New Years Eve....

This past weekend, I was in Yankton and decided to head out to Paddlewheel Point to take a few pictures. This is an area just south of the Yankton Chamber of Commerce along the Missouri River

and just off the Auld-Brokow Trail. 

Not only did I have a great sunrise to watch, I also had bald eagles flying over my head. At one time there were four of them in the sky above me.  Of course, I was all set up for landscape and macro work, and was unable to take a good picture of the majestic birds. Sometimes it is best to step away from the camera and try to take it all in.  There were geese, ducks and hunters calling in the game birds from the island to take their best shot, but with different equipment than mine! The sun peeked through the clouds offering a nice amber glow to the Meridian Bridge.  The river was nice and still, offering some great reflections. While I stood looking at the calm river, I did a little reflecting myself. Could this really be the same river that caused a lot of destruction this past summer? In fact most of the pictures below were taking in areas where water would have been numerous feet over my head.  She is a powerful old girl, the river.  Not only in shear strength, but it seems that if you grow up around a body of water like this, it keeps drawing you back to her.

I love my hometown of Yankton, South Dakota!

Mother Nature didn't disappoint me with her beauty on the last day of 2011.