Friday, July 31, 2009

After the Rain

A while back, Frank and I were enjoying the rain in his back yard, under the protection of his open-net tent when the sun broke through an opening in the clouds. I knew that if we looked out his front door, we'd likely see a rainbow, in the opposite direction of the sun.


Sure enough, we opened the door and were greeted by this beauty. (please click to enlarge)





The sun bathed the sky and field in surreal colours. (please click to enlarge)





This lovely flower was growing by the field across the street. (please click to enlarge)





The rainbow had faded some by the time I noticed the flowers but they still looked quite magical together. (please click to enlarge)





A wet cedar frond glistened in the sun. (please click to enlarge)





Back home again. These yellow lilies were a Mother's Day gift from my younger son. Their petals sure do look beautiful when sprinkled with raindrops. (please click to enlarge)





Water had collected, and created a small puddle in the hollow of this leaf. (please click to enlarge)





These roses only set forth a few blooms once a summer. Occasionally, if the season is warm enough, it will summon its strength to grow a second set of blooms in October. This first rose was heavy with raindrops. (please click to enlarge)





Tiny beads of rain dot the leaf of a simple garden weed. I'm really good at growing those! (please click to enlarge)





This was actually taken shortly before the rain. Isn't that always the way? (please click to enlarge)

53 comments:

Frank Baron said...

Loverly, loverly. :)

It's nice to see that you and your new camera are starting to put those early spats behind you.

It might just be the start of a beautiful relationship. ;)

Lydia said...

Well there's a perfect rainbow for ya!
My favorite photos are the large flower, the group of flowers with the faint rainbow, the leaf, and the weed with droplets. Wonderful.

rosecreekcottage-carol.blogspot.com said...

Ah, Hilary...breath-taking photographs as only you can take! What a gift....that rainbow~

robert said...

Thank you for sharing that 'rain of yours', as more than two months have passed by without seeing any of it.
Please have a nice weekend.

JC said...

I can never get enough of rainbow and water pictures. What kind of camera are you using these days. So much detail, just wonderful.

scarlethue said...

We don't get many rainbows don't here, just the rain! Beautiful pictures as always.

the Bag Lady said...

Gorgeous shots, Hilary. Love the raindrops on the weed.... I almost recognized what type of weed it was - I think I have those, too! :)

SandyCarlson said...

Your rainbow is gorgeous. So much wonderful stuff right there. I really enjoyed this post.

~JarieLyn~ said...

these are beautiful pictures.
The first picture with the rainbow is gorgeous. I also really like the leaf with the puddle and the weed with the droplets. Very nice.

ds said...

I was smitten with the rainbow, and then you showed the lilies--such a great color--and then you went for the jugular with those water droplets. How did you do that? Truly amazing!
You and the camera definitely see "eye to eye." ;)

Nancy said...

Great pics - especially liked the water drops on the weed!

Maggie May said...

Lovely rainbows. Not always easy to catch! (Well sometimes I forget my camera!)
The rain drops were magnificent ...... well everything is always brilliant when you snap it!

Tabor said...

Great photos as usual and I love the wet theme thing you've got going on there. Our weather had been so hot and humid and it was finally broken by rain yesterday...still hot and humid.

Country Girl said...

Well at least we now know what brought on the rain!

Such pleasure found in the simplest of things. Rainbows are always magical, though, I think!

Anonymous said...

Yes, these scenes are similar and resulting in the same droplets of rain as those you found on my Brookville blog.

Shammickite said...

I think this is a classic case of ... when life serves you lemons, make lemonade.... or in other words, when it does nothing but pour with rain all summer, take terrific photos of raindrops! And we certainly have had more than our fair share of rain, haven't we? Great pics as usual Hilary! I'm away for a week, will be blogging again when I get back.

Louise said...

Of course you washed your car (or someone did) before the rain!

Beautiful post. I especially love the second rainbow picture with the surreal colors and the close-up of the flower. The light is so nice. (I'm always taking pictures in sun, which I love, but yellows are oranges are difficult to capture.)

Gary's third pottery blog said...

and Chuck Prophet has a song called after the rain!
Gorgeous pics!

Sandi McBride said...

I love a rainstorm...well, without the noise and light show...had a wonderful shower here ourselves last night! How wonderful to smell that luscious wet earth at the end of it. Your pictures are just marvelous...the rainbow, the flowers...the cedar frond is magical!
Sandi

Anonymous said...

Hi Hilary! Great photos! I especially loved seeing the rain puddling on that leaf.

lime said...

so gorgeous. it's always so hard t chose a favorite from among your pictures. the irony at that end...oh, i feel ya!

Merisi said...

When the sun breaks through the clouds after a rainshower, the light is truly magical. You caught it beautifully!

Loved your creatures in the previous post, and your humourous ending (well, not for everybody, but ... ).

Sarah Anne said...

Lovely flowers.

Joanna Jenkins said...

Rainbows bring good luck :-)
Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Zuzana said...

Ah, look at that rainbow - complete and so clear! As you now, I love rainbows and I love flowers, so this post was a treat for me.
I like the shot of the rose and I had to laugh about the one with the car; don't I just know that feeling.;))
Have a lovely Sunday dear friend.;))
xo

Kat said...

I just love raindrops on roses (and whiskers on kittens ;) ). Such gorgeous shots!

JennyMac said...

Great pics...and who doesnt love an authentic rainbow? The flower pics are great too.

Michele said...

Oh the rainbow pictures are stunning. How wonderful to see them!! That leaf photo is gorgeous. How I yearn to see rain out here.
It has been so very long!!
Scorching heat has plagued western Canada and I scratch my head as it is unusual! Timber dry forests and forest fires affect the province of BC.
It looks like we are not washing our cars enough out here, hey? =)

SandyCarlson said...

Your car washing made some lovely pix possible. I am back again to enjoy the raindrops on the flowers.

Daryl said...

Its raining here now and very dark .. I can only hope it stops soon, I dont even dare hope for a rainbow

LOVE the water drops on the leaf - weed or not its pretty

Chubby Chieque said...

Just dropping by and wanted to leave my footprints. First rule in bloglandia.

Ur site rocks... like it!

Job well done.

Hilary said...

* Thanks, Frank. Yes, relationships are like that sometimes. ;)

* Thanks so much, Lydia. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Much appreciated. :)

* Thanks very much, Carol. Good to see you drop by. :)

* Robert, sorry you're having such a dry spell. I hope you enjoy some rain soon. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thank you, JC. I'm using two cameras actually. Both are Canons. My older one (which I use for macro shots and videos) is a PowerShot S3 IS and the newer DSLR is an EOS 50D. Thanks for the kind words. :)

* Thanks very much, Scarlethue. I wish you a rainbow sometime soon. :)

* Thanks, Baggie. Only you would recognize a weed! Thanks muchly for the visit. :)

* Thanks very kindly, Sandy. I'm glad you could join me. :)

* Thanks so much, JarieLyn. I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos. Thanks for the visit. :)

* Thank you, DS for such kind comments. You truly made my day. I'm so glad you like the photos. :)

* Thanks, Nancy. I'm glad you did. :)

* Thank you Maggie May. Your kind words always brighten my day. And yes, rainbows are particularly hard to capture without a camera. ;)

* Thank you, Tabor. I know what that's like when it's been SO hot and humid for so long. Rain only seems to make it worse somehow. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thanks, Kate. I agree about the magic. And sorry for bringing on the rain like that! ;)

* Thanks for stopping by, Abe. :)

* Thanks so much for the always-kind words, Shammie. And have a great time on your holiday. :)

* Thanks very much, Louise. Frank was the guilty one for bringing on the rain by washing his car. I'm glad you liked the photos. I know what you mean about the difficulty in capturing bright colours sometimes. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thanks, Gary. I'll have to look that song up. :)

* Thank you, Pedro. :)

* Thanks so much, Sandi. Rain does indeed bring out all the wonderful smells of summer. I do happen to like thunderstorms too though. Thanks always for your very kind words. :)

* Thank you, Rain. I'm glad you did. Much appreciated. :)

* Thanks for the kind words, Lime. I'm sure we've all endured that irony. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thanks so much, Merisi. It was a magical moment and I'm glad that it came across to you. Thanks always for the kind words. :)

* Thank you, Georgie. :)

* Thanks, Joanna. They must - this one certainly has brought many kind comments my way. Thanks for the visit. :)

* Thanks so much, Protege. I'm glad you got a kick out of this post. I thought the rainbow and flowers might appeal to you. I'm sure glad they did. :)

* Thanks very much, Kat. A few of your favourite things, perhaps? ;)

* Thanks very kindly, Jenny Mac. Much appreciated. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thanks, Michele. Oh I know how horrible it's been for you out in BC and I so wish you a break in the weather soon. It's got to be worrisome to know how dry everything is. I'm wishing you a few rainbows. Thanks for the visit. :)

* Thank you, Sandy. You're so sweet to make those return visits just to say more nice things. I can't tell you just how much I appreciate that. :)

* Thanks so much, Daryl. I hope the rain ended shortly after your comment posted. Thanks so much for the very kind words. Always appreciated, my friend. :)

* Thanks very much for the kind words, Richie and for sharing the rules of the Blogosphere. ;)

Crabby McSlacker said...

Funny, I'm totally SICK of the rain we're having here... but it seems to make for some beautiful pictures where you are! Perhaps I'm just looking at the rain through mud-colored glasses.

Lovely shots.

Dianne said...

love the rainbows
I can't remember the last time I saw one live

the water droplets on the leaf is an amazing shot

Suldog said...

I've seen a rainbow - one in the sky, not those found in the city, muddy puddles with a slick of oil - once. It was magical. Lovely shots, as always.

Bubblewench said...

Love them!! Especially the rainbow shot w/the flowers. How pretty.

carmilevy said...

I'm calling you next time it rains: don't think anyone else can capture the spirit of that transitional time with quite as much depth.

I've always been intrigued by the whole rainbow thing. It's like a happy way to end something that's otherwise potentially dreary and depressing.

I guess it's how we look at it. And the choice to seek beauty is ultimately ours.

Indrani said...

How lucky to open the door and find rainbow in the sky!Lovely shots again.

Mental P Mama said...

Nothing better than a nice rain. Makes everything so new;)

King of New York Hacks said...

Great pics...caught at such precise moments, well done.

SandyCarlson said...

You are amazing with that camera.

Kappa no He said...

I miss rainbows. We don't get a lot of them here in Japan. Although when we did, the first time I saw one, it was a double rainbow.

Leah J. Utas said...

Beautiful again. Love the rainbow pics, especially the one with the flowers.

ellen abbott said...

It's all been said but I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the pictures. some excellent shots.

Cheffie-Mom said...

Love, love, love the leaf photo! We saw a beautiful rainbow here on Saturday!

MorahMommy said...

As always, your photos are amazing. I love the one with the beads of rain on the leaf.

I've always loved rainbows. It's as if you have captured a miracle in your photos.

Thanks for stopping by and sending Noah your birthday wishes!

Have a great day.

Hilary said...

* Thanks, Crabby. And I guess seeing the rainbow is like looking through multi-coloured glasses. ;) Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thanks very much Dianne. I have been seeing quite a few of them this summer. I hope you see one soon. :)

* Thank you, Suldog. They are indeed magical. I can't believe how many people have only seen one or two.. or none at all. I'll have to do a post on how to find rainbows.. Thanks always for the kind words. :)

* Thanks, Bubblewench. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Carmi, thank you so much for such kind words. You've made my day. I agree with you totally that perspective counts for just about everything. Thanks for the visit. Twas nice to see you drop by. :)

* Thanks very much, Indrani. Much appreciated. :)

* So true, MPM. Thanks for the visit. :)

* Welcome, King and thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated.

* Thank you, Sandy. You're too sweet. :)

* Kappa, a double rainbow has to be double good luck. Thanks for stopping by. :)

* Thanks kindly, Leah. Much appreciated. :)

* Thanks so much, Ellen. I'm glad you liked them. Thanks for stopping by to say so. :)

* Thanks very much, Cheffie. I'm glad you were able to see one too. It makes the rain worthwhile. :)

* Thank you so kindly, MM. I so appreciate your kind words. I wish you and Carmi many more rainbows together. :)

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Hilary, that first flower pic is absolutely incredible! My youngest son exclaimed "Whoa!" when he saw the raindrops on the blade of grass. :) He said it looks like the drops of water are little people on a slide. :)

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shot of the rainbows. Here it is rare.

Susan English Mason said...

You hit on one of the benefits of living in Arizona. It almost never rains after you wash your car.

Hilary said...

* KC, thank you for sharing your son's beautiful comment. That boy has a great mind! :)

* Thank you, Rajesh. I've been very lucky to see several rainbows this year. They're a gift! :)

* That would be a fine benefit, indeed, Pouty. You'd have to make your own rainbows though. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Barbara Martin said...

Whenever life seems overly stressful, these photos provide a nice lift back to normalacy. Thanks, Hilary.

Hilary said...

Thanks very much, Barbara. I'm glad you enjoyed them. :)