It’s been a while since I posted YAWP (Yet Another Windmill Photo). I’ll admit that I’m partial to them; in fact, they have their own category on this site! When I find one that’s distinctive like this one I pay it particular attention. The colors of the day made it an even more attractive subject, since I’m especially tired of the dreary skies that have dominated much our spring and summer!

I’m always intrigued when I find an old well out in the middle of an otherwise vacant field. I ponder whether or not there was an old farmstead there at one point, or perhaps a windmill to drive the pump. In this case there’s no sign that there was ever a building foundation there, although there are some big rocks nearby.

I’ve spotted a few of these while out perusing the back roads of central North Dakota. They’re not always easy to see, but I’m starting to get an eye for this kind of interesting stuff as I wander.

I used to think a North Dakota winter was too bleak to provide many photo opportunities. I soon learned otherwise. On those hazy days, one simply has to look a little harder. On those crystal clear days with the sun glaring at you from low in the sky, you’ve got to be a little craftier. Then there are those really stark, dramatic skies that make a rare appearance over winter. That’s when you hope for something like this. Frozen landscape below, varied sky above, and a decrepit old windmill placed just right in relation to the sun. Yep, I like the ingredients in this one.

I didn’t even have to hike too far, and my shoes were already wet. I wear mountain biking shoes when I do winter photo hikes, because they wick moisture away from my feet. They also have hard rubber cleats, which helps with traction in certain conditions. Then there’s the fact that my Shimanos are one of the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn.

Anyway, back to my original line of rambling. No matter what the conditions, North Dakota remains a fertile playground for a would-be photographer. From fluffy snow and blanketing fog to spiky frost and stark, glaring sun…North Dakota winters have a little bit of everything. You need only be brave enough to venture out into it, camera in gloved hand.

What a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend! Time with family, good feasting, and much to be thankful for.

Here’s to the babies in a brand new world,
Here’s to the beauty of the stars…
Here’s to the travelers of the open road,
Here’s to the dreamers and the bards…
Here’s to the soldiers on the desert dunes,
Here’s to the farmers in the fields…
Here’s to the preachers of the sacred Word,
Here’s to the loving God who heals…

Here’s to you, my little loves, with blessing from above, now let the Day begin.

Just sharing a friendly good morning with you and the windmill perched near Farmer’s Livestock southeast of Bismarck and some lyrics modified from one of my favorite songs by The Call. Have a great weekend.

I’m always fascinated when finding these wells out in the middle of an otherwise nondescript field. The metal protruding from the ground around this one leads me to believe that they were previously powered by windmills, which were then replaced by a handle. This one sits along north 15th Street here in the Bismarck area. Do you suppose it gives ice cubes in the winter? 🙂

I’d gotten into quite a habit of featuring North Dakota’s ubiquitous windmills for a while there. These days, not so much. Chalk that up to the fact that we’ve been so incredibly busy around our house that I simply haven’t had much time to run around with the ol’ camera. I got a rare opportunity to do so the other day, and of course a windmill was among the photographic targets acquired.

I think I’ve figured out how they keep Lake Mitchell full of water…it’s right next to a well!

Sorry, I’m feeling silly tonight after some late-night garage time. I wanted to play with my pressure washer and my air compressor, so I had to figure out how to use both. Obviously I washed my air compressor with my pressure washer! Then I used the air compressor to push the water out of the washer’s hose as I coiled it to put it away. I like putting tools away…I’m one of those people who scrubs down his lawn mower, including under the deck, before oiling everything and putting it away.

It would take a LONG time to catalog all the neat little places, like Lake Mitchell’s recreation area, that surround the Bismarck-Mandan area. I found a few a while back when I took a little jaunt down some gravel roads that took me up that way, popping out somewhere near Wing, before turning back to park the camera for some family time. I have some interesting photos from Lake Mitchell that I’ll post in the near future.

I was out running around with a friend last night and, after a brief stop at Applebee’s, we found ourself out by an old familiar waypoint in my GPS: this windmill. It was dark except for the (in this case) inconvenient light of a full moon, so I took a long exposure. You can tell by the streaking of the few visible stars in the photo. Clouds were starting to roll in on the horizon and the moon was ruining any shot with a clear star field in it, so we packed up and kept driving around.

One nice thing about being a couple of Christian guys is that we can be out after midnight and our wives don’t have to worry about whether we’re out drinking, cheatin’ on them, or other nonsense. That’s if a Christian guy is actually walking the walk. In our case, we are. So it was just two dudes in a truck with a camera and some good conversation.

This contraption sits atop a hill near Double Ditch. At a glance from the highway, it looks like a well. Upon closer examination, however, it appears to be something else entirely. I’m not sure what…but what looked like the spout of a well is actually a brush. I’m sure it must have some sort of ranch-related use, but I’m too much of a city kid to surmise what that might be.