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Gloria

@rideintothesunset.bsky.social

1.5K followers 1.2K following 560 posts

Retired to ride horses in Shawnee National Forest, Illinois. All photos (and a lifetime of memories) are mine. Alt text is my friend now. Please no DMs.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · Apr 5

Alt text = “the rest of the story” for me. When I’m cruising along liking pretty flowers and birds, I don’t always check their alt text, but when I see something extraordinary that needs to be clicked up to full screen, I always hope to find out more about where, when, why, etc.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 7h

Credit and thanks to Georgie girl for taking me on a wonderful ride yesterday under blue skies, 70F/21C, and to many of the more scenic spots in Shawnee National Forest.

Georgie, the 12-year-old bay paso fino mare, relaxes at the horse tie line at Secret Canyon in southern Illinois Shawnee National Forest. Sunlight was extraordinarily beautiful as it shone through an already thinned tree canopy. A slight breeze made it a very good day indeed to be alive and able to explore the pretty places on earth.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 7h

Perfect reflection of a beautiful day for a walk or horse ride through Shawnee National Forest.

Lusk Creek designated crossing at Natural Bridge. Still water perfectly reflects blue sky over green trees with one tree in the center adding red leaf color and white trunks. October 14, 2025 in Shawnee National Forest, southern Illinois.

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 7h

This must be peak mushroom season in Shawnee National Forest, southern Illinois. Yesterday all these beauties enticed me to jump off my horse for a closer look!

Amanita mushroom of some kind. I found that over 600 species exist and some are called death caps. Pretty to look at with their raised cream spots on darker tan tops. They were growing beside a creek among grasses and fallen tree leaves.

Oudemansiella mucida (porcelain fungus?) with what appears to be a big bite taken out of the side. A smaller version grows demurely next to a log on the forest floor atop fallen brown tree leaves and green growing plant leaves.

Ischnoderma resinosum (resinous polypore, late fall polypore, benzoin bracket. Beautiful subdued tones of brown and cream shelf mushrooms grow on an old moss covered log above crispy fallen tree leaves lining the forest floor.

Omphalotus illudens (Jack o’Lantern Mushroom. Their bright orange pumpkiny color caught my eye yesterday growing in a big patch beside a trail deep in the forest. Dead tree leaves surround for a real October/Halloween vibe.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 7h

Real gold. 24K. And it's free to look at in our US public parks and forests.

A shiny cluster of golden mushrooms gleam in the afternoon sun beside a horse trail in Shawnee National Forest. There were dozens of clusters like this grouped together within a few feet of each other. Old, wise, and patient Georgie horse quietly put up with me hopping off and on her to take pics several times yesterday. Glorious day for a ride!

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 1d

Fall colors, with rock and ferns, under the purest of blue skies. Perfect day for a walk in the woods.

Beautiful trail 457 leading to Salt Peter Cave and Natural Bridge shows why October is a favorite month to ride and why the campgrounds are all full of horse riders and hikers in Shawnee National Forest. Perfect weather and a bonus of no bugs.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 1d

Shady bluff edge. Calming vibes.

Owl Bluff in Shawnee National Forest. Perfect lunch spot. Perfect spot, period, to observe the world from above the strife.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 1d

My old friend, Bidens Aristosa, blooms on strongly in southern Illinois mid October.

Bidens aristosa (Bearded Beggarticks, Bur Marigold Long-Bracted Beggarticks Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower Sticktight Swamp Marigold Tick Seed Tickseed Beggarticks Tickseed Sunflower Western Tickseed Yankee Lice). Eye catching yellow flowers bloom on in October, growing on solid rock in Shawnee National Forest, southern Illinois.

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 1d

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. Hard to take pictures of such delicate beauties on a breezy day.

Symphyotrichum patens (Clasping Aster, Late Purple Aster, Spreading Aster). Soft lavender purple flowers with surprisingly bright yellow fluffy centers grow tall on thin stems supporting simple green leaves. My hike was pleasant on this strenuous trail in part because of a nice breeze. That breeze made it devilishly hard to focus on these beauties, thought. Finally caught a moment of stillness.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 2d

Chicks. Not big enough to be called full fledged Chicken of the Woods.

Three small orange mushrooms outlined in pale yellow share a fallen tree with forest floor leaves, moss, ferns, and native grasses. Appreciate the small things in life.

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 2d

Lusk Creek lunch spot yesterday below Indian Kitchen. It was a beautiful hike 180 feet/55 meters down from horse tie lines. Going back up was slower, but I'm glad I did it. Saw 2 groups of hikers enjoying a perfect autumn day in Shawnee National Forest.

Lusk Creek looks deep and dark below a vertical rock face. A green tree adorns the creek bank and a single ray of sunshine makes its way over the about 180 feet/55 meter bluff. October is a perfect time to hike Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 2d

The most photographed berry in the forest. Just after I snapped a pic, hikers came through and did the same. A real standout.

A single bright red Partridge Berry growing on a cliff face with moss above a small spider web topped by a fallen tree leaf. Glad I'm not the only one that sees and appreciates beauty in the forest enough to capture an image to share with those who cannot climb down (and back up) the 180 feet from Indian Kitchen horse tie lines to Lusk Creek.

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 2d

Family portrait. Autumn forest floor.

A cluster of yellow mushrooms share the forest floor with a single green fern frond and crisp brown freshly fallen tree leaves. The sun hit this group just right to make me get off my horse and get down on their level to take a picture.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 3d

Hairy Balls and Love Lies Bleeding? Trying to tell us something?

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 3d

Forest floor carpeted with leaves fallen early, bypassing color show this year and just going straight to opening up the trails to blue sky.

A horse trail winds through Shawnee National Forest. Fallen tree leaves carpet the ground in shades of brown and tan. Outlines of tree trunks and limbs stand out under a thin green canopy of remaining tree leaves and blue sky. Perfect temperatures in the mid 70's and lots of sunshine.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 3d

Magic happens here. Could be a witch's cauldron in the forest just waiting for Halloween or Samhain coming soon. Or maybe just a lovely creek in Shawnee National Forest on a lovely autumn day.

Blue Hole in Hayes Creek showing off how it earned its name. Blue sky overhead and green trees thinning after early heat and drought stress leaf drop. October 11, 2025.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 4d

Winter is coming, but we will enjoy every bit of warmth and sunshine while we can. The back south facing deck is my favorite room in the house.

Amelia the gray tabby cat curls up on my lap as I sit on the deck reading a book. A favorite time for both of us.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 5d

Red Green Blue. Pure colors of life. With cats.

Morning sun shines on a red barn, making it glow. Green grass and trees surround below a brilliant clear blue sky. Three barn cats on gravel drive leading to house casting a shadow at bottom of scene. October, but trees mainly just dropping leaves rather than showing fall colors this year. Primary colors of photography. All colors together in Harmony.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 6d

Friendly morning visitor posed then flew up and landed right on top of my phone just after I took its picture.

Phone ID'd first pic and confirmed w/second (in alt text). Growing up with ancient encyclopedias as only home reference sources, technology to research anything immediately is magic.

A brilliant orange butterfly with dark spots and darker shaded wing tips outlined in white. I wondered why is this called a Question Mark Butterfly at first.

Under side of wings show why this one is named the Question Mark Butterfly. Nice camouflage looking like a fall leaf in shades of brown and tan with the small white punctuation mark showing up brightly in white.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 7d

Deer duo at dawn.

Two white tail deer, about an 8 point buck on the left and a younger 1 or 2 point on the right. Haven't seen as many deer around lately. Neighbors report finding several dead in creeks from blue tongue disease (EHD). Morning sun rising behind trees and pic taken through dirty window give a misty glow to the scene.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 8d

Confidence. The Laila strut.

Black barn cat, Laila, patrols her territory. Red and gray barn behind is her castle. 10 pounds of attitude.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 8d

Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 9d

Thanks

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 9d

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Free Photo to Painting Converter: Turn Photos Into Paintings

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 9d

I had never heard of photo painting before I saw what you've been doing. I tried it out for the first time yesterday and it's fun. Thanks for cluing me in to an interesting way to upgrade my simple phone snapshots! I posted my first effort today.

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Gloria @rideintothesunset.bsky.social · 9d

Inspiration from fellow Blueskyers led me to look up "photo painting". Found a free site and popped a quick pic from two days ago in. Nice. Pretty girl doing her favorite thing is now artistic.

Photo painting from picture taken in early October in southern Indiana. Gema, the bay pinto Paso Fino mare, grazes on delicious looking grass. Brush strokes add texture to her hair and the grass in foreground. Brushstrokes smooth out as front pasture dips then rises toward the fence at the road. Wildflowers and fall leaves add highlights to the green grass. Ordinary snapshot of a typical morning transformed. Interesting. I like it.

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