I love all the pictures today. So interesting and diverse. It's always a pleasure to come and see these. Nicole, has it been a year yet that you have had Peek-A-Boo? He is so shiny and healthy looking. It looks like life with you really agrees with him.

Gray Squirrel seen in Olney City park, Olney, IL Olney advertises it is the home of the white squirrels. There are several around, but this one is of the variety found in local woods. Did you know that squirrels can negotiate the side of a vertical brick wall? They can if the brick facing has sufficient detail as this building did. These bricks have fine vertical grooves on their faces. This was just barely enough to allow this squirrel to gingerly work his way across the wall. He did not climb very high staying within a comfortable dropping distance to the ground. He soon tired of the "rock climb" and jumped down. Photo taken with lens zoomed to long tele. The squirrel was about 75 ft away.

This a a barn door, that was painted red after it was sold to the new owner. My son and grandson''s great and great great grandfather built this barn back in l926. They both were named after him. Here's some of the article that was in the newspaper that I found. The Pennsylvania Dutch barn stands like a sentry guarding its past and preserving its future. The big, red barn on the Luverne Highway, stands proudly at 45×80-feet and three levels tall and has the distinction of being the largest Pennsylvania Dutch barn south of Kentucky. “The barn is off the road and a lot of people probably go by without even noticing it,” said Bonnie Holland, who owns and maintains the historic structure. In 1926, Parke Thompson built the stately barn using lumber from his plantation and stones that were picked up in the fields. “Parke Thompson was a wealthy landowner and the barn was used as breeding house for animals,” Holland said. “He exclusively raised silver heel hogs and transported them to Chicago for shows and judging. So, he had a very upscale and highly regarded hog operation.

Got Elvira 13 years ago today. Best Christmas present ever! (She was such a tiny thing. Not anymore. LOL). With son and big artificial Christmas tree.