Thursday, August 31, 2017

Sunglow......


The glow of the setting sun cause the colors to blend onto the hummingbird's head. They are so competitive with each other that their feeding seems always frenzied. I have seen two of them on opposite sides of the feeder but have yet to get a photo. I guess if you can't see the enemy you don't have to fight with them.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Wonderful Design.........




Side by side blooms keep happening on this vine.  I don't remember ever noticing the blooming behavior but I know it must be natural.  I just have never had a chance to photograph on all sides before now. The challenge for this plant is to come back again next spring from fallen seeds of this fall.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Fledged Goldfinch........


Early Monday morning we were watching a male feed one of its newly hatched on the rod of this feeder.  By afternoon a batch of them were on the feeder. This is the first for us to ever see. Having seen this I have many more questions about this bird.  I did see on the net that a fledged group can be as large as this.  I am wondering if both the female and male get to be full yellow or are these two both male adult birds.

At one time there were six young goldfinches on the feeder.  In the evening while I was out on the deck, I could see them flying around and landing in trees as a group.

I could retake all of these photos again as they are all back at the feeder again this Tuesday morning. Today we have young ones on the deck picking up seed that has fallen there while the sock was being filled. Because of my concern of losing the shot, I ended up with some bad shots.  I did get to eventually take my time in taking the photos as they didn't seem too concerned about me being in the window.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Seeing Green......


I really don't know how many hummingbirds that I have but this one green female is easy to identify from all of the others.  I have two, maybe three that are brown.  I have seen a  male with the red band on its neck only once.  As the feeder is a popular place for them only a couple are willing to share the feeder at the same time.  Others are very sensitive to sharing the feeder and spend most of their time chasing others away from the sweet nectar.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

First to Bloom......


It is just now opened so the seed development is minimal. The whole flower will be larger by the end of the week. The sunflower is twelve feet tall or more so to take a photo I have to zoom in on it.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Time to Pour.......


Seeing a concert truck in the neighborhood does seem strange. We have two different neighbors that have backyard projects going on a few houses away.  The photo is not our reality as the zoom flattened out everything to make it look like crowded suburbia. The house in the back is actually the next block over and can't be seen except with the camera zoom. The project going on this morning is a round slab of concrete being poured off their back door, making a patio. We can't really see any of it other than one little break in the tree branches. That family has a Boston terrier dog, two young boys in school and a set of girl twins that possibly may have started school. Again, we only know this from the slice of view that we have out our living room window. The kids and dogs run around so we get to see them play.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Admiring its Own Flower.......


The volunteer zinnia that grows in front of the angel seems to be continually admired by her. I know I have taken shots of this a lot but it is fun to see what different kind of view that I can get from the set up.


Thursday, August 24, 2017

Colors Blend......


The monarch does look best on this particular color of zinnia. I stopping painting on a shelf board and dashed out to get a shot of this visitor.  It was there a couple of times but did not stay for vey long.  There must be flowers that it likes better in someone else's garden. I like how they fly so high as the transfer from place to place. I just thought that maybe it is getting close to the time for their migration.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Eat and Run.......



Just like a plane turning to leave the airport, the hummer swings around to see if it is clear for take off. The traffic is heavy so he didn't even bother to land on the feeder.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Morning, Mourning Dove,,,


I have a mourning dove that hangs around my rock garden area.  It may be my imagination but I think there is a nest in the shrub which I have yet to find.  When I am out working in the front yard it hangs around, close, on the stone ledge and in the rocky areas.  In reality it probably is hunting for insects to eat and is a young bird. This was Sunday morning and I was busy watching for humming birds when I saw this beauty just sitting on the deck ledge. The sunlight was at just the right angle to cause the colors of the feathers to be browner that what is normally viewed.

The dove could have been watching the movements of three or more hummingbirds that seem to be fighting for the use of the feeder.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Solar Power.......


We had rainclouds that kept floating by blocking the view of the sun. I never saw the cover up but the light of the day was so strange.  Even though it is daylight, the light is so grayed. You can see that gray color in all of the cloud pictures that I did get.




Looking down the street as the sun starts to be more visible again.  We only had 90 percent coverage here and people had to drive out to different locations to actually see the eclipse.


During the time of graying skies I built a new and better ramp for Barney.  He is really have a difficult time with the steps.  I can lift him by his color to make the step and then he can walk up to the next step. It hasn't been covered with carpet yet but that makes it more user friendly. He gets frustrated with the stairs and I am hoping this will reduce that stress for  me and him  to a lesser amount. I bumped this project up the front of the list.  Each time I was taking him out and in I kept saying I needed to get this done.



I had three of these zinnias photographed but that one was a total blur. The colors of these flowers are so striking in color and unique. We hand another rain this morning that helps out the lawn being less dormant.

A different kind of day here but we are back to normal now. I appreciate you stopping by today.


Timid but Hungry......


I was sneaking around to get a shot and my motion would scare them away quickly.  I had my doubts at first that I would ever get a shot.  While my wife and I sat out on the deck Sunday afternoon we could see the hummingbird wars going on, as they chased each other out of the zinnia patch. I doubt I ever get a shot of one on a zinnia but it is fun to see them feeding there.


So last evening and this morning I was able to get some shots. I end up peaking around the edge of a window at a pretty close range.  I forget that the feeder is at a second story level abut that doesn't seem to bother them at all. We do look down from the back though and see them fly all their maneuvers.  I did see them trying to get nectar from the blooms on the basil herbs. I have yet to see one with a red band on its neck but there is still time.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Back to Front.....




After the rain the water drops remain. It is brighter already and the sun is shining.  We sure needed that rain.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

A Rose is a Rose.......


The buds of a "knock out" rose do look promising. They look like a full multi petaled rose. Once they are opened they are pretty but they are an abbreviated rose.


The "knock out" rose seems to do well here in our city as everyone seems to have a few bushes.  The business places landscape with it too. My next door neighbor has one pink one sitting between their red ones.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Young and Old..........


The young goldfinch is shedding his gray baby feathers to become a male goldfinch, like the one opposite him on the feeder sock.



Thursday, August 17, 2017

Sunrise in Suburbia.......




The change minute by minute shows the sun coming up. The sun projects light that reflects off the bottom of the clouds. At a certain time it just isn't there and we have daylight.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Blue Sky Roll Out........


This was actually taken on Monday morning but my blog was already posted.  The butterfly then bumped it back another day, so today I will share it. The oncoming clouds sprinkled a few drops down but we really didn't get a rain from ethos clouds.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Giant Swallowtail......


When I researched the kind of butterfly that this is, I found giant swallowtail was its name.  It is a very large butterfly. It is a busy one that is hard to photograph.  It continually flaps its wings while feeding.



The body on this one is whitish.  I do think I have seen this variety before but I don't think I ever was able to get photos.  I did a lot of blind shots, shooting without waiting to see if it was in focus, because it wouldn't stay put for very long.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Feather Find.....




My wife has a large collection of black glass pieces. We are displaying a few of them on the couch table. The feather I found out in the yard is one that  I am thinking  is an Eurasian Dove feather. That is the largest bird that is in the yard.  I can not visualize the place in the tail feathers of the dove but it could be that. We have the smaller mourning doves in our garden a lot of the time but that feather is too long for a mourning dove. The pattern on the feather is an amazing, interesting arrangement.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Point of Interest....


I hesitate to take pictures like this, as I can't ever really find a center of interest with a random pattern of things.  In this case, after I took the photo, I realized that I did have a tiny little flower next to a weathered flower to serve as a  point of interest. The weathering effect was compliments of the Japanese beetles.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Hidden Melons........


A green and yellow squash lays among the vines surrounded by the three muskmelons.  At last count there are six muskmelons growing in my volunteer garden. I know that they sprouted out late in the season but I do think we will get to the ripe stage before the snow.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Grandma's Platter......


The platter of my Grandmother Brooks is on the wall, so we are officially moved. I don't know at what point my mother was given the ducks plate, but I saw it on our wall for most of my childhood. The piece made a move from the farm to my parents city house and then to a second home.  I had it at the old house for ten years or more and now it is in our newer home, hung with honor among the golden oldies things.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Sac Air Force Base..........


The sky is pretty much a clear one, early morning, and the jet lets off a vapor trail. By jet plane, Omaha, Nebraska is not so far away, but we do see their maneuvers often in our sky. The vapor trail that was being made was dissolving pretty quickly as he traveled by. Back when President Obama was around, our fleet was sent to another base. I have known and seen the Reserves practice with jets locally in our sky most of my life but now they only work with drones. At the old place north of here there were many patterns of flight as training continued in the sky.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Color Power......


Volunteer morning glory vines are always welcomed at my house.  I didn't notice the vine being there except for the last couple of weeks.  This is the very second bloom and only bloom on the vine for yesterday.  I am thinking I will have two blooms today.  I have blogger friends. like Jo, who have hundreds of blooms on their vines.  I will take what few that I have with great excitement. The pollen from the flower has put out white specs on the flower.


Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Fluffy Power........



The photographs of zinnias seem to always turn out no matter what angle that they are taken. I can still get unfocused shots of course. I am still battling the Japanese beetles but the numbers have slowed down. The person who told me that there season was almost done, was wrong when they said that three weeks ago.   The rows are getting too tall and it makes it hard to water them daily.

Monday, August 7, 2017

Monday's Roses......


The revival of the roses is great  as they give us more good blooms.  I had been watering them as the heat spell continued and now as the drought continues they get a refreshing drink once a day. All the roses are red in the front of the house and it seems to look good as a landscaping plan.

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Seeing Through the Forest.......



The rows of zinnias and the single row of sunflowers seemed miles apart from each other when they were planted. Now the three rows of zinnias are tall and wide and the sunflowers are really turning into trees.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Daytime Moon.......


It is getting to be time for a full moon again. Some are talking of an eclipse but I am tnot staying on top of that.  A full eclipse will be happening in Missouri, the state below us.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Stacked Up.....


Three kings and a colonial citizen stack up to make a great old storage unit. I really don't know how many cigars my dad smoked regularly but we did accumulate a lot of cigar boxes.  Having never smoked, I don't understand the differences in the product. I imagine he had to buy a Wm Penn brand because he was desperate. A lot of the most important papers of my parents were found in a cigar box in a chest of drawers.  All of the envelops inside all had "keep" marked on them.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Spot in the Sun.....


Barnabas hangs close to one of either of his parents during the day.  The living room chair is right there and the sun is coming in the window. He has adjusted quite well with the new house. He has problems with the hardwood floors as they seem too slick for him. He loves laying on them as they are cooler but getting up takes some work.  He has learned that I can grab his collar and gently pull him forward and that solves the problem.

Resting on the carpet is good though and he can get up and walk on that surface easily. His back legs get weary by the end of the day so he tends to land in one place and stay there for most of the evening. I am glad that he is back and strong after a nights sleep. It isn't easy for a border collie to get old but we are helping him as much as we can.

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 ...