Troopers and officers from Post 15 honored 2026-07-25 - Lexington, KY - Photo courtesy Kentucky State Police. Pictured, from left to right: Master Trooper Jonathan Houk, Detective Dexter Colvin, Captain Jeremy Smith and Trooper Joshua Smith. Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Barn Swallows, round 2 2026-07-25 - Adair Co., KY - Photo by Pam Capozziello. Pam writes, "Our yearly barn swallow guarding her 2nd batch of babies! We are lucky this year in enjoying 2 litters of babies instead of the usual single litter. Mom swallow seems to babysit during the daytime and daddy comes at night and sits on a metal hook next to the nest. These birds are the coolest and by far my favorite to observe! How they manage to find the same nest every year while traveling thousands of miles to breed is mind-boggling! Some of us have problems just following directions even with GPS!" Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Scenic Kentucky: Downtown Berea 2026-07-24 - Madison Co., KY - Photo by Linda Waggener. Old Town Berea is a great example of what cities can do to invite tourists. visitBerea.com. Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Billy Joe Fudge and Donald Walls digging fire control line 2026-07-24 - Monterey County, CA - Photo from Billy Joe Fudge. Billy Joe writes, "This is Donald Walls and me doing mop-up on a burned over Manzanita hillside adjacent to a fire control line. Notice that I was the one digging while Donald leaned on his shovel! The reality was that with the smoke, lung clogging ashes and 100 degree temperatures, we had to change out digging duties often." Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Wildflower: Cup plant flowers 2026-07-24 - Central Kentucky - Photo by Pen. The lovely yellow flowers of the cup plant make it an attraction for many pollinators, and the seeds along with the 'cups' of water, formed along the stems, are attractive to birds as both a food and water source. (wikipedia). Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Containment line for the Marble Cone fire 2026-07-24 - Monterey County, CA - Photo by Billy Joe Fudge. Billy Joe writes, "Most every wildland fire is contained and ultimately controlled by removing the fuel to stop the spread. This hillside was too steep and rocky to use heavy equipment, so this containment line was hand constructed. Chainsaws, pulaskies and shovels were used to remove the fuel. Note: The burned area was to our right and the unburned area to our left. If I had not been there I would have been able to discern that. Reason being, the control line is angled out the hill to the right. This is done so that any burning material that might fall or be dislodged would fall or roll inside the burned area rather than falling or rolling across the control line into unburned fuel." Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Home away from home for firefighters 2026-07-24 - Monterey County, CA - Photo by Billy Joe Fudge. Billy Joe writes, "I suppose you can tell that our little camp, home away from home, is located in a valley between the hills. It is quite appropriate that the tree in the center of our camp site was a Valley Oak." Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

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Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728.
Phone: 270.403.0017