The Nature Trail Starts Here
It was a cloudy and gusty day. At least it was significantly drier than the following day. It rained and snowed all day.
TheNaturetrailStartsHerebeaver creek nature areahomesteaderparksdsodaksouth dakota
Beaver Creek Lodge
A family of 8 children used to live in that lodge.
BeaverCreeklodgebeaver creek nature areaparksdsodaksouth dakota
Different Phase of Spring
Some blooms right away while others take its time to even turn over a new leaf.
DifferentPhasespringbloomfoliagesdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotatrees
A Break from Gadgets
It's nice to see kids playing outside, instead of glued to a computer or a tablet.
BreakfromGadgetsbackyardsdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotakidsplay
Greener on the Other Side
I found a dirt path access to the creek's bank, away from the paved path.
GreenertheOtherSideblue skycloudscreeklegacy parksdsioux fallsskunk creeksodaksouth dakotasunsettreeswalk
The Tree by the Edge of the Park
I almost reached the other end of the Legacy Park.
thetreeEdgeParkblack and whitebwlegacy parkpathsdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotawalk
Bringing the Tower Down
This was moments before the 600-foot tower went down, as planned. I am sure the preparation and the work started prior to this day. I got the opportunity to witness the result of the careful plan and execution. The tower went down as planned, nobody got hurt.
BringingthetowerDowncloudycommunicationdemolitionsafetysdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotawork
The Scene Comes with Bugs
Nice weather is not complete without the bugs. I am just glad they are not out year around.
TheSceneComeswithBugsblue skycloudscreeklegacy parkreflectionsdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotasunsettreeswalk
Hiding Behind the Cloud
The sunset came early because the storm cloud was rolling in from the west.
HidingBehindtheCloudblue skycloudscreeklegacy parkreflectionsdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotasunsettreeswalk
Some Have a Better View than the Other
The park is surrounded by residential areas. Some of the houses are located on top of the hill hence they have the vantage view, overlooking the park.
SomeHaveBetterViewthantheOtherblue skycloudscurvegrasshillhouseslegacy parkpathsdsioux fallsskunk creeksodaksouth dakotatreeswalk
White and Brown Become Green
The change in color scheme, the warmer weather, and the longer daylight are some of the things I really enjoy about spring. What do you appreciate about the current season?
WhiteandBrownBecomeGreenblue skycloudscurvegrasslegacy parkpathsdsioux fallsskunk creeksodaksouth dakotatreeswalk
A Nice Stroll by the Creek
The path goes by the creek almost the whole stretch. It also meant the mosquitos were the most I have seen so far this year. I got no bites though.
NiceStrolltheCreekblue skybushescloudscurveflarelegacy parksdsioux fallsskunk creeksodaksouth dakotatreeswalkwater
Walking Toward the Sunset Home
This was after I reached Dunham Park. Since I walked around Dunham Park before, so I headed back. It was a shorter walk than expected, but it was still a good walk. I really appreciated the weather. The bugs? Not so much.
WalkingTowardtheSunsetHomeblue skycloudsgrasshouseslegacy parksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotawalk
Houses with a Park View
Another walk in the park. This time it was in Legacy Park. The park is not far from the Family Park. The park path brought me to the nearby park, Dunham Park.
houseswithParkViewblue skycloudsgrasslegacy parksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotawalk
Waiting for the Egg Hunt
The egg hunt was about to commence. Kids, big and small, eagerly waited for the go ahead signal. Fun was had by many and we learned something about Easter.
WaitingfortheEggHuntegg huntoak hills baptist churchohbcsaturdaysdsioux fallssodaksonrisesouth dakkota
Park on the West Edge of Town
Even though it was a cold and windy day, the park felt peaceful. The lake surface was not smooth because of the wind. If it was cold and windy, I would probably spend a longer time there.
ParktheWestEdgeTownblack and whitebwcloudydockfamily parkfishinghouseslakesioux fallssodaksouth dakkotatreeswater
Plenty of Spots to Choose From
The lake is quite big. I don't know the type of fish it has, but the park is probably a good spot to fish. It has some sceneries too.
PlentySpotsChooseFromcloudydockfamily parkfishinghouseslakesioux fallssodaksouth dakkotatreeswater
More than One Dock
There are at least four fishing docks at the park. So plenty of fishing spots to choose from. It was breezy and rather cold. Only a few people went fishing that day.
MorethanOnedockcloudyfamily parkfishinghouseslakesioux fallssodaksouth dakkotatreeswater
Fishing Dock at Family Park
I ventured to a park that I have never been before, on the west side of town. It is called Family Park. It is geared for fishing and for dogs to roam around. It does have a fenced in dog area too.
fishingdockFamilyParkblack and whitebwcloudyfamily parkhouseslakesioux fallssodaksouth dakkotatreeswater
People Do Enjoy the Park
There were quite a few people came to the Falls Park this evening. Most of them made photos with either a phone or an actual camera. It was a nice day to be outside and people appreciated it.
peopleEnjoytheParkbig siouxfallsfalls parkgoldenriversdsioux fallssodaksouth dakkotaspringstepssuntreeswater
Can I Have More?
The nice weather days after some cold days are always appreciated. I am looking forward to more days like this.
CanHaveMorecarscloudydebrisfalls parkgrassparking lotpeoplerapidssdsioux fallssodaksouth dakkotaspringsuntrees
Queen Bee Turbine House
An old remnant of the old mill which used to be around back in the Dakota Territory days.
QueenBeeturbinehousefalls parkgolden hourgrassqueen beesdsioux fallssodaksouth dakkotaspringtrees
Falls Park in Early Spring
It's greener than when I visited the park last. It's definitely warmer. It would be harder to stay inside and work now.
FallsParkEarlyspringfalls parksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakkota
Dalton Adding Machine
Part of Schmeckfest is the Heritage Hall Museum. There were quite vintage items in the collections, including this machine. We have come far from the adding machine period, but it doesn't mean we should forget how things were.
Daltonaddingmachineblack and whitefreemanheritage hall museumoldschemeckfestsodaksouth dakotavintage
Thank You, Schmeckfest!
My first Schmeckfest after I came back. I am amazed by the amount of effort to achieve a communal goal. So many volunteers gave up their time and energy to make this fundraiser event a success year after year. For me, it was a good experience. No doubt.
ThankYouSchmeckfestblack and whitebwdinnerfoodfreemanhallschemeckfestsodaksouth dakotavolunteers
McKennan Park
This is the north end of the McKennan Park. It has a similar sign to the south end, but without any statue around it.
Pillars of the Nation
In the 1940's with the 2nd World War threatening, Oscar Ellefson designed and proposed the building of two pillars made of stones native to each of the 48 states, which would symbolize the unity and strength of the nation. With the help of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, letters were written to each state capital requesting specimens of local stone. All states readily responded and two pillars were built in August of 1941.
Emil Christianson of Hills, Minnesota donated native SD stone, fossils, and Indian artifacts to build the two older pillars.PillarstheNationblack and whitebwmckennanparkpillars of the nationsdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotatexture
The Historic Boulevard Street
It is known as 21st Street now. It is part of the McKennan Historic District. The houses in this district are greatly varied in style.
TheHistoricBoulevardStreetmckennanparksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakota
Irish Immigrant Statue
A life-sized sculpture of the “Potato Man” was created as a tribute to the Irish immigrants who came to America. The statue was created by a New York artist Susan Giessler. It was part of the 2006 Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk, purchased by several Irish residents, and donated to the city. It was installed at McKennan Park in 2008 in celebration of the park’s centennial.
IrishImmigrantStatuemckennanparksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakota
Helen Gale McKennan
A statue honoring the park's land donator. The park is named after her.
HelenGalemckennanhelen galeparksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotastatue
Lady Liberty
During the World War II, the park received a wood replica of the Statue of Liberty. The statue was dedicated on Sunday evening, August 1, 1943. The statue, which had previously been owned by Sioux Falls pioneer Charles A. Sells.
Source: http://www.siouxfalls.org/contactus/city/history/park-history/mckennan.Ladylibertyblack and whitemckennanparksdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotastatuetrees
Arrowhead Park Barn
Supper was waiting for me at home. It was time to pack up and head home. One last look at the barn.
arrowheadparkbarnblack and whitebwprairiesdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotatrees
1888
I am going for the symmetry composition. The main door of the renovated barn is the focal point. I have never been inside the barn and I don't know if it is open for public.
1888arrowheadbarnblack and whitedoorparksdsidingsioux fallssodaksouth dakotatexturewindowwood
Paddling Upstream
We had the opportunity to take a short excursion from work around noon. I took the opportunity to go downtown and made some photos and short videos. It was a welcomed break and being away from the computer.
PaddlingUpstreambig siouxblack and whitebwcanadiangeeseiceriversdsioux fallssodaksouth dakotawinter
Thank You, Sandro!
A group of us from work went to the ad federation luncheon and listened to Sandro Miller sharing his experience. We saw some of his personal work and got inspired.
ThankYousandroluncheonmillerphotographersdsdafsioux fallssodaksouth dakotatalkthe country club
Green Drinking Fountain
It was out of commission for the season for obvious reason. This scene would be different in a few months. Spring is coming.
GreenDrinkingfountaindrinkparksioux fallssnowsodaksouth dakotawhitewinteryankton trail
