Thistle head ....a forest canopy of fluffy down. 
"Die when I may, I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow." ~ Abraham Lincoln
Thistles grow along the deep water runoff ditch that ran behind my parent's old house. They were thickest a few doors up where the weeping willow tree hung over the ditch. These were white and fluffy like a crown reaching for the sky. This one had already lost some of the down.. leaving rows of seed like a dark forest for the camera to explore. This would have been a great prop idea for "Honey I Shrunk The Kids."
Submission for LensDay topic "macro".
(end of post)
Dwarf lily...new beginnings. "One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve." ~ Henry David Thoreau
I am slowly trying to plant in the front flowerbeds; easy care flowers that will eventually provide color from the early spring well into the late fall. I found these dwarf lilies at the local garden center, not yet in bloom, so the spectacular colors were quite the surprise as they opened. And they are great subjects for the macro lens that Stephen gave me for my birthday. I love how stately lilies are, so regal and serene... of course the recent rain and residual droplets of water don't hurt either!
My first entry for a LensDay in ages... this week's subject is "flower".
(end of post)
A vapor trail in the sky at sunset.
(Click picture for larger view) "There are no signposts in the sky to show a man has passed that way before. There are no channels marked. The flier breaks each second into new uncharted seas." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The vapor trail of a passing jet, the only signpost to say... "someone is passing this way". It will quickly dissipate and so five minutes from now, someone standing here will never know. Thus the sky changes from moment to moment; the clouds come and go and so change the colors, from navy to red to blue to black to grey. Like life, the sky is always changing, never static for very long and though we may desire to freeze moments in time, this change is as it should be. Without the fleeting nature of the sky, how many beautiful and rare and unique sunsets would we miss? Without the progressions of life, what beautiful and rare and unique memories would be lost?
Submission for Lensday topic "sky". (end of post)
Pink peony. (Click picture to enlarge) "The beauteous pink I would not slight,
Pride of the gardener's leisure."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
"The Floweret Wondrous Fair" (st. 8)
Well! It is official! My brother has purchased a house here in Hampton Roads... Chesapeake to be exact. It was choice number two but not by much and as the owner of choice number one decided to quibble over $13000, he lost his third contract offer. Stephen is tickled pink. Nyssa said he would choose this house and she is more than thrilled. Mom fell in love with the outside and wanted just to stay when she got inside. I thought it was great and hoped he thought the four bedrooms would be to his liking and that the yard would be large enough for him. So. I will be back with more details later. Now we have inspections to attend, measurements to take, loan papers to do, powers of attorney and all other sorts of things..... have to be done today! Stephen flies back to Germany tomorrow morning. So off we go........ again!
Submitted to LensDay for topic "pink". (end of post)
A little addition. (Click for larger view) One time a policeman pulled me over for running a stop sign. He said, "Didn't you see the stop sign?" I said, "Yeah, but I don't believe everything I read" ~ Steven Wright, Canadian comedian (1955 - )
There isn't much "fur" wearing in this town with winters mild and no snow to speak of; so I question the effectiveness of this addition to the stop sign. But it makes for an interesting picture, doesn't it?
I have been out of pocket with a trip to Indiana and looking at houses for my brother. He flies in on the 4th for three days of marathon house hunting.... I am nervous, hoping I am choosing those that will fit most of his criteria. Too many? Too few? Too high? Too few bedrooms? Lot too small? Kitchen too small? Pool? Hardwood floors? After four or five they start to blend together and I get dizzy! So, spread sheets, here we come... pros, cons, details... and the hope that he can make up his mind easier than I can. Five days and counting.... we'll see!
Submission for Lensday topic "sign". (end of post)
Still waters, fall reflections.
(Click picture for larger view) "No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see." ~ Unknown
Still waters on a fall day, the fish are silent, the insects gone and the water is as smooth as glass reflecting the trees and the sunlit blue sky. Water, the world's looking glass, reflects the beauty and serenity of nature. And as I stand here gazing at the scene, a peace and joy from the Creator fills my heart and mind.... this is contentment.
Submission for Tuesday Challenge topic "reflections" and LensDay topic "water". (end of post)
Tulips in bloom at Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
(Click picture for larger view) "There is material enough in a single flower for the ornament of a score of cathedrals." ~ John Ruskin
Before the wind and rain of the storm, we finally did it....finally made our first trip to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens! The roses aren't blooming yet and the butterfly garden plants are just beginning to push through the soil; but the dogwood, crabapple, wisteria and azalea are heavy with blossoms and the daffodils are hanging on. There is new life everywhere, even in the towering tops of the oak and pine trees. Each year the garden plays host to a nesting pair of bald eagles who have hatched three chicks this year. From a vantage point outfitted with a telescope, you can watch as the parents take turns bringing bits of prey to the nest. Even better is the webcam giving us a "bird's eye" view of the chicks.
On this, my first trip to the garden, I was looking for color.... I was hoping for tulips. The garden did not disappoint. Tulips in all shapes, sizes and colors were in full bloom. For this post I chose just one classic; a deep red tulip with sunlight streaming through its petals, as though it were the stained glass window of an ancient cathedral.
Submission to LensDay for topic "flower". (end of post)
Spring tulips have arrived! (Click picture for larger view) Sonnet 98
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer's story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew.
Nor did I wonder at the lily's white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.
~ William Shakespeare
We are still waiting for the temperatures to warm up, the wind is cold and there is rain in the forecast. It is tulip time in Virginia Beach. These are right across the street and there are pinks and creams and purples in the area as well.
We are having a good visit with my brother, who is here from Vienna. Just resting from the hustle and bustle of of the opera world. He practiced this morning in the living room and his voice is so booming and loud, it permeates the house with sound and no one can hear anyone else talk. The cats retire to the far rooms, confused by the music. Nyssa will get home to see her uncle this weekend and he will be here for her birthday.
Scarlett is doing well and gets her stitches out on Friday. She seems to be eating better and I let her keep that horrid collar off for several hours during the day. She doesn't bother her incision. I think (fingers crossed) that she might be gaining some weight.
Now if Spring temperatures could arrive, I think a trip to the Norfolk Botanical Garden is in order, don't you?
Submission for LensDay topic "spring". (end of post)
An apple still life. (Click picture for larger view) "How many apples fell on Newton's head before he took the hint? Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint." ~ Robert Frost (1874-1963)
This fruit has been intertwined with man's history from the beginning. When Eve gave in to temptation and ate the apple, she wrecked havoc on all humanity. Adam was spineless, ate a bite as well and then blamed the whole thing on Eve... this too has continued throughout history.
In Greek folklore, the Earth Goddess, Gaia, gave Hera, the Queen of Heaven, an apple tree when she married Zeus. That tree was kept in the Garden of the Hesperides, guarded by the dragon, Ladon. One of Hercules’ tasks was to fetch an apple from that tree.
The evil Queen gave Snow White a poison apple so perfectly red and shiny she couldn't resist. With one bite Snow White fell into a deep death-like sleep until she was awakened by the kiss of Prince Charming. (Where is Prince Charming when you need him?)
The Legend of William Tell describes a Swiss national who defied Austrian authority, was arrested and forced to shoot an apple from his small son's head with a crossbow at a distance of 80 paces by the hated Austrian governor. Successful, he subsequently ambushed and killed the governor, an event that is said to have led to rebellion against Austrian rule.
Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), began his westward mission in 1797. Moving ahead of the pioneers, he planted apple seeds and seedlings, setting up nurseries in Ohio, Indiana and other areas of the Midwest. Often he sold or gave these orchards to the settlers moving in. He was a peacemaker between settlers and the Indians and never carried a weapon. He continued his work for fifty years and is memorialized as a man who based his life on the principles, "To Do Justly, To Love Mercy and To Walk Humbly With His God."
Then of course, there is Sir Isaac Newton who is said to have worked out the laws of gravity while sitting under an apple tree and after having an apple fall and hit him squarely on the head. Ouch!
These are but of few examples of the folklore surrounding the apple.... remember, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Well, at least most of them!
Submission for Lensday topic "fruit". (end of post)
....the old and the new. (Click picture for larger view) "Architecture aims at Eternity." ~ Christopher Wren
Grand Central Station, with intricate curved arches, complex statues and that glint of gold represents the old architecture of New York City. It is everywhere, refurbished and restored; the buildings still in use with high stakes deals flying here and there in the bustle. In the background, a modern skyscraper with smooth, sleek lines and floor to ceiling windows; steel and glass, reflecting the sun and clouds in the sky. All over Manhattan the view is the same; old treasured architecture mixed with glossy futuristic construction. Where else could such juxtaposition between the past, present and future work and mesh so well?
Submission for LensDay topic "architecture". (end of post)
Herald of Spring.
(Click picture to enlarge) To The Spring
Welcome, gentle Stripling,
Nature's darling thou!
With thy basket full of blossoms,
A happy welcome now!
Aha!--and thou returnest,
Heartily we greet thee--
The loving and the fair one,
Merrily we meet thee!
Think'st thou of my maiden
In thy heart of glee?
I love her yet, the maiden--
And the maiden yet loves me!
For the maiden, many a blossom
I begged--and not in vain!
I came again a-begging,
And thou--thou givest again:
Welcome, gentle Stripling,
Nature's darling thou--
With thy basket full of blossoms,
A happy welcome now!
~ Friedrich von Schiller (1759 - 1805)
Today is the first full day of Spring; time for robins and daffodils. The pear tree is budding and the hyacinth in full bloom. Wild daffodils grow along the bank of the ditch behind my parent's house and a mallard couple practice their nesting techniques. Perhaps I'll plant wildflowers or lilies or pull weeds and dig in the dirt. It is daffodil time. It is time for color and new life to spring from the earth. It is Spring!!
Submission for LensDay topic "yellow". (end of post)
Variegated Hosta
Submission for LensDay topic "green". (end of post)
Circles of light. (Click picture for larger view) "A circle may be small, yet it may be as mathematically beautiful and perfect as a large one." ~ Isaac D'Israeli, "Miscellanies"
What do you see in these circles of light? What imaginary world of fairies and fireflies, dewdrops and sunbeams or starlight and diamonds does it bring to mind? What happens to that wonderful childlike imagination as we grow up, where did it go? Do children now have the vivid imagination to weave fantasy tales of princesses and knights, or has it been reduced into the symbolic purple dragon named "Figment" at Epcot?
I remember summer nights hot, with windows wide open trying to catch a little breeze. I heard the "whoop, whoop, whoop" sound of sirens and saw the round full red circle moon and imagined that Martians were invading our town. I remember flying down the hill on my bicycle, wheels spinning, hair flying and feeling like Velvet Brown on her beloved stallion. Actually, I couldn't decide on the perfect name so in my mind I was Lori, Cleopatra, Velvet, Anne, Edwina Martin. Why Martin? I don't know, it was make believe. I've always thought daydreams were much nicer and richer than those of the night; perhaps because we have more control over them, and I am a bit of a control freak.
Now that I have completely gotten off topic... in this picture I see lights in the mist, small perfect circles of light and just beyond in the shadows there awaits....
all that is in your dreams.
Submission for LensDay topic "circle". (end of post)
Brooklyn Bridge. Summer 2006.
(Click picture to enlarge) "The bridge was a huge sentence diagram,
You and I the compound subject, moving
Toward the verb. We stopped, breathing
Balloonfuls of air; and noonday sun sent down
A hard spray of light."
~ Alfred Corn, "The Bridge, Palm Sunday, 1973"
Someday I will again walk the Brooklyn Bridge; this time in the Spring when the world is re-awakening and the cherry blossoms are covering the trees in the Botanical Gardens and bulbs are springing forth in the brownstone window boxes. Or perhaps it will be in the Fall, with fog rising from the warm river as it meets the frosty air and the gold and crimson leaves flying across the wooden walkway, high above the pavement. Or perhaps I'll make the trek at sunset with the deepening blue sky as background for the yellow and pink and purple reflections from cream puff clouds overhead. But this day the sun scorched and there was no breeze and the dark shade of twin gothic arches was little comfort from the summer heat. Still I would walk it again, at high noon, in languid heat... simply to see its majesty.
Submission to LensDay for topic "triptych". (end of post)
