Poppies for a Sunday

13 June, 202112 June, 2021 / Pat / 8 Comments

My poppies have finished blooming for the year – but I try to hold on to their beauty by taking photos of them. It works, mostly. I have heard people say that taking photos of events or places shouldn’t be a substitute for being there – that we shouldn’t hide behind a camera. Now there may have been a time or two when I didn’t really want to be at an event so I offered to be the photographer as a way to make the time more tolerable. I’m not going to say where or when this was the case, just a speculative observation on my part.

I did enjoy my poppies when they were blooming… And I did take a lot of photos. These weren’t mutually exclusive behaviors. This is my view as I sit in front of my sewing machine working on a fun quilt project.

I look up a lot as I’m pulling the sewn pieces from my machine, cutting threads, thinking or day-dreaming (yes there is a difference), waiting for the iron to heat up. I like the seed pods almost as much as I like the flowers.

This was just as the petals were dropping; I had just helped the last couple let go and drop. Isn’t it beautiful?

Just in case you like poppies as much as I do, here is one more photo. Enjoy!

I could also search photo files from past years for more pictures, but you know how, well, dated those photos would be.

Wishing you simple joys and safe socializing in the coming week.

Sunshine For All My Northern Friends

24 February, 202125 February, 2021 / Pat / 18 Comments

I lived in the north long enough to know that as March nears, nerves begin to get prickly and souls are yearning for signs of spring. It could be guilt that I am in a sub-tropical local with flowers everywhere, but more likely just compassion that motivated me to search for just the perfect yellows for all of you who are currently color deprived in your environments.

What a beautiful yellow bouquet with a touch of red and deep blue on a ground of green. Makes my heart sing.

I was also motivated by Jude’s posting of beautiful lemons for this month’s Life in Colour: Yellow.

Life in Color: Yellow Orchids

11 February, 2021 / Pat / 29 Comments

Last week I spent a lot of time in the Orchid Garden at Naples Botanical Garden. It was 8 in the morning and in most places there wasn’t strong sunlight so I had lots of fun and ended up with lots of photos to filter through, delete or keep, and process. And I found lots of yellow orchids to post in response to Jude’s monthly challenge “Life in Colour: Yellow.” Use the link to join in the fun as many times as you like during the month of February.

Up Close from Florida

30 January, 2021 / Pat / 15 Comments

We drove to Florida last week-end, staying out one night and eating all our meals from our stash of food in our car. I was nervous about the drive but felt safe except when we had to purchase gasoline. We are taking the same safety precautions we took while in Michigan – except we can go outdoors and see friends from a distance.

Tuesday morning I was off to the Naples Botanical Garden – with a reservation for 8:00 am member early entry for me and my son & daughter-in-law. The humidity was really high with some light fog so there were beads of water along the edges of the flowers, along spider webs and large drops of water falling off trees. There were only a few members walking their dogs so my tripod didn’t get in anyone’s way as I focused on some of the flowers. This camellia caught my eye early in my walk, and I was excited to see a lot of buds so there will be more flowers on future visits.

I think I use up-close photography more often to show the beauty and personality of plants and critters than showcasing the minute details. But both are important to me and I am beginning to think about when it works better to take a few steps back for a more inclusive image.

I’m not a big bug lover (neither big on liking them nor liking big bugs) but close-ups sometimes gives me a greater appreciation for their complexity. I’m not sure the little critter below is a moth staying out late (9 in the morning) or a butterfly that looks a lot like a moth. Maybe one of you will educated me.

This last close-up is of rice, taken a year ago. The Botanical Garden grows rice in small paddies in the Asian Garden but also in big, round planters on the boardwalk through the lily garden. I have been trying for several years to capture their beauty and personality and this is the best so far. I will try some more this year. It is so nice to have such a photogenic place to go week after week, year after year. It definitely keeps my spirits up!

I am connecting this post with Becky’s “square-up” month that is just about to end. Kind of like a “last call-up.”