PrairieDust visual journal

photographer Dave Leiker

Elmo Elevator

Elmo Elevator

Elmo, Kansas (Dickinson County) – Little is left of this town. A church and a cemetery are the most preserved spots. I have driven by Elmo for years, without knowing the remnants of a small town were hidden in the trees, just off the highway. Its existence was…

Carlton Elevator & Winter Wheat

Carlton Elevator & Winter Wheat

There is a sense of quiet, standing at the edge of this scene, looking back over (what I think is) winter wheat toward Carlton, Kansas. On a landscape wrapped in late autumn browns and oranges, this inland sea of fresh-from-the-earth green has an extra power over us.

Gold-Season Farmland

Gold-Season Farmland

A circling flight of geese prepares to land, as the sun settles into the horizon.Photographed in northern Lyon County, Kansas.

Evening Calm

Evening Calm

Sunset on Herington Lake (Kansas) – This one snuck up on me. The evening colors were looking pretty uneventful as I drove eastward on Highway 4 last night. But as I glanced over my shoulder, toward the waters of Herington Lake, the colors intensified and were…

On Veterans Day

On Veterans Day

The photo was taken last December, but it seems a good choice for this years’ observance of Veterans Day

Baking Bread

Baking Bread

Preparing loves for the oven, at Amanda’s Bakery. There’s more, view the slideshow .

Black Gum Leaves

Black Gum Leaves

Arkansas woods – The early-Autumn black gum leaves along the forest edge were psychedelic, with a silvery sheen. These two, shown as they were found in the forest, make a nice showing above the lines of a moss-laden log.