Photo #75/365 Spring Break at Gray's Lake

I made my first trip to Gray's Lake for 2011. Apparently a whole lot of other people had the same idea. It's not surprising because temperatures got up to 67 today. People were walking, biking, skating, and rowing. The first challenge was trying to find a place to park the car.




Bailey went with me, which leads me to this question. Why do so many people have large dogs like pit bulls that they can barely control, and then take them to a public place like this? Some of those people also need to pick up after their lovely pets.

The big crowd made walking a little more stressful, but it was truly a gorgeous day.

Photo #74/365: Downtown Des Moines

This is a shot of the downtown Des Moines skyline taken from the plaza at Gray's Lake. I like the contrast of the dried ornamental grass against the blue water. I am so tired of everything being dried and brown though. I am longing for things to turn green.

Photo #313: Blended Family

I've seen this odd flock swimming and hanging together several times. I'm not sure where they came from, but they seem to have become a family. Once again, this is a photo from my Sunday walk at Gray's Lake. Good thing I took several pictures when I was there, because it's 8:13 and I just got home from work, so I didn't have time to be a shutterbug today.

Photo #312: Sunset

It was a beautiful sunset last night. The fading sunlight turned the sky pink, which in turn, reflected on the water, turning it pink. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day. This was taken from the plaza at Gray's Lake.

Photo #311: Dusk at Gray's Lake

Bailey and I went walking at Gray's Lake this afternoon. We turned the clocks back last night, and it was already starting to get dark by the time we finished our walk. This is the footbridge at dusk.

Photo #300: A Triumph

I saw this cute little car at Gray's Lake. There seemed to be a car club meeting there, and all the cars were small cars like this great little Triumph and the white car behind it. I think this is a very fitting photo for today, because it is surely a triumph that I have hit Photo 300 out of 365. I never thought I would be able to keep up this project for this long. I have no doubt now, that I will make the entire 365 days.

Photo #299: The Silos

I have been trying to research and discover what these silos at Gray's Lake were used for. They don't seem to have any purpose, and so far I've had no luck. There are some similar silo type structures across the road at Water Works Park, but I still don't know how they are connected. At any rate, whenever I walk by these, I start wondering all over again.

So do you know what they are and what they're for?

Photo #297: Boxelder Bug Convention

I saw this interesting collection of Boxelder Bugs out at Gray's Lake. Maybe they're making plans for winter.

Photo #296: Strolling Along the Raccoon River

Rain was forecast for today, and it did rain during the night. Fortunately the weather cleared up and gave everyone an opportunity to enjoy another beautiful day. Jacci and I went walking at Gray's Lake. Even though it is late October, it was still warm enough to wear short sleeves. We took the walking trail around Gray's Lake. I snapped these photos along the Raccoon River. The colors are gorgeous!

Photo #287: The Footbridge

I wish I could be out here, today, walking on the footbridge at Gray's Lake. Instead, I'll be doing my 2nd day of parent/teacher conferences until 8:00 tonight. It is nice to get up a little later, though. I'm enjoying sipping tea, and smelling the apple crisp that is baking in the oven. Maybe I can be out on that footbridge again this weekend.

Photo #285: Duck's and Geese

Here are some more photos that I snapped at Gray's Lake. Some kids were tossing bread to the ducks and geese hanging around the dock. The ducks seemed happy about their snack, but the goose was a grouchy guy. He kept trying to bite the kid's feet in between bread crusts.

Photo #284: Doggie Diva

When I was at Gray's Lake this weekend, I saw lots of people in formal wear. It was homecoming for some of the high schools in the area. This was the fashionista that caught my attention though. I'm not sure how I feel about dressing dogs in clothes, but she is cute with her pink polka dot dress, and pink hair.

Photo #282: An Evening at Gray's Lake

It was a great night for walking at Gray's Lake. I really hadn't been there since the spring flooding, but it seemed like a good place to go on this summer-like fall day. Many other people had the same idea, because there were lots and lots of people there.

Photo #168: Park and Get a Car Wash, Too

We have been without power for the past eight hours, and the lights just came on. The entire neighborhood has been dark, except the house across the street. They have a generator. They're nice people, but it's really annoying to be sitting in the dark, while their lights are blazing, and you can see the TV going. This happened last summer, too.

I have been concerned that I was not going to be able to post my photo today, but it looks like I'm coming in under the wire. I spent some time out at Gray's Lake this afternoon. After all the rain we have had, part of the parking lot is under water. I parked as far from the water as I could, but other's were less cautious. I have had nightmares that involve cars and rising water, so I am not that bold. It was hot and breezy, but even with the high water, it was still really nice to be there.

Photo #87: Flooding At Gray's Lake

The local news reports that water levels at Gray's Lake are going down, so I stopped by to take a look. I'm looking forward to getting back to my walks around the lake. Gray's Lake Park is beautiful, and right in the heart of the city. Guess I'll have to wait a little, because there are ducks swimming in the parking lot, and parts of the trail are still under water. So this afternoon I will opt instead for my weekly trip to Barnes and Noble with my sister.

Photo #85: Three Flags

It's getting close to midnight, and I'm trying to get my picture posted before midnight. I'm proud that I have stuck with this 85 days in a row. It's been a busy and stressful day. I took this picture yesterday when I was at Gray's Lake checking out the flooding. The wind was blowing hard, and whipping these flags. This is the US flag, the Iowa state flag, and the Des Moines flag.

Photo #84: The Airport

I left school at noon today so I could take my mom to the airport. She is flying back to Casa Grande today to spend another month, with the hope that Iowa will be much warmer when she comes back. I know she is also anxious to get back to her little dog, Shelby, who had to stay in Arizona when Mom flew home to arrange for Loren's funeral. When I stopped to pick her up, she handed me a list of contacts with the first line: If the plane crashes. . . I'm glad my mom is organized, but that unnerved me a bit. I assume she is on the ground in Phoenix by now, and I have not heard any reports of plane crashes. So now I can breathe a little easier.

The note ended with .... This is the first time I have had to leave word about where I would be in case something happened to me. My mom has always been an extraordinarily strong person. This is a reminder of what a difficult time she is going through after the death of her companion of thirteen years. I love my mom. I am so lucky to have her.

It was a beautiful afternoon! Bright and sunshiny, cool and crisp, and very windy. It felt great to be away from school on a weekday afternoon. I stopped by Gray's Lake, part of which is still closed, since the large parking lots are currently part of the lake. I managed to get home early enough to actually cook dinner.