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...