Friday, September 30, 2011

A Windy Day


It was so windy yesterday that the leaves were flying horizontally in the air for long distances.  This leaf is from my neighbor's yard a half a block away.  I had to use my Minnesota stone to hold it down while I shot the picture.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Soon to be forgotten.....


Black-eyed Susan blooms are tucked down in the foliage to keep them safe from it's soon to be doom. We are having a warming trend again but it cools off at night and today it is sprinkling. 

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Petunia.........


Sharing with you a little flower power today.  The cooler weather has helped to keep some of the blooms fresh. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The barber shop is gone........


This photo can cause you to have many questions.  This town, Murray, Iowa,  had it's centennial back in 1968.  It makes the town to be around 143 years old.  The original buildings of the early days were all brick.  Somehow the building of the tthree  buildings in a row were structurally connected  so now we have an arch.

To the left was a drugstore and to the right was a hardware store.  The hardware store was transformed into a movie theater in it's last days.  The drugstore was overbuilt by an energetic owner that added a second story and covered up most of the brick.  The owner of the building to the right of the former movie theater must have liked silver enamel paint as it spreads from the theater on down the way to the last building on the corner.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Monday morning blues.........


True blue color and shape to start you off for the day.  I still have all those salvaged blue bottles that need to be really cleaned up for showing.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Better late than never......


My invasive plants called creeping bluebell continues to thrive at the back of my house.  For some reason this new sprout decided to put out a fresh bloom.  I required a flash to get this to take so it does appear to have a lighted effect for a reason.

Friday, September 23, 2011

A guest photographer.......


I was out taking a few pictures and while I was near the zinnia patch I counted five monarchs  feeding on the blooms.  I know my wife loves butterflies so I just quit shooting and sent her out to take a few shots.

Of course she got this beauty of a shot with two butters feeding at the same time.  The migration hasn't really started yet that goes through here but this is a sign that it might be soon. With our extreme cold last night, almost freezing, they had better get going and get out of the state.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Red Blaze


I need to move this rose as it isn't getting much sunshine and hasn't bloomed very many blooms. It is a climber and it should be putting out an abundance of blooms.

September 21, 2011


Thanks for stopping by...................

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Backyard gate.....

What you see as you leave my backyard is a geranium that is rebudding and hostas that are starting to wilt with the cooler weather. It was a sunny day when I took this shot.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Just put a little paint on it.........


An older building in Murray, Iowa.  It was once owned by the families of Watts and Soll who also owned the funeral home. Watts and Soll  sold furniture out of this building with the upstairs being a meeting hall.  I don't know if the Red Hat Ladies still meet up stairs as the photo is a couple of years old.

I remember being in this building when my parents bought furniture for their new home on the farm.  It was in 1959. 

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Remembering Maine.....


A photo I snapped last year in Maine along the Atlantic coastline.  The colors of the water and rock are so wonderful to see and you can almost hear the ocean while viewing the photo. I must have cropped it to use as a header photo and I don't think that I ever posted it.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Saturday's Sunshine....not!



Sometimes I take a photo and think that it would be great for Photo a Day.  I think it is so nice for that spot then I never get it posted.  Today it is cold, rainy, gloomy and apt to stay cold all day so I will share a photo of warm sunshine in protest.

I do need to consolidate my blogs. I just don't want to loose my friendly and not so friendly followers.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Sedum


It is just starting to open it's multiple little blooms to make it a really great show. It has received a lot of rain this summer so it is tall and laying down on the ground.  If I have the time I could stake it and it would look great.  Otherwise I will have to photograph the clusters of it while it is laying on the ground just like this one.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Old Silver......



The old silver maple keeps loosing limbs one at a time.  A major wind storm will take the next  major branch out that will land on my sidewalk.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Toy Train.......


I purchased this replica of a British steam engine in Kansas City, Missouri a few years back.  It was for sale at an exhibit that was sharing the making of Narnia, the movie.  It had hundreds of artifacts from the movie in the display and many neat things to see concerning the making of both Narnia movies.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Looking through to the past........


This is a photo taken last year from a restaurant balcony in Bar Harbor, Maine looking down to the street.  I was trying to find a photo that was not flowers but there are a few sweet potato vines to look at here. We missed not visiting the east coast this year but it is a long way away from Iowa.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Weathered but still strong.......


I like to think of some of the flowers as sculptural forms in a natural state. The crown of little yellow flowers fascinates me as it seems so out of place but is needed to make the flower more colorful.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Ten years ago........



we will never forget the when, the why and the who of the tragic events of that day. As the names continue to be read of all those who lost their lives, my heart goes out to all those families who abruptly lost their loved ones.



Saturday, September 10, 2011

Empty hull.........like a spaceship.


My last bloom of the hibiscus is gone.  It falls out of the bud head and leaves this form behind, the shriveled flower to fall on the ground.  Then the seed head starts to form deep inside the empty form.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Snakes.....

Garter snake
Archived Photo

I opened my outside basement door in June and there was a snake convention going on up and down the concrete stairs.  I couldn't get a good count but there were a lot of them.  With the dog's pooper scooper I caught one and carried it out to the trash can. It was a very big one.  I came back thinking I would not get any more.  I was wrong as five captured snakes later they were all headed to the landfill.  I recently  caught two more of them around the back door.  There are more of them out there but they seem to be hibernating already.

As I was late posting this, I caught another one this evening while I was out grilling burgers.  Never fear, I have seen the little small ones in the grass from this springs new birthing so I won't run out of snakes.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Looking through.........


My trellis creates a perfect frame for the morning glory blooms.  They are hard to photograph as they open and close so quickly during the morning light and are closed by afternoon.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

A Texture Study.......



Roma tomatoes with their smooth, shiny texture. They create quite a contrast to the bottom of the old wooden wheelbarrow.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Revisiting a blooming hollyhock.......


I am using my my wife's Cannon Power Shot for now and you can see the difference in the quality of pictures that I am now posting.  The same hollyhock plant with another bloom is shown here as a sculptural form.  It is a good camera.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Saturday's butterfly........


I have not seen a large variety of butterflies this year like I did last year.  I hope that next year we will see a larger variety again.  This particular butterfly is doing well as there seems to be a dozen of them enjoying the nectar of the zinnia's.

Friday, September 2, 2011

A peaceful Friday........


People are winding down today as they know that a three day weekend is on the way.  The morning glory bloom was taken in 97 degree temperatures in the afternoon.  It was just about ready to fold up after it's one and only showing.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Old and new........


I find it interesting to see how the rose changes as it ages.  It fades to a white bloom before it drops it's petals. 

Blurry Blue Cup Day.....

 It is Monday and I am a little blurry eyed today. It is fitting then my blue cup is blurred a little because it is in low light. I was too ...