Category Archives: Photos

And the Hunt for Orchids Begins

Near the beginning of this year I began to make a few plans this summer to search for more wild orchids. Last year I found 6 of Minnesota’s wild orchids and my goal this year is to add 4 more. That would make 25% of Minnesota’s native species of orchids. While formulating places and times to search for some of these, the Showy Orchis was on my list for a couple of reasons. First, it’s the earliest of wild orchids to bloom. Secondly, it’s supposedly blooming within 10 minutes of my house making it an easy one to add to the list. Memorial Day weekend was my plan for searching for blooming orchids. A couple of weeks earlier I began scouting possible locations for this species which I briefly wrote about in A Cold Mid May Morning. Then a few days later I heard they were found at the very same park I was searching at before. Unfortunately I had to end my search the week before as there were things that needed to be done. So I returned and continued to the location I was heading for initially and there they were. If I had been able to keep going I would have found them as they were beginning to open their beautiful pink and white flowers with a addicting sweet fragrance.

Showy Orchis flowers close up

Unfortunately it was a cloudy night with daylight fading so capturing these first orchids of the year would be more of a challenge. I still took time to photograph them just in case this would be the only time I see them this year. I found a cup nearby which someone had dropped or lost and used that as a makeshift tripod and began clicking away trying to find the best composition to show their interesting flowers. After some time I moved on just to see if there were populations in other areas wondering how well established they were in this park. Unfortunately that was the only spot I managed to find the Showy Orchis on this trip but I did find a couple of other fun things.

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One of these was mamma duck escorting her newly hatched little ducklings around the edge of a pond. Staying and watching for more time would have been a lot of fun but my goal was to find orchids, not baby ducks so I moved on. Along the way I also came across Nodding Trillium which  was a little surprising to me. Trillium is one of my favorite spring wildflowers and one I’m working on establishing in my own yard. Both of these findings help identify when the Showy Orchis is most likely blooming. The calendar is great but it doesn’t take into account the differences in spring weather which affect plant growth and blooming time. Having some other indicators can be quite helpful for a higher probability of success. Off to a good start! I hope my next wild orchid hunt returns the success I’ve experienced already.

Nodding Trillium

A Cold Mid May Morning

The forecast called for temperatures reaching the freezing level overnight which meant a possible foggy sunrise with the water temperatures well over freezing now. Waking up to catch the sunrise now means 5am or earlier. Just before 5 I woke up and looked outside. No clouds in the sky so likely a normal sunrise. No need to rush to get out of the house. Gathering up the camera, batteries, and some food for a morning out at the park I eventually made it to the car. Opening up the garage door and pulling out I could see the horizon lit up with deep red colors hanging on the few clouds low in the sky. Frustration entered as I was missing a beautiful sunrise. I quickly headed for a park closer than I planned to see if I could capture some of these colors but failed. By the time I got there the deep colors had faded. Well, on to my original destination. Of course I could not seem to get there as I passed the first turn, and then the second forcing me to drive most of the way around a lake to finally arrive at the park I was headed for.

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Walking to an area I scouted out the day before I noticed some fog and a little frost on the ground here and there. The photo at the top shows the best I could come up with as the sun rose above the trees. While I like the picture, it’s not what I had in mind or was hoping for. Being able to watch a sunrise is still a soothing start to any day though. There were some interesting frost covered plants to enjoy briefly before temperatures rose. I spent a little time taking in some of the interesting patterns created by these little ice crystals before heading to a water side perch to see what wildlife was out and about. Most of the wildlife consisted of Red-Winged Blackbirds and a pair of Canadian Geese. After an hour I decided to move and scout some other areas for Showy Orchis habitat. Minnesota’s earliest native orchids to bloom which use to be much more plentiful but now a bit more challenging to locate.

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As I left my waterside hideout and began walking a Great Blue Heron came flying by and landed in a great spot if I was still settled in my original spot. Another missed opportunity! Feeling even more defeated now I decided to hit a trail. This trail winds around this area of water with a nice open spot to see the surroundings since plants are not fully grown yet. I decided to walk off trail a little and check out the water to see if I could find this heron. Maybe there would be a photo opportunity yet. As I approached I scanned the waters edge for this large bird. About to give up I spotted it not more than 20 feet away. They never let people get that close without flying away. I decided to back away and find a place to sit. Maybe it would move on down the shoreline towards me for some nice pictures. No such luck. It moved a little towards my direction and then snagged a good size fish out of the water. The camera would not focus on the bird as it was behind quite a bit of grass and a tree branch. Soon after a boat came drifting into the area forcing this heron to move away further. Disappointed I continued on my search for Orchis habitat. Unfortunately I didn’t find that either. It really felt like a bit of a bust for the morning. I’m still glad I got out for a few hours to enjoy a bit of nature. Some outings are like that while others provide several opportunities. You just never know.

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Enjoying the Migration

One of my favorite things to watch in the spring are birds that are just passing through. That’s when we get to see the most diversity, and usually in their brightest colors. I try to get to a lake close by to see the sun rise above the horizon and watch wildlife begin their daily activities. Once people walk or run by with some consistency I know it’s time to head for home for the day. On one of these recent trips I noticed an Eagle fly up into a tree nearby. At first I lost sight of it. After moving in one direction and then another I spotted where it was perched but was quite certain I could not get there which would require walking almost directly underneath it. Another person strolled by and I pointed the camera in the general direction of the large bird expecting it to fly once she approached it. To my surprise it didn’t move so I began to walk in that direction also. I needed to get on the other side of it because the sun was coming from the wrong direction where I was and there were too many branches for a good photograph.

A young eagle watching over the pond

Keeping an eye on the eagle without actually looking directly at it, I moved to a better location with better light shining on the bird now. Attempting to appear as though I wasn’t interested in the eagle, I watched out over the lake for a few minutes. Once it began scanning the lake again I lifted the camera and focused for a few photos. With me on one side pointed a camera towards it and another person walking from the opposite direction proved too much for this eagle as it quickly departed. I never like to be the cause of wildlife having to move and was disappointed to have made it uncomfortable requiring it to fly away. Most likely, in this situation, it would have occurred anyway as people increased in numbers at this park with their dogs but I would have like a few more photos. Especially of an eagle capturing breakfast.

A small flock of Buffleheads landing

On a previous trip to this same park I was fortunate to capture a small group of Bufflehead ducks coming in for a landing. Things lined up perfectly in this instance with them approaching from across the lake right in front of me. As they got closer they turned and landed in the water with the sunlight in the opposite direction. That almost never happens and if it does the focus seems to get lost somewhere along the way. This particular group of Buffleheads seemed to stay in the area for awhile which I’ve not seen in previous years. It seems a little odd as more people frequent the area currently. And of course, what would be a trip to the lake without capturing a mallard? Especially one that comes right to the edge of the water in front of me.

A Mallard swimming by to say hello

While working with the mallard I notices several smaller birds flittering quickly among the trees above me. Eventually a few worked their way to the lower branches where I could capture a photo of them. As I expected, they turned out to be yellow rumped warblers which is a bird I frequently see during the early spring season as they make their way north. They’re always fun to watch and have some nice coloration bouncing from branch to branch and tree to tree. Hopefully there will be many other opportunities this spring to enjoy more migrating birds yet as the weather continues to warm up.

Yellow Rumped warbler walking on a tree limb

Early Spring Flowers

After winter’s last blast, hopefully, early spring flowers began to be more numerous. For several years the Hellebore in my yard would not bloom during the spring. The past few autumn seasons would confuse these flowers by producing a cold snap long enough followed by a warm up causing these plants to partially bloom. The next spring there would be no blooms to enjoy as snow melted away under the warming sun. This year produced nearly perfect weather for the Lenten Rose to be true to it’s name and begin flowering during Lent. I decided to take advantage of some nicer afternoons and photograph the first signs of spring.

Being covered in snow

The more I studied these flowers the more fascinating they became. A great subject to practice some macro photography with attempting to capture their interesting structures revealing colors and pieces of the flower that I didn’t notice before. At the same time an early spring bulb produced beautiful purple flowers. Scilla was quickly emerging and beginning to open its beautiful blooms. Another good subject to get close in on with the camera trying to capture its details.

Scilla, one of the first flowers in the yard to bloom

As I spent more time with these blooms, I started seeing bees flying nearby. At first they kept their distance but eventually the call to these flowers became to strong and they would venture onto the flowers while I was close. While waiting for a good opportunity I could smell the wonderful fragrance coming from these clusters. Ahh, spring is truly here and bring the explosion of flowers with it. I seem to be looking forward to the warmer weather and beauty of plants blooming everywhere more than I knew. Typically I enjoy winter enough that I don’t anticipate spring as much as this year. It has only begun and I’m pretty excited for it.

Bee hard at work

And Winter Returns….

With spring just getting under way, winter decided to remind us that the cold is not that far away by leaving the ground covered in it’s ice crystals. Having gone by an area in a nearby woods filled with plants beginning to irrupt in beautiful flowers the day before, I decided to go back and take a look at how they were handling the new snow. It did make for a pretty contrast to see all of this green and purple protruding up through the snow covered ground. With some very cold weather expected over the next couple of days I wondered how they would fair. Would the snow stay long enough to protect these delicate looking flowers until it warms up again or would they freeze and produce few seeds?

Being covered in snow

Initially a carpet of purple flowers caught my attention when I spotted these plants the day before. While exploring the area further, looking for some nice situations to photograph, I came across the first Bloodroot of the season with their pure white blooms ready to open. The only thing was, these blooms did not appear pure white any longer when compared to snow. It’s amazing how colors can look different depending on their surroundings. Or maybe their colors takes on a pink blush as they get colder which fades back to white under the warmth of the sun.

Nearby the first Bloodroot of the season is about to bloom

I spent about an hour photographing the snow falling on these spring ephemerals before returning home to spend the rest of the day with family. It was Easter after all!

Bloodroot flowers about ready to open now covered with snow

Third Times a Charm

It took several weeks of searching but finally, near the end of the day, I came across the Pasque Flowers I have been looking for. It really was somewhat of an accident that I found them. Heading out to a Prairie area where they have been seen in past years I first headed to a small pond to see what migrating ducks may have searched out a resting area. Getting to the pond I sat down for a couple of hours to enjoy some sunshine as snow was predicted to hit the area the next day. Looking out over the pond I could see at least a dozen pairs of Bufflehead ducks swimming and diving for food. While watching them some creature popped up out of the water right in front of me.

A Bufflehead and Ring-kneck duck hanging out on a small, out of the way pond

It took a few seconds to identify exactly what it was but I quickly realized it was a muskrat. Last year there was a beaver on this pond so at first I was trying to figure out if it could be that. As soon as the muskrat popped up I thought it was going to come ashore right in front of me as it didn’t seem to know I was there. It turned just before shore and swam parallel to it and climbing out of the water onto a nearby fallen tree. Once this fuzzy animal swam out of sight I caught a large bird flying across the pond and land directly across from me. The behavior was very much like a big hawk so I kept on eye out for it to take to the sky soon after. Returning my attention to the ducks for awhile I realized that I never saw this bird leave so I began to scan the shoreline but couldn’t really make out anything moving over there. Grabbing the camera with a longer lens I once again scanned the shoreline. This time I spotted a large predator resting on a downed tree branch.

A muskrat sitting on a log right in front of me

Looking closer and focusing in on this bird revealed a Great Horned Owl sitting there. This seemed very unusual to have an owl flying during the day, although it was more evening now, and the clouds had covered the sky creating somewhat darker conditions. It was the first time I had ever seen this particular owl before making it a great treat for the day. As I watched this owl through the camera over the next hour or so it mostly rested with its eyes closed and preened in between resting. A lot of fun to watch. When it first landed there the ducks quickly swam to another part of the pond but soon returned as you can see in the picture below. Either they weren’t really concerned with the owl or forgot it was there. Ducks do seem to have a short memory at times although they rarely seem to forget I’m there. With the evening progressing and I was getting cold from a north wind now blowing more fiercely, it was time to continue on my exploration for the Pasque Flower. There was one more area that I wanted to search.

A Great Horned Owl napping near the shoreline

Moving along the trail with more speed than when I arrived, darkness seemed to be arriving way to fast. Making a bad decision at a trail crossing nearby added at least another 10 minutes to my time getting to the place I planned to search. Eventually I arrived but didn’t locate anything that even remotely looked like it was ready to flower. Now a little disappointed once again I spotted a large bird out of the corner of my eye. Wondering what it was, and also wondering what may be up and over the hill next to me I decided to briefly leave the trail and head towards the top of the hill and see if I could figure out what this bird was. As I was climbing I saw little purple flowers almost beneath me. Pasque Flowers! I had finally found them. Looking over the area I cold see others sticking their fuzzy little purple flowers out of the cold ground ready for spring. Unfortunately this area was now shaded and any attempts at good photos would have to wait until another time.

Sadly, going back a week later, the cold had damaged many of the flower petals while deer had eaten others. Better photographs will have to wait until another spring. It was still a great adventure and I’m not sure what was more exciting – finally finding the Pasque Flowers or seeing a Great Horned Owl.

Pasque Flower after sunset

An Early Spring Day

With many people taking shelter in theirs homes, the need to get outside for a little change is needed more and more. Fortunately getting out for a walk is encouraged when possible causing parks to be very popular places now. I’ve been able to explore a few places nearby on weekends and I’ve never seen these places so busy. Parking lots are full beyond capacity and signs of people out in nature are visible on many trails with napkins or tissues littering the ground. Whether it’s intentional or accidental I’m not sure. Wildlife must be a little confused on why their normally quiet places are now over run with people out wondering through. Hopefully they can still manage to find calm places as they prepare to raise their newborns soon. While joining these people out visiting nature, I’m reminded of why spring is such a great time of year to view wildlife.

Typically things become a lot more active as birds are migrating north and other creatures are emerging from hibernation. In addition leaves have not yet sprouted making them easier to locate. You can almost see these creatures enjoying a beautiful day taking in the suns rays finally warming up after enduring many cold months. While perched next to my car trying to find a little warmth myself on this cold morning, it was 19 degrees when I arrived, I noticed a large bird take off from a dead tree that I hadn’t noticed before. It flew a short distance and landed on the ground acting kind of like a Northern Harrier Hawk to me. A few minutes later it lifted from the ground returning to its form perch. By this time I had the camera pointed towards it capturing a photo of it landing again. When I went to view this picture on the camera screen I was surprised to identify this bird as a juvenile Eagle. Another surprise when viewing this picture was that another Eagle was also perched in this tree on a branch below.

Watching these Eagles for awhile became less interesting as they just stood their doing what appeared to be a whole lot of nothing. After awhile I caught movement in the sky above me which turned out to be an adult Eagle. I focused the camera on this Eagle in the sky and watched as it approached these two young birds. With appeared as though it wanted to land on this same tree which seemed a bit strange to me as Eagles tend not to want to be that close to other birds during the spring and summer. With only a quiet sound it came in for a landing and the two juvenile Eagles took off. Almost as if the adult was telling the young ones to get out and do something you lazy birds. They began flying around circling the adult a few times and then disappeared. As I continued my drive a little while later, I found these two lazy birds perched in another tree away from where the adult was. It brought a smile to my face thinking that Eagles have to motivate their young from time to time also.

Lazy Eagles found another tree to hide in

Earlier in the morning I stopped to explore a prairie area looking for the earliest spring blooms of a Pasque flower. It was my goal the week before, along with finding colorful mushrooms, but I did not succeed in locating a plant in bloom as it was a bit too early yet. The trail had some heavy frost on it confirming the cold entering my hands and nose. It was beautiful but not the awe inspiring frosts I’ve seen before. Again I must be too early. No sign of the beautiful Pasque flower even thinking about raising it’s light purple blooms towards the sky. My short hike continued through the prairie without seeing any signs of life but still enjoying all the birds chattering in the trees nearby.

A frosty spring morning on the trail

As I continued on my journey through the park I encountered some Sandhill Cranes. These are such fascinating birds to me and I just love watching and listening to them whenever there’s a chance. During the fall migrations through this same area there will be thousands of these birds congregating together but now they mostly stay in pairs warning other cranes this is their territory at the moment. My first indication that other cranes where flying nearby was the head raising squawks of those on the ground I was watching. Fortunately I was able to capture such a moment as two Sandhill Cranes were crossing the road in front of me.

Shouting for joy that spring is here

Those cranes continued on into the nearby wetlands where they’re commonly found pecking here and there at what must have been things to eat. They made a wide circle around me eventually continuing on to wherever it was they wanted to go. Meanwhile I just stood next to my car glancing now and then in their direction and occasionally lifting my camera to capture a shot. My goal is to disturb wildlife as little as possible so I try not to chase after them attempting to get a better picture. I would rather miss a shot and let the animal stay calm when possible. Patience is often rewarded as these cranes paused in some nice sunlight allowing me to grab a few photos of them before they moved on. I could have stayed here all day just watching and listening as the animals continue to meander around.

Roaming the wetlands

Winter’s Losing it’s Grip

Temperatures are beginning to rise and the snow is disappearing. I’m not ready for spring yet as there are a lot of things still to do but on a beautiful late winter day I couldn’t resist. I had to go out for a little while and enjoy the sunset. I was a little nervous at first walking out on the ice but soon became more comfortable as it’s still quite thick to allow people to walk on it. There’s so many interesting ice formations as it begins to melt and the water on top adds to it nicely.

Ice patterns created from cracking under warmer days

Walking along setting up for a different photo I looked down and saw these patterns in the ice. They had such fun patterns and colors very different from the rest of the ice. It was after sunset so the lighting wasn’t as good as I would have liked. While taking a few shots I noticed these three lines radiating through and worked to capture those as more of the focus of these patterns.

The end of another beautiful winter's day

As darkness begins to engulf more of the landscape, a planet begins to shine. I didn’t check to see which one it was. You can barely make it out about 1/3rd from the top to the right of the main tree trunk in between branches. What I really liked in this photo was the shape of the tree and the reflections in puddles on top of the ice after sunset.

Melting Ice

While going across the ice I came across a pile of ice from someone drilling a whole for ice fishing. These ice chips began to melt under the warm sun and I really liked how the last few minutes of sunlight highlighted these shards. I wish I would have arrived a little earlier and spent more time photographing these.

As the sun is setting, the moon is rising on the other horizon

After the sunset I turned and saw the moon nearly full mixed in with a scattering of soft, pink clouds. I always like to capture these weathered wood pillars protruding up from the lake and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so. These close ups of the pillars also highlight some of the rough textures in the melting ice. I would like to spend more time capturing that also as they’re so interesting. It was a fun hour out on the ice before it disappears in the coming weeks.

Texture of the uneven ice as it continues to melt

Enjoying more snowflakes

People love to enter hibernation during the winter. Especially when a snowstorm is causing havoc on the roadways. All it takes is an incredible snowflake landing on my sleeve and I’m addicted. During the cold months of the year I keep much of my camera gear cold so that I can be out taking pictures in an instant. Photographing these little ice crystals is fun but what’s even better is seeing them up close and exploring each ridge or crevice. Many are incredibly beautiful when viewed in detail. I keep trying to get some great photographs of them but have yet to succeed. Viewing snowflakes in a photograph is enjoyable but also disappointing. There’s always an area that’s out of focus and I can never seem to capture. The 3-D aspect capturing each detail that makes them so captivating to me continues to elude my pictures.

The snowflake above is probably the best one to fall in front of my camera over the past few snow falls. I love the clear, symmetrical center and all of the patterns radiating out from the center. I just keep studying each ray and wondering how they formed, fell from the sky with the high winds accompanying that snowstorm, and landed on the purple glove I was using all without breaking.

Ice flower

This was another ice crystal that I couldn’t wait to examine up close and capture with the camera. The frosted edges created a beautiful outline of the petals in this snowflake. Again the clear and symmetrical center is so amazing to me. I know the hexagon shape is the base for many snowflakes but it always has me wondering why. What forces cause this to be the most stable formation for ice crystals whether it’s flatter flakes like this or even columnar ones or the multiple combinations in between?

Clear flakes

The group of snowflakes above appear to be incomplete. Like they fell before finishing their design. What could have scared them out of the sky early? More likely they were evaporating before I could capture the complete flake. Most of the time these little pieces of ice art show up better with a darker background but once in awhile I like to see them as a sort of x-ray. It’s just a little different way to view them. Often a single flake makes a beautiful photo but sometimes there are too many interesting snowflakes and the only way to photograph more is to take a picture of a group of them.

Frosty edges

Another snowflake that captured my attention when I first spotted it was the one above. It also has the frosted edges which seems to really highlight the clear ice closer to the center. Such an interesting contrast to me. It also makes it so much more visible against the background. I love the curvy lines in between each ray. What causes that during the formation in the clouds? These make each ray of this flake unique like they were all in slightly different parts of the cloud when they were created.

Below is another group of beautiful ice crystals. Each one different from the one it’s touching. I was experimenting with different backgrounds to see what I like and if I can come up with something different that might still provide an interesting contrast to these snowflakes. Ice crystals are something I’m hooked on. Since these couple of snowfalls the temperatures have warmed just enough that we’ve been experiencing more rain in central Minnesota so I haven’t had more subjects to work with as often. But when I do you can be sure I’ll be out trying to capture better photos.

A group of snowflakes

Favorite Photos of 2019

Some of the pictures are cut off in the collage above so I also put it below.

Just a quick directory of these pictures from the past year going clockwise from the top left:

Two Lessor Yellowlegs battling for a spot on this fallen log. These were in an area that I’ve never seen them before as this was a pond recently drained exposing valuable shore for these birds to feed on. Check out the post here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-may-morning-watching-migrating-birds/

A single snowflake. I photographed several in 2019 and had a difficult time choosing a favorite as they are all unique and interesting to me. You can see more here: http://monopolytraveler.com/snowflakes-are-amazing/

The Utah Landscape. Beautiful red rock formations set against a white capped mountain background under a blue sky.  What’s not to love about it? http://monopolytraveler.com/pictures-from-the-traila-beautiful-utah-landscape/

Nighttime at Split Rock Lighthouse. A full moon ruined a sky full of visible stars on this cold late spring night. I’m thankful for that as I think it’s a much better photo with the moonlight highlighting the lighthouse and shoreline with stars still shining above. Article still coming but you can see some similar photos here:  http://monopolytraveler.com/splitrock-lighthouse-state-park/

Hiking under the rising sun. The light peering through the forest shines nicely on ferns and dogwoods blanketing the ground as we follow the narrow trail winding carefully around them. http://monopolytraveler.com/isle-royalefrom-feldtmann-lake-to-siskitwit-bay/

Purple Lupines in full bloom. Such vibrant colors dominating this picture brings such great memories of springtime.

Utah under the great blue sky. Another photo capturing the amazing scenery Utah is well known for. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-to-moab-and-the-first-trail/

Pink Ladyslippers. I got a chance to see these twice in 2019. Once in June in Northern Minnesota and again in July on Isle Royale. I’ve never seen them before. What a beautiful orchid! Not yet written about. Here’s an article from where the photo was taken though: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-return-to-isle-royale/

A Foggy Sunrise. There wasn’t a lot special about this sunrise as night became day and there wasn’t anything that stood out about the landscape but add some fog hovering near the ground and you get an amazing picture. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-the-shota-beautiful-foggy-sunrise/

Moose Bath. The opportunity to watch a full grown bull moose trample through the water was a great experience. And don’t I have a story to tell so stay tuned for that in 2020. For now here’s some of the wildlife spotted during this same trip: http://monopolytraveler.com/independence-day-on-isle-royale/

Stars over Double Arch. A highlight for me was to see Double Arch in Arches National Park. I was blown away at how incredible it is in person and to climb around under with the stars shining bright above was pretty incredible. http://monopolytraveler.com/getting-the-shotdouble-arch/

An Early Morning in the Boundary Waters. The fog once again made this picture. It diffused the sunrise creating some amazing colors reflecting off of the smooth water surrounding this little island. A restoration of inspiration for me. You can see more about this particular morning here: http://monopolytraveler.com/a-sunrise-worth-waking-up-for/. There’s a post about this photo in the works for 2020.

Sitting among the Shore. I just love the two people sitting on a log next to the water enjoying a calm morning. It helps that one of them is my daughter and the other one of my cousins sharing a life adventure. http://monopolytraveler.com/independence-day-on-isle-royale/

 

There are a lot of other photographs I could have added from the past year but these where definitely at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy them as well. Most of them have appeared in my posts or will soon if you want to read more about them.

2019 Collage