Things I Forgot

If this title seems a bit scary to you, just imagine how I feel.  If I actually included everything I forgot, this post would go on forever... Luckily, though, I don't remember most of it - ha!  Every year since I started blogging, I have always shared photos of my flower gardens, which have been a source of much pleasure, work, and therapy for me.

The front corner flower bed with antique seeder, orange honeysuckle vine, echinacea, Turk's cap lilies, Russian sage, black-eyed Susans, and liriope.

I tried a little photoshop-ery with some of these, just for fun. 

I really like the negative space in the two compositions above.

The shady flower bed by the side porch, with hostas, impatiens, ferns, and more echinacea (of course).

Two hosta flower close-ups, complete with bee in the second one.

Nicotainia in the front flower bed.  I like the weird 'floaty' quality in this photo.

This teeny-tiny moth was smaller than a dime; I probably wouldn't have noticed him without the telephoto lens. 



And while I'm playing catch-up, I just realized that I completely forgot to share any photos from my vacation this summer. So here is a quick look at my trip to Cumberland Falls, Big South Fork (of the Cumberland River) and the wildly beautiful Rockcastle River, all of them in Kentucky.

CUMBERLAND FALLS


 Cumberland Falls, complete with mist.


 
 We took a lovely hike down the Cumberland River below the falls,

 
  surrounded by high rock walls..

 
  ... the rushing river...


 
 ... rhododendron forests and trickling rivulets...


 
 ... that carve out huge rock shelters, given a few million years or so.



BIG SOUTH FORK

 The Big South Fork was muddy and swollen from recent storms...
 
 
 ... and looked like a river of cafe au lait...

   This the coal tipple at Blue Heron Mine, a now defunct mine which has been restored as a historical site.

 
 The bridge from the tipple to the other side of the river.


ROCKCASTLE RIVER

 
 The Rockcastle River is certainly deserving of its name...

 
 ... lots of rocks, for sure, but also sparkling, crystal-clear water...



 ... little sandy beaches...


 

... and some of the most gorgeous views ever, even in the rain.



Wishing you all a great weekend and a wonderful Thanksgiving next week!  Don't forget to enter my give-away; just leave a comment on my last post.  One of my dogs will choose 2 winners on Thanksgiving Day.

A Small Taste of Summer

I've been stuck inside most of the summer, but I still managed to catch a snippet of it here and there, and thought I'd share a few tasty bits of my summer with you.

azalea after the rain 

 Well, okay, I had to throw in a little slice of Spring, too; I wouldn't want you to miss anything.  We had a very early warm spell in March, and everything bloomed at least a month early.

By the time I photographed the magnolia, the blossoms were already losing their petals.

cherry blossoms

Have you ever seen a dogwood so full of blooms?

Geese- everywhere I go, still! What do you suppose it means?

Our big excitement this year was that my husband got bees!  

They're already making honey- what amazing creatures!  They pollinate our fruits and vegetables, so we need them, if we want to eat.  And I, for one, like to eat...

 ... especially when the food comes from our backyard garden.

In recent years, I've seen no honeybees at all in this area, and the lack of honeybees is a global concern.  To read a short article on Colony Collapse Disorder, click here.

The rest of the summer so far has been HOT- just humid, steamy, sweaty, nasty, and uncomfortable...

... which makes it seem like not such a bad thing to be stuck inside!  I hope you are all having a great summer.  I'm going to get back to work now, so I can show you the progress on the Book of Dreams.

Rocky Mountain Memories

Some of you may recall that I took a trip to Glacier National Park last summer.  Since I came back, I think about the mountains literally every day.  I had a medical procedure done this morning, and am still pretty loopy, so I thought it might be best to just post some images from my trip.  Enjoy!

I love looking at these; what great memories!  I might do this every once in a while- I took over 500 pictures!

More Late -Summer Wildflowers

Rose Pink, Meadow Pink (Sabatia angularis)



Purple-headed Sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum)



Cleome

more multiples (the edge of november)

Cloud Sunflower

It's a cold, gloomy,
gray, drizzly day
on the edge
of November
and even worse
it's Sunday
So I have to go
to work
tomorrow.


Metal Sunflower

Summer's heat and
soft, buttery,
yellow light
are gone
and the sky is hard,
the color of
lead.


Ink Sunflower

Last summer is far
away and long ago,
a faint
remembrance
like the taste of salt
on my tongue
or glittering on
my skin.


Glowing Sunflower

But I can wait
and remember
and think
of yellow things
like
sunflowers.