The Last Day of 2012

From left to right, Ben Roussell, 7, Joe Roussell, 9, and Joshua Heine, 9, all of Cedar Falls, race down a hill in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012.

Ben Prostine, of Cedar Falls, cross-country skis through Fairview Cemetery in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Braving the Storm

Theo TePaske, of Waterloo, wears a face mask to guard against wind gusts as he rounds up shopping carts at Walmart in Waterloo, Iowa on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

RAGBRAI XXXVII

Cyclists ride in the rain up County Road D38 approaching Canfield Rd, three miles outside of Gilbertville, Iowa, on Friday, July 30, 2010.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


RAGBRAI riders cover Water Street, as it rains, during a stop in Quasqueton, Iowa, on Friday, July 30, 2010.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Water Displacement

City workers inspect water pumps on State Street in Denver, Iowa after the area experienced flash flooding due to heavy rain on Friday, July 23, 2010.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Winter Art

Frost collects on a branch along Main Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Still

Ice collects on tree branches along Main Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

After the Rain

A full rainbow is visible following rainstorms in Waterloo, Iowa, on Monday, August 10, 2009.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


Brandon Tyler, 15, of Waterloo, fishes in the Cedar River near the Fourth Street Bridge, following a rainstorm, in Waterloo, Iowa, on Monday, August 10, 2009.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Silhouetted by the sunset, ducks congregate beneath the West Park Avenue bridge in Waterloo, Iowa, on Monday, August 10, 2009.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

On nights like tonight, I am reminded of how much I really love my job :)

Timber

A fallen tree crushes a 1996 Camri, owned by Leandra Sunseri, on West 7th Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa, following severe storms on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Sunseri said the car had over 150, 000 miles on it at the time.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


Arborist John Murray cuts up limbs from a fallen tree on Main Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa, following severe storms on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Desert

©Dawn J. Sagert


Clouds hover over the mountains around Red Rock outside of Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 14, 2009.
©Dawn J. Sagert

I recently went to Las Vegas, Nevada for the NPPA Convergence conference. I had a great time and learned a lot. I think a week in Vegas may be a bit much for me--thankfully, my cousin who lives an hour outside of Vegas, was kind enough to take me away from the strip for a while and show me some of the natural beauty. It was my first time in the desert, and the break was very much appreciated! Thanks, Toni!

Frost

Frost cascades across a window on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Winter Walk

Sue Holms, front center, and Al Holms, back center, of Waterloo, walk their four dogs Sammie, front left, Bo, back left, Sydnie, front right, and Cheyenne, back right, on the Cedar Valley Bike Trail near North Hackett Road in Waterloo, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Ring of Ice

A ring of snow-covered ice surrounds a rock in the Cedar River in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Only seconds after I started trying to find the angle I liked the best, the ring released itself from the rock and plopped into the river. At least I got this one :-)

Iced Over

A layer of icicles covers a car in a used car lot on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, following Saturday's winter storm.
©Dawn J. Sagert


Icicles adorn a stoplight at the corners of University Avenue and Round Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008, following Saturday's winter storms.

©Dawn J. Sagert

Centered

The sun reflects through suspended ice crytals in the atmosphere to create the prism effect on either side of the sun known as Sun dawgs, as seen from the Pinnacle Prairie division in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

A Really Cold Day

Steam rises from the Cedar River as temperatures hit -27 degrees with windchill in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier


A Blue Jays lands for a snack of seeds and corn left on the ground by an anonymous provider at George Wyth State Park in Waterloo, Iowa, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008.

©Dawn J. Sagert/The Waterloo Courier

Transitions

Summer transforms into Autumn on Monday, Sept. 22, 2008.
©Dawn J. Sagert

Also, I know it's probably not proper "blog etiquette" to add images to previous posts, but it's my blog, so I did. I added one image each to both the cross country post and the rodeo. Just a couple more that I liked from each shoot, but skipped over.

Water and Light

Ever need a little "pick me up"? I needed one tonight.


A fire truck speeds by westbound on Greenhill Road, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Monday night, July 7, 2008. © Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn

(No, I didn't chase a fire truck...I had something a little less exciting in mind. But it was part of the trip there.)


A place of renewal and inspiration (and great coffee), resides within the walls of a bookstore at Crossroads Mall in Waterloo, Iowa, which bears the name of Barnes & Noble. © Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn


The golden glow of a sunset following rain glosses over the parking lot at Barnes & Noble at Crossroads in Waterloo, Iowa, on Monday night, July 7, 2008. © Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn


Raindrops gather in a puddle in the soft warm sunset on Monday, July 7, 2008, in Waterloo, Iowa. © Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn


Traffic heads toward the sunset on Highway 218 on Monday, July 7, 2008, in Waterloo, Iowa. ©Dawn Sagert/Photography by Dawn

Ahh...I feel better. Don't get me wrong, I love overcast skies. It's just amazing, to me, how the evening started out so dark and dreary and ended so beautifully...even more so because of the rain.

An Outdoor Day

Hail collects on a wooden deck, as rain continues to drizzle. Many were awoken by early morning hail as it pelted down from the sky at about 6:45am on Wednesday, July 2, 2008, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
© Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn


A nearby neighbor, who preferred to remain unidentified, spends an evening cutting and pulling thistles and weeds from the wildlife at the Activity Center grounds along Greenhill Road on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. The small roadside park serves bike trail patrons with access to a rest area and a shelter.
© Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn


Evening bicyclists stop for a rest along the Cedar Valley Bike Trail near its Greenhill Road outlet in Cedar Falls, on Wednesday, July 2, 2008.
©Dawn Sagert/Photography by Dawn

Late Night Light Show

Lightning illuminates the sky behind the UNI-Dome on the University of Northern Iowa campus late Saturday night, June 14, 2008, as dark storm clouds roll in bringing high winds and heavy rain.
© Dawn J. Sagert/Photography by Dawn

Safe for Travel

A guardrail, from the south-bound lane of Highway 218 in Cedar Falls, lies mangled in a still-flooded ditch on Friday evening, June 13, 2008. The highway was declared once again safe for travel following record breaking flood levels of the Cedar River throughout the week.

©Dawn Sagert/Photography by Dawn

I've added more images to the slide show. (see the link to the right)

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13th!!