking along the bike path, over the parking lot (marked by the wooden stakes) and then up the hill and climbs the ruler.

It will also climb the banks on the other side of the river and be lapping at the doors of the houses you see over there! This parking lot is just to the west of the Red River and allows for a lot of parking and even a Farmers Market in the summer. It is at the bottom of the hill that the children are sledding down. So those sledding down the hill would end up down in the parking lot shown in the second photo. Too far for them to end up in the water, but just a very short walk from one to the other.

For more Fargo Flood information and pics, be sure to visit Chris' blog at
http://cbrown47.blogspot.com/ and leave him a comment to let him know you were there :)

UPDATE Fargo Flood Water - March 24, 2009
This is the SAME measuring device that you see in the first photo above and here - it is a large park here in Fargo. Notice the 40' mark in both photos? In the first photo people are sledding down the hill and into the parking lot.

In this photo, the parking lot and everything is under water. So far we are at about 30.83' and climbing. The top of the measuring device is at 40' - we are expecting the water to crest at 42' the last I heard. That is TWO feet above the top of this 'ruler'.... and over this protective, man made dike. This is called Dike East and is located near downtown Fargo (south of main ave).

When taking this photo the Main Avenue bridge is behind and to the left.

Mar 15 (75/365) Happy St. Patricks Day!

2009-03-15T20:32:00.007-05:00

There is a cute little donut shop here in Fargo called Sandy's Donuts, named after the guy that opened it; Sandy Ostlund.

Krispy Kreme was in Fargo for a while, but they closed the doors last year. Sandy's is still going strong. They make all kinds of wonderful treats and are not limited to donuts. They have soup, sandwiches and delightful little treats like this little green guy here.

We stopped in there this past week to enjoy a small donut. Skyler was very tempted by the treat that was placed before him! You can just read it in his expression! Of course he did NOT get to take this lovely treat back to the table with him lol He was happy with a small glazed (his favorite) and a milk. I had this delicious little peanut butter frosted pastry. Chris had something chocolaty I'm sure.

Well, I almost was able to post a day without snow in a photo! You should see it outside! We hit about 40° today! It was awesome. The snow is more than half gone!

Mar 14 (74/365) Snow

2009-03-15T20:28:00.003-05:00

This will probably be one of my last snow pictures for the season. We are supposed to start getting warmer weather this week. That means most of this snow will be gone in a few days.

I'll start posting flooding pics after that lol

This photo shows how deep the snow got. You can see the stairs that normally go from the ground up to the second story. Today however, they are not in use!

Mar 13 (73/365) More Snow

2009-03-13T18:27:00.004-05:00

This is actually a two lane road
This is a big four wheel drive pickup

Not sure a photo can do it justice. We got an amazing amount of snow. You guys might really get tired of snow photos, but that's about all there is for me to take right now.

Unless I go back to taking photos IN my house! LOL Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of winter....

Mar 12 (72/365) - Snow Day

2009-03-13T18:15:00.003-05:00

Fargo Snow Day

White glistens all around
On the trees and on the ground

Beauty for the eye to behold
Treacherous, the truth be told

Soft and fluffy and oh so white
Sparkling, blinding, very bright

Snowy white coat on everything
TWO snow days, a child's dream!

~ Tammey Brown

Mar 11 (71/365) Day after the blizzard

2009-03-11T19:08:00.015-05:00

Wow, we really got the snow! I went out with the camera to attempt and share with all of you what it was like here over the last two days. It's not that we got all that much snow, it's what the wind does with the snow!
The wind was blowing 45-60 miles an hour. The land around here is very flat so that meant the snow was constantly moving around. It also means that where the wind couldn't cause havoc, it dropped the most snow!

This is how you plow snow in such huge areas as this! There is a blade on the front much like a snow blower. Then it blows the snow out the top and away from the machine! They are pretty amazing to watch. I really enjoy it and the amount of snow they move is impressive!

The snow plows drive the roads and cut through the large drifts, then throw the snow off the side of the road. It is so amazing to see drifts four, five or even six feet deep! Here, to really show the depth of the snow, you can see a street sign. I figure those are pretty standard everywhere. Just find yourself a sign and stand next to it and then you'll know how deep this is!

Some roads are not as important as others. Those roads are done last, if at all. When you come up to a road covered in snow, you just keep going. You can see the tracks here from those that had been before us.

I have so many more photos from today! I didn't want to bore ya'll so I think I'll just upload them to my flickr.... probably my webshots.

I was asked when is Spring? When the snow is gone, we get flooding. After flooding is mosquito season, followed by Winter. It used to be that construction quickly followed flooding, but now construction is an all year round event. Spring is that week after the snow melts and before the mosquitoes hatch. (This is my guys enjoying the snow!)

Mar 10 (70/365) Blizzard!!!

2009-03-10T19:19:00.007-05:00

Well, it's storming in Fargo again! We are shoulder deep in snow and it's still snowing! Everything is closed down around here now. The interstate, schools, businesses and even the postal service are all closed for the day due to the weather. You can see here how hard the snow is blowing!

This photo shows how hard the snow is blowing! The screen door got slid open somehow this past week. I still don't know how - it seems 'not me' did it! LOL Anyway, the wind is blowing so hard it has actually tucked the snow inside the screen and patio door!

This is what it looks like when I open my front door! The snow has built up against the door. See the lines in the snow from the molding on the door? The photo looks a little blurry, it's not. That is the snow blowing INTO the house!!

Here you go, this photo is taken of the townhouses just across the road from us!! Now that's a lot of snow!

Mar 9 (69/365) Carnation

2009-03-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

This carnation caught my eye today. My oldest son gave me a beautiful boquet of royal purple carnations for Valentines Day. This is them going strong! They are still just gorgeous. Such a cheerful ray of color on such a drab, gray day.

Mar 8 (68/356) Farmland

2009-03-10T16:14:00.004-05:00

We are expecting a huge snow storm later this week. The snow was finally starting to leave! One thing that still amazes me in this area is how much land is used for farms. This corn field is between where I live and where I work! There are little plots like this all around. Slowly though, they are being eaten up by the city.

Mar 7 (67/365) Fargo Force Fight

2009-03-08T13:41:00.014-05:00

Well, it seems it's true. Hockey players ARE a rough lot and love to fight! It also seems it's true that as long as the fight is fair and no one falls to the ice, the refs will let it continue.

Off went the gloves and the sticks went flying. Team mates stood just out of range, ready to step in if needed.

Many in the stand yelled and egged it on as Fargo Force, Tom McCarthy and Chicago Steel, Brett Beebe threw down on the ice.

This fight was brief and not a lot of action, and ended with Beebe hitting his head on the ice. Once down, McCarthy (Force) quickly backed off. We could see Beebe (Chicago) moving his hands as he talked to the ref from the ice so all knew he was still conscious.

The paramedics were quick to respond. Beebe must have laid out there a good 12 minutes before they got him up on the gurney and wrapped him in layers of blankets.

They safely took Beebe out of the rink and the game resumed. Later we learned that Beebe was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons and that he was fine. There were not any more fights after this and the Fargo Force went on to win the game 8-1. I can't wait to go to the next game! We had to leave early as we took Skyler and a couple of his friends and he doesn't do well when he has to stay up very much past his bedtime. It just messes with him. Sometimes being a responsible parent is a pain! LOL That was a great game and I really wanted to stay. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'm staying til the very end! :)

Mar 6 (66/365) Fargo Force Hockey Team

2009-03-08T13:09:00.007-05:00

I went to my first hockey game and just LOVED it!!! This is the first goal of the night! Score! 1-0.

The Fargo Force, our brand new hockey team, did a great job! The game was full of action and really cleaned up. Final score was 8-1, taking the Force into a tie for second. I don't know much about hockey, but I'm going to learn and I plan to get to as many games as I can. Hockey is way more fun to watch than football or basketball lol There was a lot of falling, a lot of body slamming, one out right fist fight, and a whole lot of action!
Here you can actually see the spray of ice as they fight over the puck. That puck goes slamming off the wall and across the rink and these guys follow it! I can barely see it and I'm sitting up in a suite! It's very impressive that they can keep track of that tiny thing! The Force played the Chicago Steel team.

Mar 5 (65/365) Bikes

2009-03-08T12:56:00.003-05:00

The trouble with the large chain stores is that they all run on the same schedule and we all don't. When corporate WalMart says put out the bikes and get ready for spring, the little stores have to follow. So out came the spring clothes and away wen the sweaters. At our WalMart you will find pretty little swimsuits and sandals starting to fill the shelves. The bikes all come out and are put outside in anticipation of warmer weather. However, Mother Nature has other ideas in mind! It's is still very much winter here, but not according to the WalMart (and other chains) shelves!!