Begging Burros

The burros in Custer State Park (South Dakota) are not native to this area in the Black Hills. The donkeys are descendants from the herd that once brought visitors to the top of Harney Peak, which is the highest natural point in the Black Hills. Years ago the rides were stopped, and the burros were released into the park where they have become a popular visitor attraction. They earned the reputation of begging burros as they are known for approaching passing cars and beg for food.
We saw a friendly group along the Wildlife Loop, one of the scenic routes in the park.

I'm linking to Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters.

Enjoy your weekend :)

Falling leaves

A hidden and quiet spot on the lands of garden nursery Tuingoed Foltz in Meeden. And yes, the leaves are falling and falling!

The house with the 99 windows

A photo taken in the city of Zwolle; this is the so-called Hopmanshuis, at the Rodetorenplein. Built in 1663 as a store house it was used as a transition point for goods headed for Amsterdam and Germany. In 1843 it got a new destination and became a guesthouse. A nice detail: because of the many windows the people from Zwolle call it 'The House with the 99 windows'!

Pharmacy sign

I found this 'gaper' above the door of hotel 'Logement De Gaaper', near the market square in Amersfoort. It's the oldest stone house in the city, and as the head above the entrance indicates it used to be a pharmacy in the second half of the 19th century. The open mouth did not mean the figure was yawning, but that he was ready to take medicine.

Linking to signs, signs,

Mushrooms!

If you look well you might spot some gnomes..   I did!  :)

Photo taken last Sunday in the back of our garden.

Singing Cowboy

A great example of street art is this mural at Wazee Street in Lower Downtown Denver (CO) by Willie Matthews, created in 1998.

If you would like to read more, I found a nice article about the artist and the mural HERE.

Linking to Monday Mural.

The inside..

..is maybe even more colourful than the outside! These pumpkins were on a table this morning at Tuingoed Foltz, a local garden nursery, in the village of Meeden. This weekend they celebrate their annual fruit-trees and pruning event, with pruning demonstrations, pumpkin displays, Autumn fruit recipes etc.

Weekend Reflections

Two more photos from our walk in the old city centre of Amersfoort, last Saturday. Never mind that it was grey and rainy outside, the views were still wonderful :)

Like Amersfoort, many Dutch cities were built around canals, or 'grachten' in Dutch. Grachten were the life-lines of a city, and they were used for many purposes: for transportation, for draining, as water supply and as sewers, all at the same time.

Have a great weekend!

I´m linking to Weekend Reflections.

Beehive State

 

The sculpture of a beehive in front of the State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"The beehive is considered to be synonymous with industry and perseverance, since bees are famously hard workers, toiling almost endlessly for the well being of the hive and the bees living within it.

Utah is referred to as the Beehive State. The early settlers in Utah, primarily members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, saw the beehive as the perfect symbol to indicate their industriousness and hard work. That is why the state motto is 'Industry'"


Isn't it funny that once we knew this, we suddenly noticed images of beehives all the time. On road signs, for instance..

Oversize load

OK, so the tires are really big, but how HUGE would the vehicle be there are meant for?

SLOW

Different from the Netherlands where you will see a traffic light when one lane is closed due to roadwork, in the U.S. it is often a man or a woman holding a sign saying SLOW (or STOP on the other side). This can't be an easy job to stand there, and it's not without responsibility either. I hope they are paid well for what they do.
The photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park, last month.

Linking to signs, signs.

Gable stones

Two gable stones from Amersfoort: These three rings are from the beer brewery Drie Ringen (Three Rings) in the Drieringensteeg..

.. and D Gulde Vysel ('De Vergulde Vijzel' or 'The Gold-Plated Jack-Screw') can be found on one of the walls of Muurhuizen, and must be relating to long ago handicraft business. The homes at this address (Muurhuizen means literally 'Wall homes') are built on the location of the former city-wall.

Monday murals

Two totally different murals from different parts of the world, however they also show some similarities: both are on transformator sheds and only one colour is used. The top photo was made last month in Salt Lake City (Utah), and the 2nd photo is from last weekend and was made in the Dutch city of Amersfoort!
Which one do you like best? I can't decide..

Linking to Monday Mural.

Amersfoort city walk

Away from the crowded Amersfoort shopping centre are quiet streets like this one..

..and here you find small shops, like this one specialised in Dutch cheese.

A typical October day

This is a picture taken in the city of Amersfoort earlier today. Looking at the weather we had a typical October day for the Netherlands: grey, cold and damp, but also fine colouring trees that make it so wonderful.

Enjoy your weekend!

Weekend Reflections

On the Saturday in September that we spent in Salt Lake City we saw 4 bridal couples with their families and friends on Temple Square.
This particular couple was just getting ready for a photo session near the pool in front of the temple, and allowed bystanders to make some photos as well. And so we did! :)

I´m linking to James'  Weekend Reflections.

Creative (2)

Between the many many mobile-homes that we saw in the U.S. this one really stood out. The wooden top seemed to fit perfectly and was treated so well that it felt smooth.

And the entrance was at the back. We would have loved to have a peek inside, but the owner wasn't there when we were. We spotted this van near the car with the tree-trunk bumper, in the Rocky Mountains Nat. Park. (Colorado)

Someone Needs You!

Seen at the way out of a parking lot in Grand Junction (Colorado, U.S.).

Linking to Lesley's signs, signs.

Creative (1)

Did the owner lose or damage a lot of bumpers and then decided to go for a tree-trunk? Or does he/she just like it?

Anyway, it seems creative. We spotted the car on the parking-lot of one of the visitor centers in Rocky Mountains National Park, about 2 hours (by car) north of Denver.

Greybull murals

On our way west to Cody, we passed the town of Greybull in Big Horn County (Wyoming) around noon. We bought a few sandwiches and cold drinks in a local supermarket and then spotted these great murals on storage buildings near the railroad station. A nice thing to find.

The town´s name 'Greybull' apparently relates to a local Indian legend who claimed that a large albino buffalo lived in the area.

Linking to Monday Mural.

Impressive gate

This gate on the grounds of the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota, impressed me more and more on each step that I came closer..,

...because of all the details!

Prairie Dog town

Along the 18 miles long scenic Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park (South Dakota), you pass an area where these small mammals live, known as Prairie Dog town. Prairie dogs are a type of ground squirrel, found in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. And oh boy, they were so much fun to watch!

I'm linking to Camera Critters.

Like a moviestar

During our stay in Yellowstone National Park we saw a lot of elk or wapiti, one of the largest species within the deer family in the world. The name wapiti is from the Shawnee and Cree word waapiti, meaning 'white rump'. This female wapiti stood still in the water, apparently very relaxed..

.. as dozens of cameras clicked.

Weightless

On top of one of the street lights next to the Convention Center in Salt Lake City, during the Comic Con.

Waiting for Batman?

Parked next to the Convention Center on the Saturday of the Salt Lake City Comic Con, see also yesterday's post.


Linking to Lesley's signs, signs.

Salt Lake City Comic Con

We happened to be in Salt Lake City (Utah) during the Comic Con, a comic book, movie and television fan convention. That meant a lot of dressed-up people on the streets! These girls look nice and not all that extravagant..

.. But this is! It must be a nice experience to walk around and be totally unrecognizable. However with temperatures of around 90°F (32°C) I doubt if a suit like this feels very comfortable..

Denver mural

We found some nice murals during our holiday in the US, like this one on a curved ceiling in downtown Denver (CO).

Russel's Smokehouse is located at Larimer Square.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Fierce

There were many visitors in Yellowstone N.P. Including these giants!

Back from the States!

Back from our GREAT trip through the USA, starting and ending in Denver, with highlights like Custer State Park (South Dakota), Yellowstone N.P. (Wyoming), and Salt Lake City (Utah)!
I don't know where to start as there are lots and lots of photos. This one was taken in Yellowstone National Park. We were fascinated by the geysers, hot water pools, bubbling mud, and how about the colours here..