Sepia Scenes Exploration Place

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This is the Exploration Place in downtown Wichita, KS, on the Arkansas River.  It is a museum of sorts that encourages hands-on exploration and investigation of science for all ages.  A really neat place to visit, maybe taking three hours or less to go through.   Click here for more: http://www.exploration.org/

Please click to enlarge!

And here’s the color:

Thanks for visiting and thanks for all the wonderful comments!

Scenic Sunday: Sunsets Are Seldom the Same

It’s Scenic Sunday again!  I’ve gone with a sunset theme, and couldn’t pick just one picture. 

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy!  As always, click on the pictures to enlarge them.

For more Scenic Scenes, go HERE!

Sun and Ice

Badlands Burning Clouds

Sinking Badlands Sun

It doesn’t matter where you are; to get a good sunset, you need the sun, some clouds, and a good view to the West!

Some crepuscular wildlife hoping around during sunset.  This is One Eyed Jack, a desert cottontail that lived in the Badlands over this past summer.  He had a rough little life and started out as a wee one that met some hungry predator with poor aim.  Jack roamed around and, amazing us all, made it into late summer with his one good eye.  This is the last time I saw him.  We had a report of a child picking him up outside the Visitor Center, which is where this picture was taken the night before that report, and we never saw him again.  Either someone took him home [can you imagine taking a WILD animal out of a National Park???  Two years ago, I confiscated a juv. swallow from some visitors that were taking him back to Chicago from YELLOWSTONE! wow!] or Jack and his one good eye couldn’t keep away from the Great Horned Owl below. 

Great Horned Owl with a Perfect Perch

Grandma’s Chili!

Here is a simple Chili recipe that my Grandmother started me on.  She does it the midwestern way–adding spaghetti noodles while the chili simmers, but this recipe is the ‘western’ way, noodle-less and a little spicy. 

[Just a note: If you have never tried ground turkey before, when you brown it, it will look like it's turning into a mass of goo.  Magically, it turns back into ground pieces.  Still have yet to figure out this mystery!]

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey     ~Brown with garlic to taste.   Drain off fat, or keep it in. Either way.

• 2 cans Bush’s Chili beans [medium or mild]

• 2 cans diced tomatoes [Rotel with green chilis work well, but add spice!]

• 2   5 oz cans V8

• 2 V8 cans full of water

• 1 tbs chili powder [if you want a little more kick, add 2 tbs instead of one]

• 1 tbs cumin [ditto from above]

• 1/2 tbs garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Add above ingredients, including browned meat, to a large pot and simmer until thoroughly heated [or until pasta is cooked].  Add cheese, sour cream, whatever you like to eat your chili with!  Reheats nicely.  Makes six servings.

Sepia Scenes Kansas Sunsets

Ice on Cheney Lake, Kansas

Just for kicks, here’s the color version!

Click on it to see the large! 

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HERE!

Thanks very much  for visiting! 

Moist Citrus Cake – Sunshine in a Pan

I don’t have any pictures to accompany this post since I made this a couple weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting it.  This one is a really quick crowd pleaser that brings sunshine to a cloudy, cold day. 

Ingredients

• 1 package yellow cake mix

• 4 eggs

• 3/4 c cooking oil

• 3/4 c water

Mix well and bake in a long pan.  Or, just follow the directions on the box!  The 4 eggs will add a significant amount of cholesterol, etc. to the cake.

Glaze:

• 2 c powdered sugar

• 3 tbs lemon juice

• 2 tbs lime juice

• 2 tbs butter

• 2 tbs water

Mix together well.  Should be slightly runny.

Add to cake by either poking holes with a long fork all the way to the pan and then pouring over cake, just don’t poke too many or you’ll lose the integrity of the cake!  Or you can pour over the top and continually spread it with a spatula to the top until it hardens. 

Wasn’t that easy??!

Scenic Sunday Frozen Lights

Took a jaunt out to see Cheney Lake, KS, and see if we could catch a sunset.  A cloud bank was moving in, so there weren’t any neat cloud patterns, just a gray, almost featureless slab.  The ice was neat though!

For more Scenic Sunday posts, click

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Sepia Scenes Lofty Ambitions

We were driving through Nebraska on our way from Agate Fossil Beds National Monument and Chimney Rock National Historic Site, heading back towards Scotts Bluff National Monument [all great places to visit, by the way!]  and we happened upon this little cloud.  Someone in the car was hoping to ‘multitask’ on that day and this was an area of unstable air that eventually formed into a storm, but it was heading northeast and out of our way, so we couldn’t chase it.  We got to see fossils, but didn’t get any storm chasing in that day.  There was one bummed meteorologist in the car!

Thanks for stopping by and for the comments you all graciously leave!  For more Sepia Scenes, click

HERE!

Just for fun, I’m adding the crooked color version as well!

The Rattler That Almost Got Me

I’ll admit it: like so many others, my stupidity almost landed me a rattlesnake bite!

It was dark, the snake was crossing the road.  I hopped out of the car and took a couple pictures, but I made one bad assumption: I thought he had been hit.  In a split second, the snake I was leaning over flipped himself in the opposite direction and was poised to strike.  He could have hit me if I were a few inches closer.  That is one story a ranger would never want to share!

The one that almost got me!

Rattlesnakes are unique due to their capability to actually warn and alert creatures when they are too close.  They most likely developed this adaptation in response to living with large creatures like bison and crafty predators such as coyotes.  If they have this built-in warning system then why do bites on humans occur?

Lots of reasons!!!

Snake’s Fault

Sometimes snakes, just like us, make mistakes.  Since they are reptiles, they may be too cold to react fast enough to rattle before the shoe comes down.  They might confuse your hand, or even leg, for prey. 

With the prairie rattlesnake, younger snakes are often more aggressive and less predictable.  Something that wouldn’t even make an older rattlesnake flinch could possibly cause a rapid, fang-filled response in a young snake.  Quite often, too, the youngsters will strike multiple times. 

Human Error

Unfortunately, there are often more factors involved on the human side of a snake-human encounter and two primary factors are blood-alcohol levels and gender.  In fact, if you are a male that is between the ages of 20 and 40 and you’ve had anything to drink, STAY AWAY from any snakes.  These fellows fall into the category of ‘most often bitten’. 

In my case, I assumed the snake was dead.  I’ve picked up dead snakes, pushed snakes off the road with snow poles, picked them up with long sticks, but if there isn’t blood and the skin isn’t hanging loose, it’s not a safe snake to handle with your hands!  I thought the snake was dead because he was flat-ish and in the dark I imagined tire marks. 

Rattlesnake Attack!

So what happens when you encounter a rattlesnake?  What should you do? 

When a rattlesnake notices your presence, he’s going to do one of three things: Freeze, flee, or coil.  [**DISCLAIMER BELOW!] 

If he freezes, don’t assume he’s sleeping.  He’s just hoping his camoflauge is working. If he is flattened, he knows you are there, and he’s trying to look bigger.  Keep your distance.  Rattlesnakes can strike half the distance of their body in general.  Slowly walk away from the snake.  That’s that! 

If the snake flees, do not persue him.  But you need to keep in mind that rattlesnakes have tiny brains.  If his place of refuge is behind you, he’s going to come your way!  Get out of the way!!!  And never approach a coiled snake!

If the snake coils, slowly and as quietly as possible back away. He will most likely be flattened out as well.  He’s trying to not escalate to any contact by looking big and putting on a terrifying display.  The ‘experts’ recommend not to run, due to the fact that, if this encounter is happening during the spring, you may be near a den and another snake could be near by!  If you are dangerously close to the snake, within half the length of his body, hold still.  Most snakes do not want to waste their vemon on something they can’t eat and they know we aren’t dinner.  Just a note, snakes HATE dust kicked in their eyes, since they can’t blink it out–no eyelids!

**Alright, now that I’ve said all this, nothing is 100% fool-proof.  It really all depends on the snake’s personality.  The best prevention is to be aware of where you place your feet and hands and to respect the snake–don’t approach him and he’ll leave you alone!  They are very neat and interesting creatures to observe and they give us a unique nature experience and thrill, so respect their place and they’ll gladly leave you alone!  They are just big chickens with venom and fangs!

He wasn’t happy I picked him up with a stick, but it was better than becoming a tire pancake!  He probably wasn’t happy I was still there taking a picture, either!

Milky Way Brownie Recipe

<<Scenic Sunday Post: HERE!>> or scroll down

~This is a rich brownie recipe modified with candy bars!~ 

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Milky Way candy bar, coursely chopped

Cinnamon to your taste is optional, I use about 1 tablespoon

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Grease an 8 x 8 pan. 

Cream eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Add butter and beat well.  Mix dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.  Pour mixture into pregreased pan.

Melt Milky Way just slightly until soft.  Spoon on to mixture and with spoon or spatula, swirl into mixture until mostly submerged.  Make sure no white candy bar pieces are showing; they will brown and become hard!

Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Done when toothpick comes clean out.  Enjoy!

Batter

The Milky Way Swirls – you could probably make galaxy designs!

Surface of the goodness!

Scenic Sunday Snow Degrees

First, I want to start out apologizing for some of your wonderful comments that manage to get themselves in the Spam Box!  Sorry about that!  You all leave wonderful comments and that just isn’t the place for wonderful comments like that!  I’ll be more vigilant about checking in the future!

Now to the Scenics.  Since some areas of the United States are getting snow and many are seeing VERY cold temperatures, I thought I’d go with the theme. 

I bet this Badlands formation is one of the most photographed: it sits right outside the Ben Reifel Visitor Center!  You walk out the front door and this is the view you are greeted with!  Wonderful, eh?!

These are three pictures with varying degrees of snow.  They were taken on the same day or over two days, I don’t remember, but I do remember the snow melted quickly that time! 

For more Scenic Scenes, CLICK HERE!

~Click on each picture to enlarge it~