Instagram Barn Charm

I know I've been away from Under the Desert Sky for a long stretch, but I've been so swamped by my school work this semester - more so than any other semester thus far.

While taking a break from the books this past weekend, Livie and I went back to Bart's Farm and Pumpkin Patch so Livie could have another pony ride (which they offer on Saturdays and Sundays in October). Plus, we needed to get a couple more big pumpkins. 

Anyway, while we were there, I thought I'd take a couple more photos for "Barn Charm" since I haven't participated for a while, and I really wanted to get another blog post up!

But since I hadn't taken my camera with me, I used my iPhone. And to make it a little more interesting than your average "phone photo," I used the Instagram app.

So here are my two "Barn Charm" photos from Bart's Farm: 

Main barn, view from pumpkin patch.

Another barn on the property.

"Barn Charm" is hosted by Bluff Area Daily. Please click on the button below to view the rest of this week's "Barn Charm" entries (viewable Monday evening between 6-7PM Central Time):

More Farm Photos - Rural Thursday

Okay, I saved a few of our farm photos (from our pumpkin picking/pony riding trip to Bart's Farm) for today's "Rural Thursday."

You may recognize the view of "Bart's Farm" from this past Monday's "Barn Charm." However, in this photo, I had Livie posing next to the barn (near the straw bales).

Of course, Livie HAD to get a pony ride (or in this case, a horse ride, as this guy was a couple hands too tall to be a pony). She loved the Palomino, and picked him because it looked like a Palomino Appendix Quarter Horse I used to have.

 The farm wouldn't be complete without some chickens! Livie LOVED these chickens because they were "bock-bocking" like chickens! Haha! (What else would they do, right?)

 Livie and I took advantage of this photo opportunity - there was an "autumn scene" all set up in the front yard of the "Bart's Farm" family house. When we got home, Livie helped me decorate the photo with PicMonkey. 

And, of course, Livie went crazy with the PicMonkey decorations on this photo. She's posing with a couple of the pumpkins we'd gotten from Bart's Farm, plus the awesome orange mums I'd gotten last week (and the sucker she'd gotten after her pony ride).

And yes, that's a spider plant holder (made out of metal parts)! We'd gotten it a few years ago at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, and usually put it out every fall; this was the first year I'd actually remembered to go out and get some mums for it. 

Rural Thursday is co-hosted by Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal.  Please check out other "Rural Thursday" entries by clicking on the "Rural Thursday" button below:

 

First Weekend in October Barn Charm!

I absolutely LOVE autumn!! And I'm so glad October's here. Anyway, over the weekend, we went to a local farm to pick pumpkins and let Livie enjoy a pony ride.

And, of course, while we were there, I had to take some photos of the barn, specifically for "Barn Charm."

This is Bart's Farm in Marion, IA. (Click here for a heartwarming story about the family that runs the farm). And this is their barn.

During the autumn, you can pick pumpkins of all sizes, either by going into the field and picking your own, or choosing from the scores of pumpkins they've already picked and have waiting in rows in the yard. They also have decorative straw bales for sale, as well as gourds, "Indian" corn, and such. 

Plus, there's a paddock where they give pony (and horse) rides. Over the weekend, Livie rode a palomino horse named "Hulk" (you can see him in the second photo). In previous years, she's ridden a small pony named Princess and a Quarter Horse named Duke.

Anyway, it's a fun outing, which we all look forward to every year. Our first year visiting their farm (2008), we'd just learned about it by chance; but since we'd had such a fun time there, it's become an annual autumn tradition. That's where we get our autumn/Halloween pumpkins every year!

A bit of texture on the photo!

Some of the pre-picked pumpkins!

"Barn Charm" is hosted by Bluff Area Daily. Please click on the "Barn Charm" button below to check out Bluff Area Daily for other "Barn Charm" entries:

The Fall Shot 2012

I know I've been hit or miss with blogging lately (mostly miss), but I've been absolutely SWAMPED with school work this semester.

Anyway, while I was on campus yesterday, I realized I just had to get "The Fall Shot, 2012" while I was still on campus - for some reason, I was compelled to get it yesterday, no excuses. So after my last class (around 3:20 PM), I headed over to the Main Library to get the autumn shot. It was an overcast, blustery autumn day, nice and cool. And it smelled like autumn - so good. 

"The Fall Shot, 2012," outside the University of Iowa's Main Library, the North Entrance, at approximately 3:20 PM, Thursday, October 4, 2012.

You can kinda see some of the golden leaves scattered about the ground on the hill in the background. 

I'm thinking of getting "The Fall Shot, 2012, Part B" after all the leaves have completely changed colors and have all fallen off the trees (like I did last year). In the meantime, here are: Winter 2012, Spring 2012, and Summer 2012 from more or less the same spot, and approximately the same time of day. And if you're really curious, here's the Four Seasons 2011 series.

A New Semester

Starting today, I'm back at school, too. That means that while I'll still post, it won't be quite so regularly. Probably 2-3 times a week, at most (but we'll see how it goes).

And since it's the fall semester, I'll leave you with a fall photo from Iowa City and the University of Iowa campus. Okay, okay, so it's not autumn, yet, but it's definitely nice knowing that we will be getting some cool, fall weather sooner rather than later. (That also means we're closer to getting "The Fall Shot, 2012!!)

Iowa City, IA, autumn 2011

The UI "4 Seasons Theme" Photos, All at Once

I decided I'd post all of "The 4 Seasons" photos in one post, so here they are:

"The Winter Shot," 13 Jan 2011

"The Spring Shot," 18 May 2011

"The Summer Shot," 6 Sep 2011

"The Fall Shot, Part A," 6 Oct 2011

"The Fall Shot, Part B," 27 Oct 2011

Once it dawned on me to do a 4-seasons theme (the thought of which occurred to me after I'd taken "The Spring Shot"), I tried the best I could to take each photo from as close to the very same spot as possible. 

I also tried to take each photo at approximately the same time of day. The winter one was the only one out of the bunch that was taken mid-day (sometime between 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM). The rest of them were taken mid-morning (sometime around 9:00 AM, give or take about 15 minutes).

Once I got the idea to capture one location on the University of Iowa's campus during different seasons, it was a lot of fun, as well as a test in patience (!!), having to wait to complete this "project."

And you know what? I am thinking I might pick a different location on campus, so I can do another 4-seasons theme all over again!

The Fall Shot, Part 2

Here's "The Fall Shot, Part 2," now that the leaves have all fallen.

If you click on the photo (to enlarge it a bit), you can kinda see the bright chalk that some students have used on the sidewalk. 

Click here to see "The Fall Shot, Part 1," to check out this view with colorful leaves. Here is "The Summer Shot." And "The Spring Shot" can be found within this post (if you scroll down a little). Finally, you can check out the post that inspired this whole " 4 Seasons Theme" with what I'm now calling "The Winter Shot," found here (scroll down a bit).

A Week Makes a Big Difference

I've been taking some photos of this year's fall colors, as seen from the University of Iowa campus. Well, a week makes a big difference. Just last week, the leaves were full of reds, greens, yellows . . . but this week? Not so much:

More Colors Around Campus

Here are some more fall colors as seen around the University of Iowa campus:

A view of the Philip D. Adler Journalism and Mass Communication building.

A view from the parking lot behind the EPB (English Philosophy Building).

Another view near Gilmore Hall (near where the "Winter," "Spring," and "Summer" shots were taken).

The view from the ladies' room on the second floor of EPB.

Another view from the ladies' room on the second floor of EPB. There's a good view of the river from this angle.

The Fall Shot, Part 1

Here's the autumn shot at that one particular spot on the University of Iowa campus, near Gilmore Hall (with colorful leaves, obviously. The one without colorful leaves?  . . . Well, you understand I've gotta wait a bit longer to capture that one):

Click the links to see the winter (scroll down a bit), spring (again, scroll down a bit), and summer shots.

Procrastination

Yes, I should be studying right now. I have a TON of reading to do for my philosophy class, as well as an exam to prepare for . . . but I thought I'd share some autumn stuff that Livie likes:

Liv picked out this corn the day we'd gone pumpkin picking and pony riding with Abuelita. I put it on the front door a few days ago. I may trim some of the husks off, so the corn is more visible.

These are the pumpkins Liv picked out. She arranged them on the front step. She did a good job picking out some nice looking pumpkins!

Abuelita's Surprise Visit

Yesterday, Abuelita made a surprise visit, coming out to see us (Livie, in particular) for the day. We had great adventures! Check out the photo tour of our day:

First, we stopped at Liv's school to show Abuelita where Liv gets picked up every afternoon.

Then we showed her the playground.

We then went to a local farm where they offer pony rides. Liv chose to ride Princess.

Here's Liv on Princess. She LOVES Princess. So cute!

How was the ride? She gives it a "thumbs up"!

Now it's time to pose with the ghosties and pumpkins.

Should we get one of these pretty pumpkins?

We're going out to the field to find the right one!

Liv and Daddy look around.

We even get Abuelita to "rough it" out in the field, and I used my camera to capture the moment!

Time for a photo op on the straw bales.

And another photo op with the fall decorations.

A corn field, as most corn fields look early in the autumn.

Next, we went to the local high school to enjoy a marching band competition.

Liv's in the stadium.

Daddy, Abuelita, and Liv are having fun!

Liv and Abuelita enjoyed spending the day together.

Autumn is here . . . sort of.

Well, autumn is definitely trying to show her face here in eastern Iowa. We've been getting some nice, chilly temps at night. And for the most part, we've been getting comfortable temps during the day. Well, some days have had comfortable temps, but other days? They seem more like early summer, with temps in the upper 70s and low 80s.

Nevertheless, I won't complain, because true autumn-like temps will be here every day, soon enough. And I can't wait!

In the meantime, I've been enjoying the fall foliage, what we've been getting of it, so far. Okay, so it's not what we'd see in Boston and the rest of the Northeast, but the colors are still stunning.

Check it out: 

Okay, so not all the trees have started changing. Take the one below, for example. It's still green. It's dropping a lot of acorns, though, and Liv would LOVE to catch one. However, they basically just go plunk somewhere near her (and once in a while, one will go plunk on her head!).

Here she is, waiting to see if an acorn will drop, so she can try and catch it.

A Brisk Autumn Morning at the Farmers' Market

We went to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market this morning. It was supposed to be about 50 degrees, which we were dressed for, but when the wind picked up, it was downright chilly!

I dunno what the windchill was, but I ended up in a short-sleeved t-shirt with chilly arms; Livie said her legs were cold, and ended up using my sweatshirt as a blanket.

Of course, it seemed chillier than it actually was, not just because of the wind chill, but because we were in the shade.

We found a parking garage just off the main vendor area and stood out of the wind while Andrew got a couple pupusas for us, and a breakfast sandwich for himself.

After we ate, we walked around, looking at all the October fruits and veggies, people watched, listen to live jazz, petted dogs (HUGE Mastiffs, little Pugs, and breeds in between, like a Collie), and just enjoyed ourselves.

Oh, here's what's in season here in central Iowa, this first weekend in October.

Veggies:

• Broccoli, 
• Brussels Sprouts, 
• Bunching Greens, 
• Cabbage, 
• Carrots, 
• Celery, 
• Collards, 
• Garlic, 
• Head Lettuce, 
• Kale, 
• Kohlrabi, 
• Leeks, 
• Lettuce Mix,
• Onions, 
• Oriental Greens, 
• Ornamental Corn, 
• Parsnips, 
• Potatoes, 
• Pumpkins, 
• Snap Peas, 
• Snow Peas, 
• Spinach, 
• Sweet Potatoes

Fruit:

• Apples, 
• Raspberries

Just before we left, Livie and I shared an apple cider donut. It was delish. (Okay, it wasn't an even split; it was more or less 75%/25% but Liv didn't notice. So shhh . . . don't tell her.

Here are some shots of the great autumn stuff for sale:

We came away with some garlic, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

I really, really wanted to get a pot of rust-colored Mums, but I figured I'd better wait 'til we get home; I didn't want to accidentally do some damage to it during our 2.5 hour drive home tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrow morning's adventure? Liv's going to ride a horse.