Visions

...in the woods next to my house, there's a swing.  It's been hanging in one of the huge oak trees for so long the rope tying the swing to the limb has become one with the tree. In the fog of a dreary Sunday, I saw several things in this shot: a scary book cover; lost childhood; forgotten dreams; poignancy in the passage of time...

Dew

...one of the last roses blooming in the Veterans Rose Garden at the VA complex. The boys and I were wandering through in the early morning yesterday, dew still heavy on the grass, and sprinkled like tiny diamonds across this beautiful rose...

'Shrooms

...while out watering the backyard today, I found a family of mushrooms have begun to sprout under the shade of a large fern.  It made me smile, they looked so much like a family on an adventure, the large one leading while the little ones tag along behind...

Autumn Morning

...when I opened the blinds this morning, the sun was just beginning to touch the valley. I love how the house in the center--surrounded by mist--appears fortress-like, an island adrift in ethereal seas.

Last Glimpse

...as the flowers begin to fade, I find myself savoring the final blooms.  Soon will come the quiet season when all is monochrome and vivid colors are just a memory.  This last stalk of Foxglove is going out in style...

Web Of Rainbows

...chatting in the backyard of my sister's place the night before leaving on my holiday, I caught the glint of color out of the corner of my eye as she watered the garden. The web might have been a bit tattered, but the beautiful iridescence made up for it, gleaming in the early evening light...

Halfway

...there's a Supermoon due on August 10th, the penultimate for the year.  Last night the half moon glowed in the night sky as a teaser for coming attractions. I took this shot as--almost without fail--every single time there's a celestial event that I want to photograph, the clouds roll in.  I decided half was better than none...

Last Hurrah...

...I've already shown this photo in a post I wrote yesterday on my other blog, but it's such a beautiful sunset--and grand finale to the month of July--it definitely had to be the shot of the week...

In The Ditch

...near the soccer fields where I walk the dogs, there is a deep ditch that runs along the back edge of the parking area.  Somehow, all on their own, these beauties have popped up amongst the weeds and rocks to brighten an otherwise meaningless space...

A Weed By Any Other Name

...would be the much maligned dandelion.  Thirty million years old (yes, really), it's been used in herbal medicine for centuries; the greens--loaded with nutrients--can be eaten in salads and soups; dandelion wine is surprisingly tasty...and yet this plant is generally considered to be a noxious weed.  This morning, walking through my back garden, bright yellow dandelion flowers buzzing with bees, I couldn't help admiring the resilience in this humble little plant, or the delicate beauty in the seeds...

Busy Bee

...walking back from the mailbox just now--the air heavy and humid, dogs panting, me sweating--I heard the hum of bumblebees in the lavender plants that edge the stone wall in the front yard.  I gave the boys their cookies, then went back out into the inferno to see if I could capture a closeup as I'm still experimenting with the new lens. Caught this guy in mid-flight...

Southern Belle

...yesterday I took an unfamiliar shortcut to get myself home from an arts festival before the looming storm broke.  The weather was feverishly hot with large, very black clouds slowly building over the mountains, so when the precursor winds kicked in, I decided it was time to go--along with many other folks, hence the shortcut idea.  The little back road didn't get me home faster, but I did discover the most amazing magnolia tree with the biggest, creamiest blossoms--the size of a salad plate--that just compelled me to stop and take this shot.  Ah, the siren call of flowers...

Wild Blue

...a few months ago maintenance crews arrived at the park where I usually walk the dogs to resurface sidewalks and put in a new paved parking area. Sadly, they also removed two very large, wonderful trees.  I'm not clear why; where they once stood had nothing to do with the project and now the space is just a forlorn heap of trunks, broken branches and tangled roots.  A most ignoble burial ground. But then. Today I discovered several clusters of tall, delicate wildflowers growing amongst the debris. Nature. In the midst of chaos, life somehow finds a way...

Not Gonna Fit

...I haven't posted a photograph for the past two weeks, mainly because I haven't been inspired.  Until this morning.  While making the bed, the bluejays were making such an unholy racket in the backyard I went to the window to see what was going on. And was startled to see a hawk standing in the middle of the bird bath!  The jays take morning baths and were outraged at the hawk in their tub.  I grabbed my camera, but had to hide behind the bed and shoot through the window screen--hence the really crappy photo. Still.  It's a hawk in the bird bath. (For perspective, the bath is 18" wide and this guy pretty much filled the space...)

Cream and Sugar

  ...along one wall of the pottery studio near the soccer field where I walk the dogs is a row of white roses that I have never noticed before.  Today the pure white glow of these blooms caught my eye, although when I went closer to take a photo, I realized the roses were actually creamy yellow at the centers with spun sugar outer petals.  So unexpectedly beautiful...

Skylight Moon

...last night in the wee hours, I rolled over in bed...and suddenly came wide awake as I caught a bright glow coming from the living room.  Had I left a light on?  I was pretty sure it had been dark when I'd switched off my bedside lamp. I discovered moonbeams shining through one of the skylights, like a beacon in the velvet night...

The Gloaming

...last night, after days of relentless rains and wild storms, the skies broke apart just as the sun was beginning to set.  I've always thought the gloaming was a magical time--a brief moment between the fading light and coming dark. The valley below my house seems to glow in that transition...

Be Yourself

...in the multitude of brilliant poppies growing wild on my back slope, this perfect, creamy-white bloom appeared. Though alone in a crowd it might be, there's no mistaking this poppy's uniqueness in standing tall--and perhaps defiant--amongst all that orange...

Harmony

...I love the perfect symmetry of these blue and white mosaic columns. They caught my eye on an Easter Sunday walk through the WSU campus in Vancouver, Washington with my sister, her husband and our dogs.

Sunny Faces

...walking in the warm sunshine this morning through a field of cheerful daisies, so bright against the soft green grass and foliage...

Out of the Storm

...after days of rain and storms that blocked any glimmer of the sun, the clouds seemed to burst apart last night for this incredibly beautiful, technicolor dream of a sunset...

Saturday Morning

...the mists floating in the valley this morning were beautiful. As the sun rose, gilding the distant vista with an ethereal glow, shadows danced across the valley floor...

Lakes and Valleys

...far across the valley below my mountain lair there is a quarry next to the river.  When the river overflows its banks, like it has done several times over the past month or so, the quarry fills with water. This morning, under clear blue skies, with the cherry trees starting to blossom, it looked more like a beautiful lake than just a ravaged hole in the earth...

Home Sweet Home

...in one corner of my backyard, along the fence, these beauties have appeared.  Nature is a mysterious entity and must have figured this spot was perfect--tucked out of the way of the mower, the winds that swirl around that side of the house, and any deer that want to munch on a wee bit of sunshine...

At Last

...after days of heavy rain, several trees have washed downriver and become snagged, making excellent bird perches. This morning, walking the boys in the monsoon, I spied this strange bird--again.  Though I failed to identify it months ago, after a deeper, more intense search today, I now know who this handsome guy is. Allow me to present the Double-Crested Cormorant...

Sweet Face

...this morning, sitting at the dining room table on my laptop, I glanced out the front window to see the resident deer family munching away on my newly budding trees. Before I went out on the deck to shoo them away, I grabbed the camera.  As they moved out of my yard, this little teenager turned to look back at me...and posed just long enough for me to take this shot.

Sunshine in a Flower

...I was out in the back garden this morning to survey any damage after a weekend of gusty winds and torrential rains, and discovered these colorful little tulips nestled alongside some tiny jonquils. Even on the darkest day, or in the midst of the foulest weather, beauty still somehow shines through...

Babies...

...yesterday's weather was wild and chaotic with snow and ice and wind and rain.  I loved it.  I saw these tiny little icicles beginning to sprout along the eaves as I watched one of several storms rage across the valley below the house. Couldn't resist a close-up...

A Little Patch of Green...

...the first little glimmer of sunshine after many days of fog and rain.  In fact, I didn't post a photo last week because, frankly, there wasn't anything to see.  This morning, though cold, at least opened up the vista a bit so I could see the mountains...and a brilliant slice of promise, shining on the valley floor.

First Sign

...I was trying to take a photo of a water droplet gleaming off a branch in the fog this morning, when I glanced down at my feet to see the first little daffodil buds breaking through the soil.  The flowers are still months away, but the anticipation has begun...

Creepy Cool...

...the weather hasn't been very conducive for photos this week.  Dense, ice-cold fog has settled in and appears to be staying for awhile.  Still, I love how the white oak across the road from my house looked this morning, all shrouded and eerie...

Visitors

...the Canadians are in town this week. Suddenly, there isn't a pond, stream, lake or river that doesn't have a...gaggle?...of our northern neighbors bobbing in the waters. Though what caught my eye this morning wasn't so much the geese, but that little duck in the bottom of the frame. Is he a one-bird welcoming committee? Or just a wee lad who wants to hang with the big boys...

A Cloud By Any Other Name...

...I often watch the Weather Channel.  They have very interesting programs, including one called Strangest Weather on Earth, a totally amazing show--it's a wonder we can actually live on such a violent, turbulent planet.  Just the other day I learned about tsunami clouds, and a few days later in the middle of a stormy afternoon, I believe this cloud I saw across the valley was exactly that...