Once Upon A Flower

 

Many flowers look great and inviting but really are pests. Here are a few.

Morning Glory is such a lovely name for a weed that takes over and is very hard to get rid of. It chokes out any competition but when it blooms it gives off such a lovely face.

 Dandilions have a pretty yellow head. To the untrained eye it is a delight to see unless it is in your beautiful green grass. The dying head is what is really fun. if you blow on it the seeds are carried away on little parachutes. It is also fun to watch it poof into flames when lit. The bigger the ball, the bigger the flame.

 Daisies also look sunny and sweet as they take over the landscape. Once they dry they are forest fire fodder. If left in a vase they become stinky....fast. Bees like them though. I wonder if the honey tastes good.

Wild Wild West

I grew up watching westerns. I preferred monster movies but my father was enamored with the west and western music. I learned to marginally appreciate Hank Williams and Tennessee Ernie Ford. I drew the line at Elvis. I had rejected everything western but have changed because of my best friend. She loves horses and cowboys and I just like things that are old so we can enjoy the west together for our different reasons.

These pictures were taken on a trip to Greer. I like this old wagon wheel...because it is old. I love how my mind fills in the cut off spaces.

This wide shot has whimsey because of the half haphazardness of the poles. Your eye travels off the page looking for the end of the line.

I love this little ant. He looks so intent on where he is going.The perspective of this picture is fun because it is like being eye to eye with this little critter. Taking pictures from different levels makes them interesting and fun.

Moon and Super Moon

When I was a kid there was a lot of talk about going to the moon. I always wondered what the moon thought of me and why it had so many faces. When I found out that God let it govern our tides and moods I was a little surprised at how much God had knit the world together in an intricate web.

 Where I live the moon rises. I have never seen it bigger than in the desert. A super moon means that it is closer and brighter but to me it means that I might get a chance to capture one of its faces. Can you see it too? These two pictures of it were taken about a year apart. I am fascinated to see that it has rotated a bit to the right and you can pick out eyes better. Someday this moon will be red. Someday this moon will be no more. Until then it is super.

Bloomin Cactus

 I hate cactus. I know that is a strong statement but it is a true one as well. There is one time of year that I can tolerate the things and that is usually in May when they want to be attractive to bees and to create much fruit. They say that the fruit is delicious but there are other fruits that aren't as much work. Since I am allergic to pain I feel I can live without it.

 I didn't realize, until I saw them up close, that the flower of a cactus is very thin. Many of the petals you can almost see through and yet they have a tinsel strength that is oddly deceptive. They are stubborn little things to even defy the elements and bloom. Lack of water, great cold or heat, animals and pests, nothing deters these blooms. And when they do bloom, they mock me for not having liked the cactus without it's crown.

 The colors are spectacular as well. It is as if God, while painting the sky, dripped from his brush onto the earth. As with all artists, he makes creative opportunities instead of mistakes. For a very short time the ground reflects the colors of the sky.

 Now that it is late June the memory of those blooming cactus is still with us. Perhaps they are encouraging us to bear the high heat as we remember their sunny faces. They are gone for another year so I am back to hating cactus. *Sigh*

Sedona Surprises

 Many know of the Red Rock Church in Sedona. It is a place of quiet and reverence. A place where I like to pray. I am glad that I don't go to mass there because I could never pay attention. My attention would go past the action to the scenes behind the actors. I love to take pictures of the candles. It captures the serenity of the place for me.

I love taking pictures of water and clouds. Mostly water though. I like to make it stop in its motion, not blur it like some others do. I want to capture the moment and not string them together because there will not be another moment like that ever. That water will not pour in the same way though it is the same bowl. The water will be different, either dirtier or drained of some of its energy. It will not be the same time of day when it recycles either.

This will be a hot pot someday when it makes it into someone's yard. People will be warmed by its glow and will likely be enjoying someones company.


Oak creek has many surprises as well. It is a calming place to let your anxieties float down the creek.

The Beach

 Boy do I love the beach. The smell of rotting crustaceans, the arpeggios of the waves, the roar of the surf are all endearing to me. I know some people like to be in a forest or the dessert but for me it is the beach. I love to feel the squish of wet sand between my toes and making sand castles, tunnels or drawing giant pictures in the sand. I love the treasure hunt of shells, and seaweed and agates. I love how the sun warms your bones and how well I sleep after a day at the beach. I like the seagulls who hover off the cliffs like kites without string.

I love the lace that is formed every time the wave crashes and covers the rocks, white with churned up oxygen. The power of the surf pounding again and again on the sandbar. The perfect and beautiful curve of a wave. The comfort of the towel when drying off and then wrapping it around my shoulders in a hug. I love to play with God as he tries to get my feet wet. I can't keep myself from giggling.

I love the storms too. The sound of the rain hitting the windows with fierce fists of water pounding as if demanding to get inside. Roasting marshmallows by the warm fire or reading a good book. I love the musty smell of dried shells and the dusty furnace rattling into submission. I love the mix matched furniture, place settings and linen as they greet me with old world charm.

I like to put verses on my pictures. It gives them purpose and ads 1000 words to his beautiful holy ones. It embellishes, and supports the words with proof and hopefully makes something even more beautiful.

Multnomah Falls

I have always loved Multnomah Falls. It is a 600ft drop along the old scenic Columbia Gorge highway. I love to listen to the roar and moans of it's tumbling contents and the peace it extends below in the stream yielding to the Columbia River. The majesty and power of such force, seemingly angry at one minute and calm the next. This view is something every visitor must see and is a free peak at natural beauty.

Wakena Falls

 You can take the short paved hike to the bridge which isn't really half way but allows visitors of all abilities to enjoy the sights. You can continue walking the trail through a series of switch backs which leads you to the top and beyond to Wakena Falls. Multnomah falls was a backdrop in the movie Twilight.

Shoots and Ladders

 Back to Mesa Verde. It was fun to experience what it must have been like for the Indians to climb up and down the ladders and hand holds in the rocks. The passages were not meant for fat people or ones with claustrophobia. Inside the Kiva was where they spent much of their time since it was cooler or warmer if there was a fire. This was the place of worship, the living room and the classroom. A fun trip walking in someone else's moccasins for a while.

Sparkles

 I like bling. Can't help it but I like anything that sparkles. Frost on a fall day sparkles in the morning sun. The crisp morning invited me outside for a walk with a couple of my favorite friends in Escondido, Ca. One way to get really good a photography is to take an assigned picture a day to put a 365 days of photos together in a book. You will learn a lot about photography and how to better capture what you see in the lens.





  I also like blingy art. This lamp was taken with my cell phone at an art museum. You can't see the hight but it is over 10 feet in diameter. A spectacular use of bling.

Sea World

As a kid, I had always wanted to go to sea world. I love Orcas and had seen a few flukes or fins from a distance. To see them close up, I knew I had to go to Sea World. I also love aquariums and my favorite have been a tiny one in Seaside, Oregon and the one in Monterrey Bay. I shoot everything while I was there. The Orca was from a distance. The Flower was on the grounds and the turtle was behind some glass that I was standing next to. The cute guy looks grumpy but I was glad that he posed.

Butterflys

 Every year we try to go to the botanical gardens butterfly exhibit in March. It is a fun time to use the macro lens and the sports setting to capture the lovely things in their natural habitat. My suggestion is to go as early as possible because later the butterflies get tattered and accidentally stepped on. Some even try to hitch a ride outside. They like bright colors and anything green so when you go wear something vibrant and they will be encouraged to land on you. Know that where ever they do land someone will take your picture. Even if it is someplace personal.

Tulips

Tulips are my daughter's favorite flower. And so this is dedicated to her. Woodburn, Oregon has fields and fields of them. Every year they have a contest on the best picture taken. While my photos didn't make the cut, the concept was exactly like mine. I love the idea of walking down a path being greeted by this happy flower.

The petals are so delicate and offer variety in color and in shape. Taking pictures from different angles and different focal lengths has given some of these photos visual interest that they wouldn't have had otherwise.





















Even flowers taken in a home garden from their level draws the viewer into the photo.









This is a painting of one of my photos. It is a macro detail of a bunch of flowers I brought home one day for my daughter and the subject was so interesting to me I just had to get out my camera. What I captured was so interesting, I had to paint it.

Waterfalls

These are photos from the train between Durango and Silverton. I love to shoot water and capture it in a moment of time. I know that it will never be exactly like that again. It is like trying to capture a single snowflake knowing that no one has seen one exactly like it nor will they ever again. I wish at times that I could capture the sound associated with that but then that would be video. I can hear it in my head though when I look at these pictures of the spring run-off.

Red Mountain

Welcome to red mountain in the spring. The snow isn't quite gone yet creating beautiful and interesting shapes along it's sides. I hope to paint this next. There is red due to the amount of iron in the mountain. Many of the rivers that run from her sides turn an almost neon orange as the sediment settles and the iron floats freely through the waterways. Farther down in Ouray the water meets the blue icy water out of box canon. It meanders south of the city green as pea soup as the two colors mix.

Mesa Verde, Colorado

I wasn't sure about going to this place. I get easily board with Indian things and ruins. Mesa Verde has many ruins to choose from and many hikes that challenge those from lower elevations. I found it interesting that they would climb the rocks to get to their farms or to get water from seep springs. They also climbed in and out of their kivas which were cool basements that they used for living rooms where they worshiped as well as educated and entertained. The fun part of the tour for me was the ladder and rock stair system as we headed out. If felt like I was sharing an ancient experience.

We had a nice spring day so it wasn't too hot. I wouldn't recommend going if you struggle with health issues or if you don't carry a water bottle. Even in spring the water bottle was essential.