Monday, October 13, 2008

Lexington, Missouri

My husband and I took a day trip
to Lexington, Missouri.

We learned a bit of history.
A famous civil war battle was fought here.


A Chinese Mantis patrolled the gate to the garden
that was near the battle field.


A Question Mark butterfly
reminded me of all my questions of why.

I did some Autumn shopping and a wee bit of leaf peeking.
I have two more weekend adventures planned.
More history lessons, more shopping and more leaves to watch fall.

26 comments:

Cheryl said...

Hi Sherry....how lovely, a weekend away......it was fun I am sure.....

Is the pretty butterfly a comma.....

Autumn leaves are works of art....I used to trace the veins as a child.....I still have some of them now.....

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Lovely pictures of autumn. It sounds like you had a good time.

kkryno said...

You can almost feel the crispness in the air. Lovely pictures.

Anonymous said...

Never have I heard of a question mark butterfly!

Lovely autumn tree.

Wendy said...

Sounds like you and hubby are enjoying the season.
I am happy for you.

Marimoy said...

love the bug picts!

marmee said...

sherry what a lovely place to visit. autumn looks to be in full swing where you are. glad you and hubby could get away for a while.
i love to photograph old churches and doors.

marmee said...

i know that building wasn't a church but it reminded me of one. the sky against the white building and the angle was amazing.plus the mantis was gorgeous!

Saucy said...

Even on a day trip you find the wildlife!

Sheila said...

It looks like a glorious day for a trip out.
sounds interesting too.
Love the mantid...he appears to be marching!

Q said...

Dear Cheryl,
We had a very fun day. Lexington is only about an hour and a half drive but my husband plotted a route that took us through the country side. We stopped for pictures and for a hike to the mouth of the Little Blue river. Lots of birds and bugs.
The butterfly is very similiar to the Eastern Comma, it is called a Question Mark. It is a wee bit bigger than the Comma and has the ? on it's underwing rather than the comma.
Autumn leaves ARE so very artful.
I have some tracings my mother did in 1920's. I gather leaves every fall and do up vases of them for the inside.
In November I celebrate leaves.
Crisp mornings and warm afternoons,
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Lisa,
I have a list of antique needs!
I have not been actively shopping for them for a couple of years. Getting back to them is fun.
I also am thinking about redoing the kitchen...just thinking about it.
Autumn is a great time to go to the antiques stores.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Vikki,
Thank you.
We put the top down on the car for our trip home. The afternoon had warmed right up!
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Meredith,
The Question Mark is a medium sized butterfly. The Eastern Comma looks similiar.
The Maples are just starting to turn in my area, the Birch are in full color! Soon the hillsides will be in a blaze.
Always a delight to be out with the trees.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Wendy,
I was very pleased we were able to get out of town. My husband is very nice about taking me here and there. While I go into the shops he reads his magazine...
We used to do lots of weekend outings. It is nice to be back enjoying the drives, the hikes and the shops.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Mimi,
Bugs are great!
The Chinese Mantis is huge!
I recently watched a program called, "Life in the Undergrowth."
It is all about the bugs. If you get a chance to rent it I think you would enjoy it.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Marmee,
The courthouse of Lexington, sits high on a hill over looking the shops below. During the battle a cannon ball lodged itself in one of the columns of the courthouse.
It is still there. If you click on the picture and scroll around you can see it.
I too like pictures of doors, windows and churches....courthouses
and main streets. I like street lights and gates. As I go into winter and the bugs are fewer I will be out taking pictures of man made structures...I bet a bit of nature will show up too. Mankind does have a relationship with Mother. Sometimes it is not pretty. Sometimes it is sweet. Sometimes man and nature dance in harmony.
I do!
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Saucy,
We do love the bugs!!!
My husband knows that I will be in need of bugs come January. We already have an emergency day trip planned so I can spend some time with butterflies.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Shelia,
My husband and I took our cameras to the garden outside the battle field. I was shooting with the macro and he the telephoto. It really is fun to see the different pictures we come up with. In town I changed to the wide angle.
Carrying all the camera equipment means I will always have to have a back seat and a backpack!
The mantid was huge!
Sherry

Anonymous said...

A preying mantis ready to do battle, how fitting.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a nice day, Sherry. You got some really nice shots, too. I need to look up that mantis to see how close it is to the one we have here. That is another butterfly we don't have. You are educating me!

marmee said...

i did click to see the cannon ball and that is just fascinating. thanks for pointing that out.i love old gates and windows as well. anything architecturally interesting is also great.

Q said...

Dear Scienceguy,
She did seem as if she was keeping watch.
Big too.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Sandi,
I do not know the range of the Question Mark. I will go look.
It does appear that the Question Mark is as far north as Maine. I think it means they COULD come as far north as your house.
So many bugs...so much to learn.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Marmee,
I think we love all the same sort of things. Going on a day trip with you would be fun.
It is rainy this morning and cold. I am sitting with my space heater on trying to decide when I am going to go feed the birds.
Maybe one more cup of tea.
Sherry

Mary said...

I can see you are enjoying that new macro lens! The mantis didn't mind, either!