I was traveling south this past week for the Thanksgiving holiday.  In order to avoid a nasty ice and sleet storm I left a day earlier than originally planned.  This gave me a bit of time to visit the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Missouri.  Located along the Missouri River floodplain, the refuge is on the flyway for migrating waterfowl and birds as they head south for warmer climates.  As I drove through the refuge I was serenaded by the sounds of thousands of ducks and snow geese, all enjoying a gray late-fall day.  Amongst the waterfowl were these past-prime American lotus plants and blooms.  I’m sure that their bright blooms were beautiful in the summer sun, however their lines and shapes created beautiful patterns and reflections as the spent blooms rested on the water’s surface.