Pretty cool, huh? A caterpillar with antennae on both ends! Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Zimmerman, Minnesota. 19 June 2010.

See what I mean about the beetles? They were pretty amazing. The flower is a Butterflyweed. Don't have any clue what kind of beetle it is (except I'm pretty sure it's not Ringo). Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Zimmerman, Minnesota. 19 June 2010.

Prairie Rose. There seemed to be an abundance of beetles on just about all of the flowers we saw (if you click on yesterday's photo to enlarge it, you'll see a few there). Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Zimmerman, Minnesota. 19 June 2010.

A trip to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge to see Bald Eagles didn't result in any bald eagle sightings (did see a nest, though), but did result in lots more lovely wildflowers and a bunch more birds. I think I've decided to invest in a "Minnesota Wildflowers" book so that I can I.D. some of these. Zimmerman, Minnesota. 19 June 2010.

Trumpeter Swan #1: Beautiful sunset, isn't it dear?
Trumpeter Swan #2: Mmmghggmm.
Maple Grove, Minnesota. 16 June 2010.

This trumpeter swan seems to carrying on a conversation with a duck family as it swims by. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 16 June 2010.

Trumpeter Swan. One of three that hangs out in the neighborhood lakes. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 16 June 2010.

This trumpeter swan appeared to be entertaining (preaching to?) some ducks. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 16 June 2010.

In the 'hood: an otter was enjoying a late-evening swim. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 16 June 2010.

This great egret dove to capture a small fish, and in an instant was enjoying appetizers. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 13 June 2010.

There are lots of birds in the water, too. Great Egret. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 13 June 2010.

We were headed out for an evening stroll around the lakes (camera in hand, of course) when we just happened to see these birds fly over. Maple Grove, Minnesota. 16 June 2010.

The last in the trip-to-Taylor's-Falls series. I'm not sure what this (or any of the other wildflowers, for that matter) is, but the raindrops are a nice touch, aren't they? We're already planning our photo adventure for tomorrow, now that we have a whole new palette of possibilities to consider. Taylor's Falls, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

If you double-click on this image, and look very carefully at the uppermost flower, you'll see the Minnesota state bird-- the mosquito. They were loving the several days of rain that we had last week. Taylor's falls, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

More wildflowers from our Saturday visit to Interstate State Park. Taylor's Falls, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

We encountered many wildflowers on our visit to Interstate State Park on Saturday. I was sorry not to have had a little more time with this one, but it was raining pretty steadily by this point in our walk. Taylor's Falls, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

I especially liked this pothole-- I should probably save it for a Valentine's Day post. Taylor's Fall, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of visiting Interstate State Park, along the St. Croix river, about an hour north of the cities. It is famous for rock formations known as potholes. This one is about 12 feet around and of unknown depth (the holes naturally fill in with dirt, so they don't know how far down the dirt goes before it turns to rock). Taylor's Falls, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

"Look ma-- no hands!" Or roots, it seems. How a tree THAT big can survive with virtually no roots is beyond me. And it wasn't the only one, either. Taylor's Falls, Minnesota. 12 June 2010.

Saw this spectacular sunset last night, just as I was arriving home. The lake is home to a lot of waterfowl (including an egret who likes to hang out in the tall grass at the lower left) and is directly behind my house. Maple Grove, MN. 9 June 2010.

Finally-- a photo from Minnesota! I was blessed by a recent visit from my friend Bishop Christopher Senyonjo. Having him as a house guest gave us an excuse/opportunity to explore the greater Twin Cities. This was taken at Noerenberg gardens, a lovely garden on the northern shore of Lake Minnetonka. Orono, Minnesota. 27 May 2010.

This is one of my favorite photos from the LA ordinations. It was during the "prelude" before the service. Several of the local native American tribes offered blessings-- this is actually a photo of one of the large screen monitors (with the assembling multitudes down below). Long Beach, California. 15 May 2010.

I realized recently that I hadn't posted anything here in ages. Things have been a bit busy with a move from Kalamazoo to Minnesota, but I do have a few photos that I've been meaning to get up here.
This is from Bishop Glasspool and Bishop Bruce's ordination. I was blessed with a good seat, thanks to Katie Sherrod and Bruce Garner. I was traveling light, so only had my new Canon G11, which I'm still getting a feel for.
Long Beach, California. 15 May 2010.