Intoxicated With Colour

Right now, autumn has come out in full force colour-wise. We're enjoying a week of very mild August-like weather but the trees think it's October. I'll have some autumn images for you before too long (they're still in my camera), but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy some of the many photos I still have from summer. It may be winter by the time I get around to red leaves.

We were always intoxicated with color, with words that speak of color, and with the sun that makes colors live. 

~ Andre Derain

There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.

~ Edouard Manet

Our hanging basket of fuchsia, brilliantly backlit by the sun. It was recently killed off by an overnight frost.

The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most.

~ John Ruskin

A handsome jay dressed in the finest of blues.

The objects in front of you are flowers, but the subject is color.

~ Michele Cooper

The beautiful centerpiece on our table at Frank's niece's wedding, in August.

Colours are brighter when the mind is open.

~ Adriana Alarcon

You can tell it's summer when every neighbour has at least two different boats tied to their docks.

Colours are nature gone wild.

~ Raheel Farooq

One of our sweet little chipmunk friends enjoying some watermelon.

Color possesses me. I don't have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: 

Color and I are one.

~ Paul Klee

An unexpected sunflower which grew in a pot outside our kitchen door. We didn't plant it there. It must have been the wind or a thoughtful squirrel.

And all the colors I am inside have not been invented yet.

~ Shel Silverstein

Kidlets from a cottage rental up the road enjoying their time on the water.

Colours are life.

~ Chuma Nwokolo

This little moth was wandering the wall in our stairway, one evening. All I knew about him was that he was pretty colourful. After taking a few macro images of him, I scooped him up and transferred him outside where he belonged. Through the powers of Google, I have since discovered that he is a Painted Lichen Moth.

Colour stops me in the street, invites me to breathe it in and take it with me.

~ Suzanne Partridge

A grouping of painted chairs and their shimmering reflection in the water. You'll find these right next door at my neighbour's lawn.

Colour is the soul of Nature and of the entire cosmos.

~ Rudolf Steiner

The blood orange perigee/supermoon in a twilight blue sky.

Thanks for allowing me to blend colours with you. More photos coming up soon.

Splish - Splash - Splatter! and Posts of the Week

It's been a long time since we've had a post about Benny, hasn't it? Well that changes today.


What is happening to our Benny here?






Could our super-swimmer Benny be floundering in just a foot of water while my cold, callous son looks on at his suffering?






Certainly something is making this poor, little creature struggle and convulse in the lake like that. Jeffrey seems unconcerned.






Let's see the fuller picture. Jeffrey is kindly bailing out our pedal boat while Benny chases every single splash of water with great enthusiasm - as Benny is known to do.






That dog creates an impressive wake. And check the water coming off of that tail wag.






Crazy dog.






Awaiting the next splash.






You missed!






Sheer joy and bliss - Benny-style.

❀  ❀  ❀  ❀  ❀

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.

***

A GOOD READ

Don't Blink - A Cautionary Ramble
by DS
at Third-Storey Window

The Empty Chair
by Phyllis
at Prompt Prose

Silence of the Chairs
by Christopher
at Christopher's Views

Hope, and the Dispersal Thereof
by Pearl
at Pearl, Why You Little...

Big Spirit
by Chicken
at The Chicken's Consigliere

***


FEELING NOSTALGIC?

MTM: Historic Ice Cream Parlor
by Karen
at Spokalulu

***

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Drones
by Adrien
at Adrien's Images

Crocodiles: The King of Rivers
by Indrani
at i Share

Blessed
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Here a Frog, There a Frog, Everywhere a Frog
by Ruth
at Ruth's Photo Blog


***

JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD

Not Being Christie
by Kerry
at Ed and Reub

The Wood Witch Loses Her Cool
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls

Baby Bunting in Hand
by TexWisGirl
at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

***

YOU'LL SAY "AWWW"

Magic Food Machine
by MessyMimi
at MessyMimi's Meanderings

***

  Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
 
Thank you

Little Things

Little Things Mean A Lot

~ Edith Lindeman

Nothing in life is worth turning your back on, if you love it.

~ Albert Camus

A ruby-throated hummingbird - turning its back on the camera.

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.

~ Walter Hagen

The daisy is a bit withered and worn but still every bit as attractive to this insect.

I had a missed call. It's probably the all you can eat buffet calling to say, "Come back! We know you can eat just a little bit more."

~ Jarod Kintz

The critters around here have their own all you can eat buffet. And trust me, they eat a lot.

I'm a fountain of knowledge, like a water fountain, only thirstier. And quenchier.

~ Jarod Kintz

And of course we also provide their water - just in case there's not enough in the lake itself.

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.
~ James Beard

Rufus isn't the only one who eats at the buffet. This sweet little chipper is one of many who knows where to find a good meal. Note the seed dust on his little nose.

Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness.
~ Thomas Huxley

And this is Indy. He's REALLY spoiled as you can probably tell. He hops his way up onto our laps without any hesitation, noses his way into my closed palm and dives into Frank's pocket in hopes of finding a peanut or twenty.






Here's a quick video of some of his antics. Unfortunately, Indy has not come around for well over a week now and we fear he may have "moved on."

The cautious seldom err.

~ Confucius

A sweet little sparrow cautiously keeping an eye on a rather extended camera lens.

If a man can make a better mousetrap, the world will make a beaten path to his door.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whomever designed this live mousetrap, built a far better device than the classic snap trap. Of course a quick death from the snap trap is still preferable to those horrendous sticky traps which I believe are one of the most vile, barbaric and cruel ways to do away with pest mice. No animal should suffer like that. Of course, if you have cats around (and we do), more mice are likely to meet their demise that way (and some did). Anyway, this little cutie was set free in the wooded area across the road. Who knew that Cheesies would make a such effective bait?

There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.

~ Alan Cohen

I only expected to take a photo of this lovely Black-eyed Susan but there it was, a tiny wasp-like insect resting delicately on a petal, just posing so perfectly. How could I not include it? Who knew when it would fly off...

Fight or flight? If I had wings, there would be no choice. But since I don't have wings, I have to rely on my cape, and a long running start.

~ Jarod Kintz

Oh.. thanks for this, little one.

Sometimes goldfinches one by one will drop

From low hung branches; little space they stop;

But sip, and twitter, and their feathers sleek;

Then off at once, as in a wanton freak:

Or perhaps, to show their black, and golden wings

Pausing upon their yellow flutterings.

~ John Keats

This sweet little fresh-faced goldfinch practically smiled for the camera.

If there was any petting to be done...he chose to do it. Often he would sit looking at me, and then, moved by a delicate affection, come and pull at my coat and sleeve until he could touch my face with his nose, and then go away contented.

~ Charles Dudley Warner

In case you hadn't noticed, this post was all about little things. And this is one of my favourites. That cute little nose on the face of my precious Skitty. A nose that has been kissed many times. Of course, just like a little kid, he wipes them off right away - but always lets me do it again. Gotta love cats.

More photos coming up before you know it. Or a little while after that.

A Ray of Sunshine

Have a ray of sunshine and light with you everywhere you may go.

~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Sunrises around here are irresistible to me. If I'm awake for them, that is. As the summer winds down, that orb in the sky dawns a little bit later each week, so the chances of catching one now and then will increase for a few months. This is one that I awakened to in mid July.






This little Ruby-throated hummingbird was sitting in the sun, just outside of our kitchen window. The photo was taken through the glass.






Sometimes the sun highlights the subject with such intensity that the background just disappears - at least with certain camera settings.






Other times, everything around it just shines. This White Admiral butterfly is just basking in the warm summer sun.






These little goldfinch beauties seem to create their own sunshine.






Juicy, red currants need lots of sunshine to ripen.






Occasionally, even a stormy sky can't resist allowing a bit of sunshine to peek through. I bumped up the colours considerably on this one.






Bee Balm soaking up the rays on a midsummer day.






Despite its name, this little Pumpkinseed Sunfish shouldn't be out of the water and in the sunshine for long. And he wasn't.






Leafy green tendrils reaching out to tickle the edge of sunlight.






Late in the day, the sun pours in from the west, illuminating Blueberry Island, across the bay.






A lovely Common Loon relaxing beside a sunbeam. Don't you just love that red eye?






Cats enjoy sunlight better than most of us. Skitty found the perfect patch of warming sunlight for snoozing. His little paw looked so photo-worthy to me.






It's rare that we get notable sunsets because we face east. On this evening though, we got the bounce off of what must have been a spectacular sunset for those facing west. Still, you can't complain about this view.

Thanks for sharing the sunshine with me. More photos coming up soonish.

One Touch of Nature

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

~ William Shakespeare

It would seem that the vast majority of my photos from summer can fall under one of four categories - winged things, furry things, flowery things and weather conditions. I also have images from a couple of weddings and a few other things but I guess I'll start with a mix of a few photos from each of the above-mentioned groups.


We have frequent visits from this little guy. And by frequent, I mean daily. And by daily, I mean that he's back and forth between our supply of seed and peanuts and wherever it is that he stashes the latter - all of a few feet away. In recent weeks, he's been hopping on the patio table and he makes himself quite at home skittering all over Frank's lap, reminding him that he is still around and just about passing out from hunger. He's a bit of a drama queen but adorable as all get-out. That's our Rufus.






Every now and then, he has to make sure the neighbourhood knows that he's large (he's really pretty tiny) and in charge (yeah, right). He lets out his warning call (it sounds like this) which Frank says means "Stand aside, everyone. I take large steps!" - a reference from the old movie A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.






Every now and then, when we toss a peanut for Rufie or one of the chipmunks, a bold-as-brass blue jay will beat them to it. Not much intimidates them. This guy is just learning his way around the goodie hour. He's a cute but goofy looking young one.






And an even goofier looking baldie. That seems to happen to a few of them (and other birds) sometime during late summer. It's just part of the moulting process though most birds don't lose all their head feathers at once. We have two of them in this state - this being the worse of them.






This is what a summer night looks like outside on our deck. This photo of the patio chair cushion was taken with a flash. Some of these itty bitty bugs get into our house and cling to the ceiling. By morning, they're part of the horizontal surfaces below. They don't last a night indoors. I wonder how many we inhale or otherwise ingest?






Here's a little guy we wouldn't mind seeing a little more often. We spotted him in the tree near our deck, one day and though the lighting wasn't great, I snapped a few shots, thinking he was a young Downy or Hairy woodpecker. It turns out that he was neither. We were perplexed, briefly, then Frank said "See what a juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker looks like." And sure enough, that's who he is. Adorable, eh?






Our hanging pot of petunias look especially vibrant when they're back lit by the late day sun.






The Black-eyed Susans grow quite profusely around here. They're always a cheery sight on a summer day.






And the same goes for daisies. You can't have summer without these sunny charmers.






This is what early June looks like across the bay - just a little to the left. Those same spring greens are now showing signs of shifting over to autumn colours. Summer didn't last very long, this year.






Just three weeks later, across that same bay but over to the right, Blueberry Island glows in the setting sun. Funny how those fresh greens of summer can appear to be ablaze when the sun is low.






And rather than end with the sun going down, here's a mid-July sunrise, complete with the peachy hues of a misty morn. Right outside our window. Sigh!

That's it for this post. I'll have more critters and plant life for you soon. Or maybe something completely different. Ya never know.