September (Sunflowers)-The Changing Seasons
September Sunflowers
*V2 and V1 photo gallery*
September Haiku (Turn)
Walking from summer
Ambivalent September
Turns to face the sun
****
I recently had a chance to go to the first annual Sunflower Festival at Beaver Dam Farm in a neighboring county. It was amazing to see so many sunflowers – 30 acres with around 600,000 black oil sunflowers in the fields! Set against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the magnificent sea of big golden flowers was beautiful and mesmerizing.
It really does make you smile to be around all those happy flowers!
***
This is my Version 2 and Version 1 gallery entry into Cardinal Guzman’s Changing Seasons Challenge. Check out his blog for other interpretations of the theme and think about joining us in the challenge! You can see my previous entries by clicking on the Changing Seasons header at the top of my page.
Over the Dam Edge
Dam Waterfall
Okay, it’s a real dam. The water falling over the edge of the Mason Mill Park dam into Tinker Creek was a pretty sight on a sunny day. Very calming and peaceful.
Here is what nearly took me over the edge!
Northern Water Snake
Even though it turns out that this water snake is not poisonous, it was unsettling to see it at the time. It was swimming upstream really fast and I wondered if any others were on land near my feet! I didn’t see any, so I’m sure that means none were there. Right?
*posted in response to the daily post weekly photo challenge:
edge
Moment of Reflection
Moment of Reflection
Taking a quiet moment for reflection feeds the soul. It can be challenging to find the time and place to sit in silence. Televisions blaring, motors running, dogs barking, voices projecting and even the sound of clocks ticking distracts me from my deeper thoughts. Sometimes, those sounds are welcome distractions or cause for celebration. Sometimes, I just need to take a break from the noise so I can hear myself think.
In silence, my mind wanders freely, bringing me to a thought that may answer questions I didn’t even know I had. Pondering my thoughts, actions, beliefs, emotions, and even my own breathing gives me an honest reflection of myself, clearer than the image I see in a mirror.
*posted for the daily post weekly photo challenge:
mirror
August-The Changing Seasons V2
Darning Needle
August Haiku (Repair)
The darning needle
Knits August days together
Repairing summer
***
This is my Version 2 entry into Cardinal Guzman’s Changing Seasons Challenge. Check out his blog for other interpretations of the theme and think about joining us in the challenge! You can see my previous entries by clicking on the Changing Seasons header at the top of my page.
Free Frame
Framed Wren
This little free bird, perched in the open frame work of the old clothesline pole in my yard, is a Carolina Wren. The distinctive white eyebrow makes it easy to identify as a wren. Here, it is patiently waiting its turn at the feeder.
To see more cool backyard birds, you can click on the Birds header at the top of the page. I can’t stop taking pictures of birds because they fascinate me! Each one is beautiful and amazing in its own way. This continues to be the year of the birds!
*Posted in response to the daily post weekly photo challenge: frame
Stand Out Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
(White-striped Adult)
What makes a sparrow stand out from the crowd? The bright yellow head markings, of course!
White-Throated Sparrow
(Another View)
I am new to birdwatching, so I was amazed when I spotted the bright yellow brows on this bird. I soon learned that it’s eyebrows are actually bright white and it is the supralorals that are yellow. The bird is called a white-throated sparrow due to the contrast between its gray breast and white throat. Still, I think it’s the bright yellow that makes this bright, white-striped adult bird so identifiable.
I saw this bird in my yard back in April. My guidebook notes that it is a common winter bird in this area. So, it may have been a rare sight for spring. I never saw two of these birds together, only one at a time over the course of a week. Then, suddenly, it was gone. I hope it will be back this winter.
This week, the daily post weekly photo challenge, Rare, asked us to showcase something that stands out from the everyday. I think this little bird definitely stands out from the sparrow crowd!
Hands
Momma and Me
I immediately thought of this photo when I saw that Cee’s Fun Foto topic of the week was Hands. I treasure this photograph of my mother’s hand beneath my own.
My mother passed away last August. It’s been a little over a year since I’ve felt her touch. But I can still remember the softness of her skin and the gentle strength of her hands. I miss her and long for the comfort of holding her hand again.
Hawk Ouside The Window
Cooper’s Hawk
LOOK who I had to chase away this morning! I just happened to be doing dishes when it flew up right outside my window! So big! I’ve never seen one up so close before! It is beautiful but too fierce to be around my backyard birds and squirrels and bunnies! I’m glad my yard has so many hiding spots for all the little creatures! I have been watching a hard working squirrel move her babies from nest to nest this week- maybe she had already spotted this hawk and was working to protect them! I want my yard to be their sanctuary!
Garnish Fun!
Garnish Fun
How’s this for a fun start to the weekend? I met a friend for lunch at a farm to table restaurant called Local Roots today. I think the vibrant garnish on my mason jar Bloody Mary shouts fun, don’t you?
We had good drinks, good food and good conversation! Then, we walked down the street and looked around in a cool consignment shop with vintage clothing and decor. I didn’t buy anything today, but it was fun to look.
WordPress reminded me that today is my two year blogging anniversary! Blogging has been a fun way to connect with different people from all over! My interest in photography has been inspired by so many fantastic photo bloggers! Bloggers are so open to sharing tips, life stories, words of praise and encouragement. Being part of a blogging community is great and I look forward to expanding my circle of blogger friends!
I will place my photo and post as a response to the WordPress weekly photo challenge:
Fun!
Palisade
Look close, in front of the trees, and you will see all the narrow posts sticking in the ground. These posts, and the propped branch structure in the foreground, are remnants of a Native American exhibit at Explore Park off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. The posts circled the area and served as a palisade to fortify the replicated 17th Century Tutelo Indian Village. Large, curved, bark covered dwellings are long gone. I am not sure if the remaining structure was part of a quick dwelling (it seems too small) or a place for fire and cooking or something completely different.
Many other exhibit structures, such as a mill, blacksmith shop, and schoolhouse, are still standing, but the buildings are not open. In its heyday, actors guided visitors through the exhibits and shared historical information about the people of the times and their way of life. Now, the exhibits are all closed and the buildings seem abandoned.
People still go to Explore Park for the miles of hiking trails. The area draws causal hikers and trail racers. It’s a good place to spend some time outdoors. Someday, I want to go back and take pictures of the buildings that still seem interesting to me.
*posted for the daily post weekly photo challenge:
<a href="http://Narrow“>narrow
