SueBee Arts

This post, and the upcoming part 2, showcase just a touch of the beautiful, wide-open country near my home in Kansas. After living in a very crowded Southern California for decades, there’s nothing quite like vast expanses of ranch and farm land. ~SueBee

My first visit to Quivera National Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas taught me that, as suggested on the website, sunrise or sunset are the times to view the most birds and animals. I struggled to find birds to take pictures of, but I enjoyed myself regardless. I don’t see myself visiting during those prime hours […]

Botanica gardens in Wichita, of which I’m now a member, features more than just beautiful flowers. They also have wonderful art spread throughout, in the form of several wonderful sculptures. I think the selections are really special, but my favorite is the little boy holding the butterfly as it makes me think of my grandson […]

I visited the beautiful Botanica gardens in Wichita, hoping to catch the tulips before they left for the year. I was in luck. It was an overcast day, perfect for wandering about, and photography, and the tulips lit up the walkways like little lights. Enjoy! ~SueBee

While driving a backroad several miles north of my home in Hutchinson, I spotted this homestead. It’s clearly in need of some TLC. Anyone up to the challenge?! ~SueBee

After visiting Wilson Lake I took back roads to return home to Hutchinson, going through the town of Wilson on the way. Per Wikipedia, “Wilson promotes itself as the Czech Capital of Kansas due to the role of Czech immigrant settlers in its early history. The population as of the 2010 census was 781.” I […]

Scattered along the backroads of the US are dozens, and maybe hundreds of odd sights, the Kansas Garden of Eden created by S. P. Dinsmoor in 1907 being one of them. I’d heard it was located near Wilson Lake, so after my visit to the lake last week, I headed a few miles north to […]

I decided rather spur of the moment yesterday to take a drive to Wilson Lake, a Kansas State Park. I pulled a quick lunch together and headed out, choosing to take the freeways from Hutchinson via Salina, and figured I’d return home on the back roads. I made really good time and enjoyed the scenery […]

I’ve witnessed many spectacular sunsets since living in Kansas, but last night I just happened to be out and about with my Nikon at just the right time. I drove my car down a long dirt road, hoping to get some unobstructed shots. Luckily, I chose well! While last night’s sunset wasn’t as jaw-dropping as […]

I’ve been so entertained since living at my new house by the scurry (I had to look up that word!) of squirrels in my backyard trees. I’ve rewarded them their cuteness by buying sacks of special dried corn on the cob, and unshelled nuts. Watching them after the recent snow was especially fun. They’re really […]

Here’s wishing everyone much health and happiness in 2022! I woke up on New Year’s Day to snow, and felt like a little kid all over again. It was 8 degrees and icy under the snow so I didn’t venture out, but I thoroughly enjoyed staring out the windows the entire day. Having lived in […]

There’s a song I grew up listening to that popped in my head as I took my friends Aranka and George to the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge near the Swedish town of Lindsborg, Kansas a few weeks ago. The song is called Home on the Range, and is considered a traditional American folk song. The lyrics […]

My dear friends, Aranka and George from Nevada, just left after spending a week visiting me in my new home. We had a great time, did some fun exploring in the local area, and had top notch weather to boot. Aranka and I made a point to check out new routes on our daily walks. […]

Late yesterday afternoon, I hopped in my car, intent on exploring a bit of the area. It wasn’t the best time of day, which I realized once I was out… seems it was quitting time for many folks, the roads were busy, people were in a hurry, and I had a hard time stopping to […]

As of October 8, 2021, my move halfway across the country, from Southern California to Central Kansas, is complete! What an undertaking that was; one I don’t wish to repeat. I spent weeks carefully packing my things, which includes a huge, heavy antique china cabinet plus lots of antique glassware left to me by my […]

As my friends and I journeyed from Utah to Arizona on Route 89A, we drove through part of the Navajo Nation. The landscape was beautiful, but it was a hot day and we had lots of miles to cover so we didn’t linger long. Our only stops were at a group of roadside vendors selling […]

Today’s Foto Fix was taken somewhere along Arizona route 89A during my recent Road Trip, most likely in the general area of the Kaibab Indian Reservation and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. We took a very scenic drive from Zion National Park in Utah to our destination in Heber-Overgaard Arizona. ~SueBee

Another highlight of my recent Road Trip with my friends, Aranka and George, was Kolob Canyons in Utah. It’s a less-visited section of Zion National Park, which meant fewer cars on the road. We were able to enjoy the stunning scenery without having to sit in bumper to bumper traffic, fight for a parking spot […]

Bighorn Sheep posing for the camera was another high point of my visit to Valley of Fire in Nevada. The sheep didn’t seem to mind those of us who eagerly pointed our cameras. ~SueBee

My fascination with this area of natural beauty, Valley of Fire near Mesquite, Nevada, continues in the below gallery. The petroglyphs were so interesting, and luckily, the design of the staircase that kept us a good distance away from the rocks meant very few people were able to deface them. ~SueBee