playing with water...

isn't water fun?  splashing around in it... watching it rain - watering the earth... taking a bath... jumping in puddles... dipping your toes in a rushing stream?  all that and more... water is clean and pure and clear and fascinating to me - and since i've become enamoured with my camera, water has become a challenge as well.  i never really gave it a second thought - seeing water on grass, or trees, or bushes... the little water droplets that form on flowers after a good rain has fallen - or once the sprinklers have quit... or the dew is fresh in the morning sun. 

but next time you encounter one of these scenarios... take a moment to consider - to look - wonder at how it is those drops can hang, suspended on a leaf or branch without falling...

balance on a blade of grass... yet not slip...

remain on the petals of a flower... as perfect little bubbles - and not pop...

it's one of natures remarkable mysteries... a god thing - created for our viewing pleasure and one i've begun to capture now with my little black box...

happy day.....

peach fuzz...

sometimes we get peaches... sometimes not...

this year the tree produced flowers -

which the bees frequented on a very regular basis...  in the past, though, that never really mattered.  the old tree would appear to do all the right things - yet not produce any fruit at all...leaving us to ponder what had happened.  did it get lazy... decide that was a year it didn't feel like putting forth the effort - boy can i relate to that one - or the weather conditions weren't exactly right?  whatever the case, nature always rules when it comes to fruit trees - there is no second guessing.  either there's either, or not.

well... lo and behold - all systems are a go for this year.  the weather did what it needed to do... the bees were busy for a good cause - the flower petals dropped - and soon thereafter...

little peach pits appeared on the tree - in the leaves - on the branches... and i thought... "whoo-hoo... we're having a peach crop this year!"  then the other day, i saw this -

will you just look at the size of those?  in a mere matter of a week - they've grown about twice their size!  holy moley people... we're going to have record sized peaches this year!  already, the tree limbs are hanging low due to the sheer weight - as the tree is simply loaded with peaches - the crop is going to be huge...

i see many a night of harvesting coming up the end of summer - possibly some canning... yup, the making of peach jams, butter, salsa, cobblers... while also having the luxury of picking a peach, biting into it - with juices dripping down my arms.  of course, there's the wonderful enjoyment of inviting friends, neighbors and others to come take delight in the harvest, too  - for there will be plenty to share - which brings the greatest joy of all...

happy day.....

the iris...

an iris is a beautiful flower... today i was playing around with the petals and processing - with colors which are fabulous and iridescent - an abstract showed up...

then i became interested regarding irises in general... here's what i found

fun facts about the iris:

• it takes its name from the greek word for a rainbow... due to the many varieties of colors throughout the species
• there are between 260 - 300 species

• the most common garden variety is the german bearded iris
• dried rhizomes (stems) are given whole to babies to help in teething
• iris essential oil today is used as a sedative
• van gogh painted several famous pictures of irises
• iris rhizomes can contain asorbic acid
• those same rhizomes can also be toxic

i'm constantly fascinated by flowers... how they continue providing us with visual interest - artistic interest - inspiration of all sorts... as well as medicinal purposes...

don't be surprised either, that all of these interpretations were created via one shot of the same purply blue iris... it's no wonder van gogh was inspired!

happy day.....

wanna dance...

sometimes ya just gotta move... this guy does that - and then some... and then some more.  he keeps going like the energizer bunny!  soon - you'll find your toes tapping - you'll be humming along, too...  this is a video which includes great music that strolls you through a myraid of memories...





happy day.....

the first rose...

...of the season

is red!

for some reason... while all the bushes have buds looking like this:

obviously, getting there... but not quite ready to open yet...

on the front bush i saw a flash of red... looked - did a double take - and sure enough...

a beautiful blossom - wide open - full and glorious... having survived a recent heavy, wet snow fall too... standing alone amidst the branches and buds.  why it's opened when all the other buds are yet to blossom - is a mystery to me.  sometimes i guess there are simply those that can't wait... nature is like that - providing small surprises - little packages of joy... special treats...

happy day.....

hello world...

...to the new goslings - born within the last couple of weeks... so cute - little yellow fluff balls: learning to swim... balancing on webbed feet... exploring dry ground and munching on the grasses. their tiny wings beginning to form - excitement building with the realization that flying lessons will soon take place.

they will grow quickly... entering the 'tween stage before you know it... pressing the limits with mama and papa goose - testing for independence... it will be fun to watch - observe - record... nature is so fascinating - a thrill to be a part of it...

happy day.....

butterflies are free...

...free to fly

...free to flutter around the yard - while i chase after them... like a little girl - all i needed was one of those long handled nets to catch them!  that was the day the yard was filled with monarchs - landing on all the yellow dandelions - lighting up the day, shining in the sun - glittering with bold colors... glorious.  nature is so awesome - and in all my years living in this house, i've never been privy to having so many monarchs floating around at one time... truly amazing - although i'm sure they wondered who the crazy lady was chasing after them with the black box...

with a flash of white - i noticed one lone butterfly - standing out from the rest...  not certain what kind it is - perhaps a white cabbage, although the purplish-brown markings - appearing as tiny flowers, aren't totally characteristic... so i'm not positive.  and it moved extremely quickly - making capturing it difficult but i managed to get one decent shot...

this last... i discovered playing camouflage at a local park - trying to hide in a brilliant fluorescent yellow bush... i believe it belongs to the sulfur family of butterflies - only because a friend pointed me in that direction... otherwise, i'd simply be calling it a pretty butterfly.  once it realized i wasn't going to hurt it, it almost seemed to pose for me... remaining very calm and poised...

they are amazing - butterflies are... gracing us with beauty to behold as they take wing to the air - providing entertainment aplenty, leaving childlike wonder behind...

happy day.....