Sunday, July 29, 2012

That Beautiful Season... Summer

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



rose closeup
The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~ Jean Giraudoux





sunny side of the path
Love comforteth like sunshine after rain. ~ William Shakespeare





its a long way down bob
Anyone can shoot a moose that's just standing there. If you really wanna brag, hang a pair of chipmunk ears on your wall. ~ Jass Richards





inside a blossom
Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~ John Ruskin





late sun on tree
Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them? ~ Rose Kennedy





hummer
A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening, From flower to flower he flies. ~ John Banister Tabb





mini rose
I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. ~ Emma Goldman





morning has brokenThe clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. ~ John Muir





robin caught a moth
Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If you’re a bird, be an early bird—
But if you’re a worm, sleep late. ~ Shel Silverstein





red berries
Swinging clusters of red, the hedges are full of them, red-currant red, a graceful ornament or a merry smile. ~ Denise Levertov





late day sun
Sing loud for the sunshine. Pray hard for the rain. ~ Led Zeppelin





budding plant 2
Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. ~ Gerard de Nerval

I know my visits are few and far between, these days. I've not been home much but I did have the foresight to schedule blogs posts for the past several days. I hope to catch up with all of you very soon, and create a few more posts - so I can spend some more time away from home/at Frank's.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Puddle Stompers & Posts of the Week

Summer rain, kidlets and a crazy little dog. Enjoy!



puddle stompers
The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. ~ E. E. Cummings




puddle pals4
Imagine a puddle waking up and saying: 'This is an interesting hole I find myself in. Fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it! ~ Douglas Adam




puddle pals2
"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain." ~ Unknown




puddle pals
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain. ~ Vivian Greene




puddle stomper
Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain. ~ Billie Holiday



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



 


FUNNY

Censored
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Dog VS Owner on 34 Street
by King
at King of the New York Hacks

 
FEEL GOOD VIDEO  

Go Ahead: Feel Good
by Sandy
at Writing in Faith



SO SWEET

Baby Birdie
by June
at Aging Gratefully



PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY
by Barbara
at Confessions of a Photography Addict

Buzzard
by Bob
at Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean

Day 202: Green Anole
by Laura
at Laura Delegal - 2012 Project 365 + 1


GOOD TO KNOW

How to Photograph Lightning
by Scott
at Just Used Pixels








A GOOD READ
 
Remembering Sally Ride
by Crabby
at Cranky Fitness

A Towering Epiphany
 by Stephen
at The Chubby Chatterbox


READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by:Dianne
A Little Night Magic
by Jay
at Bailey's Buddy





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.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Loose Ends

Below are a few photos which steer away from my usual flowers, birds, outdoorsy themes. I hope you enjoy them.



garden hill
One day in June, Frank and I went to do a little fishing at a nearby town. This is their little General store which was established in 1857. It's been through some changes through the years, I'm sure. How long do you figure it will be until that phone booth is obsolete?




school is out
We took the slow route home - following behind a school bus.




car window across highway
Snapped on the move, from the front passenger seat, through the left rear window, across the highway. Isn't that a beautiful heap of mess behind the horse?




soccer balls
My neighbour coaches kidlet soccer. On this day in May, she was pumping up balls in preparation for an upcoming practice.




princess galoshes
Another neighbour of mine - Princess Galoshes (aka Lily).




piano
I liked the pattern that the sun and Venetian blinds made on our piano. I can't play but I inherited it from my mother who did. It's been on this earth a fair bit longer than I have. I'm happy that my son, Alex is so musically inclined. It's a lovely instrument and I know that he will continue to appreciate it after I'm long gone.




girls night out
This is Girl's Night Out - grapefruit, pineapple and lemonade infused with white wine. It's my new summer beverage. Can I pour one for you?




red baron 2
Perhaps a beer is more to your taste?




sprouts
Can I offer you something to eat? Among other goodies, we have fresh, buttery Brussels sprouts flavoured with garlic, wine, freshly ground pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.




cheese please
You might enjoy this selection of cheese.




skitty boy
If you don't mind, I'm sure Skittles wouldn't refuse a nibble of that cheddar.




wet dog
And whatever he turns his nose up at, I'm sure Benny will be happy to gobble. Just don't let him jump up on you - he's been playing with the hose, again.


That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the loose ends photos. I should have something new for you very soon.

Oh and one more thing.. today is five years since I've begun blogging. Who knew that sending a few words and photos out into the WWW could be so much fun? There are some incredibly wonderful people out there on the reading and viewing end of thing. I mean all of YOU, of course, and I thank you for a very enjoyable five years.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Queen Anne Has Washed Her Lace

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has washed her lace
(She chose a summer's day)
And hung it in a grassy place
To whiten, if it may.
~ Mary Leslie Newton

Until the past few years, I had never taken much notice of Queen Anne's Lace.


QAL late day sun
It grows rather profusely around the fields and parks and what's to notice about a plain white flower whose roots smell like carrots, anyway?



Plenty.



QAL for Linda
It would seem that they're not such a plain white flower after all. My blogging buddy, Linda once wrote that each Queen Anne's Lace head has a tiny wine-coloured flower near the middle of its face. That was news to me. And it was also a reminder to look more closely next time. I learned that not all of them have that little dark flower but many of them did. Thank you for the eye-opener, Linda. This one is for you, my friend.





QAL rosy edge
They don't only have that deep red flower in the center, either. As the Queen Anne's Lace head begins to open up, the tiny flowers on the fringe are this lovely, delicate shade of pink. That's another thing I'd never noticed before this June.






QAL opening edge
This one has only just begun its stretch to greet summer.





qal in the pink2
Others are in the pink of the season.





QAL red dot 2
As the sun lowers in the sky, the lacy aspect of the flower is more evident than ever.






QAL bug
Suddenly there's a fair bit of activity on the head of most of these flowers. I'm not sure what this bug is but he was quite fascinated with Queen Anne.





qal red bugs mating
I think we should call this one "Love in Bloom."





QAL from below at sunset
The setting sun as seen through the underside of the flower.





QAL at sunset
After getting up close and personal to Queen Anne's Lace with my camera, I've come to realize that it's not such a plain white flower after all. Wouldn't you agree?

More photos coming up soon.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Peas of Mind & Posts of the Week

I had some fun photographing peas and other vegetation one day, last month.

pea pod 2
(With apologies to The Beatles) All we are saying, is give peas a chance.





peas in a pod 3
(With apologies to Janis Joplin) Take it! Take another little peas of my heart now, baby!





peas in a pod
(With apologies to Patti Page) You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Pod.





orange
That's it for the pea puns. Orange you glad?





corn
Pretty corny, I know. You get what you pay for. And right now you get a closeup macro view of a dried kernel of  corn as found in a bag of premium bird feed.



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



 


FUNNY
I Feel Faint
by Fragrant Liar
at Fragrant Liar


IMPORTANT VIDEO

Hopi Prophecy
by Linda
at Ye Olde Crone's Gazette


 

FEEL GOOD VIDEO

Mud Bath
by CiCi
at Liquid Mind, Sanguine Soul


IMPORTANT NOTICE
Public Service Announcement
by Karen 
at Spokalulu




PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Magical Balloons
by Fiona
at Lady Fi

A Heron and a Seagull in Bruges, Belgium
by Indrani
at I Share








A GOOD READ
 
The Fact of a Doorframe
by DS
at Third-Storey Window



READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Lady Fi
Paradise of Buddha
by snowwhite
at One Time One Meeting

Recommended by:
Di
I'm Your Captain
by Deborah
at Fashion Plate


Recommended by herself
Compressed
 by Mom of A and a
at BIG A, little a




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.

Monday, July 16, 2012

We Are Nature

Nature rejuvenates so quickly, so completely. Though we often view ourselves otherwise, we are nature. ~Jeb Dickerson



daisy underside
As pretty as their faces are, I like the look of some flowers from behind. The simple daisy is one of them.





feathery sprig
A feathery spring of.. something. It was swaying in the breeze and it's soft pink tones asked to be photographed. How could I deny it?






dam after the rain
After a very heavy rainfall, the dam is a churning, swirling puddle of water.






ducklings and mama
A proud mother mallard with her sweet little ducklings.






ducklings
Here's a larger group swimming close to the edge of the dam.






ducklings curious 2
The next day, they were all at the bottom of the dam. That one little cutie was awfully curious about the people watching from above.






garden sun
This cheery turquoise sun sits in my neighbour's front garden.





clematis bud 6
A clematis bud in Frank's back yard.






clover
A pretty purple clover with bright yellow flowers in the background.





sumac flowers
Sumac flowers. You have to get up really close to see that there are all these individual buds on the usual cone shaped bloom.






eastern yellow swallow tail missing
This Eastern Yellow Swallowtail has lost half of its left hindwing. It didn't seem to slow him down any.





full moon june of 2012
The full moon of June.


More in a bit