Kiss Me

The Frog Prince is a fairy tale, best known through the Brothers Grimm's written version; traditionally it is the first story in their collection. In the tale, a spoiled princess reluctantly befriends a frog (possibly meeting him after dropping a gold ball into his pond), who magically transforms into a handsome prince. Although in modern versions the transformation is invariably triggered by the princess kissing the frog, in the original Grimm version of the story the frog's spell was broken when the princess threw it against a wall in disgust. In other early versions it was sufficient for the frog to spend the night on the princess's pillow.

Wisconsin Dairy Barn

Dairy farming has been part of agriculture for thousands of years. Historically it has been one part of small, diverse farms. In the last century or so larger farms doing only dairy production have emerged. Large scale dairy farming is only viable where either a large amount of milk is required for production of more durable dairy products such as cheese, butter, etc. or there is a substantial market of people with cash to buy milk, but no cows of their own.

Texas Longhorn

The Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to 7 feet (2.1 m) tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and 36 to 80 inches (0.91 to 2.0 m) tip to tip for bulls. Similar cattle were imported by Spanish colonists into other parts of North America, including California and Florida. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are known for their diverse coloring. The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America and the International Texas Longhorn Association serve as the recognized registries for the breed. Texas Longhorns with elite genetics can often fetch $40,000 or more at auction with the record of $170,000 in recent history for a cow. Due to their innate gentle disposition and intelligence, Texas Longhorns are increasingly being trained as riding steers.

Vanishing Barn

 The man's barn is the man's worth
The cedar's pungency, the mow and the light
These legacies of line and scale
Thatch, shingle, gable and slate
From soil to shelter, from timber, honey coloured
Rubbings from hay and straw, now lichen covered,
This rhythm of the bays,
That faint hickory creak,
Those fiddler tunes,
In rafters where love once hid.
The vanishing barn, its simplicity bends slowly,
Geometry ages on the brace,
Beams hugged by dowels of oak
Where cobwebbed corners once held a song.
Quebec, Chester County, the pilgrim's grip,
The threshing floor, between cows and calf, came his step
On the echo of pigeons wings,
Beauty had this space -
Porch whispers, silence shape,
The earthy smell of harvests long past.

By Paul Kloppenborg

Little House On The Hill

 Abandoned house standing in the overgrown
path with faded (dull) gray sideboards,
that were once bright white with life.

Shutters hanging at awkward angles,
flapping in the wind,
banging against the house with creaking determination.

Darkened dusty windows,
looking sad and lonely,
yet forbidding entry
to passersby.

Door hanging ajar on it hinges,
as if the last exit was in haste.

Sagging roof with missing tiles,
hanging gutters,
proof of neglect
for many years.

Rotted porch,
sagging downward
with scattered broken furniture,
covered with cobwebs and debris.

Life has come and life has gone.
Time has gone by
with no one to tend it,
happiness in its past,
for it will never feel love again.

Anne Crawford

Red Counrty Barn

 A little red barn along the Wisconsin country side, this red barn looks to have been taken good care of and even has electricity to it.

Storm Sandy Effects Menominee Lighthouse

 Taken Oct. 30, 2012 at the Menominee Pier Lighthouse during very high winds from Storm Sandy that hit the east coast.

The Menominee North Pier lighthouse is located in the harbor of Menominee, Michigan. The station was established in 1877. The current structure and its still operational light was first lit in 1927, and automated in 1972. It is also sometimes called the "Menominee (Marinette) North Pierhead Light". The foundation is a concrete pier. The 34-foot (10 m) tall octagonal cast iron building is marked in a distinctive red, with a black lantern and white base. A Fourth Order Fresnel lens was originally installed, but was replaced with a modern 300 mm. acrylic optic lens.
The original lens is now at Sand Point Light in Escanaba, Michigan. The focal plane is 46 feet. The building originally had a diaphone fog signal structure attached, and it was later removed. The iron catwalk was removed in 1972 when the light was automated.

Cattail Reeds

  Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats. These plants are conspicuous and hence have many common names. They may be known in British English as bulrush, or reedmace, in American English as cattail, catninetail, punks, or corn dog grass, in Australia as cumbungi or bulrush, and in New Zealand as raupo. Typha should not be confused with other plants known as bulrush, such as some sedges (mostly in Scirpus and related genera). Their rhizomes are edible. Evidence of preserved starch grains on grinding stones suggests they were eaten in Europe 30,000 years ago.