This heliotrope caught my eye when I was choosing annuals this year, because it was so intensely purple. It was also rather tall, which appealed to me.
Unfortunately, there was a period of time where it evidently didn't get enough water and kinda died off. You can see that some in the photo.
But I was really pleased when I went to take close-up photos and realized it had such beautifully star-shaped blossoms.
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I've always liked lantana. I particularly enjoy the multi-colored blossoms that cluster together on a stalk. In fact, last year I posted photos of the lantana that grew in containers on our deck.
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That is all for now. I keep meaning to post more about my TX trip, but I never quite put aside the time to do it. I will soon, though.
In other news, I got my ticket for So You Think You Can Dance (touring show) today. We had a password to get tickets by presale. I'm actually farther back than I was last year when I didn't have the presale option. So, it must be getting more popular. I'm in row 11 (last year, I was in row 3). Maybe being a little farther back will be better for seeing more of their feet when they are half-way back on the stage. However, I probably won't be able to get the kinds of pictures that I took last year. (Note that I've had 193 views on that set!) I guess I'll just have to see.
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The flowers on my deck have really been healthy this year. I am slowly starting to figure out from year to year what grows best in this climate and spot around the house.
As time goes on, I will probably post this photo again and describe/give you the names of the other flowers.
I really like how the purple centers of these daisies were complimented by the other purple flowers nearby. It looks more impressive in person.
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I finally realized that I should use both of my black bedsheets to create a circle of black area. This allowed me to get this shot.
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Well, that is it until I get to TX. Most of those pictures will end up private on Flickr, unless I take some from behind. Maybe I should specifically do a few of those. Anyway, I fly out tomorrow. I expect to be around here and there, because doing things on the internet is enjoyable for me, so I will include it in my vacation. :-)
See you later and have a good weekend!
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This tree/bu$h was blooming over Memorial Day weekend.
This is what I saw out the kitchen window that inspired me to cut some branches off and put them in a vase so that we could enjoy them inside.
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and of course, the girlie had to help out.
Yes, she is large. ;-) But her face is so pretty to us. And the fur on her chest looks so soft; it just makes you want to pet it....
.... but of course, the white areas are the venus fly-trap areas.
And one last thing, did anyone else realize tomorrow is 6/7/08 - 6, 7, 8 :-)
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These are from the bouquet of congratulatory flowers I received from my family. I think this is the last of the flowers from that photo session. However, I do have more photos of some of the flowering trees and bushes near the house. So, I will have some photos for future weeks to tide us over until the outside annuals get into full bloom.
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Posted by danielle at 10:42 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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These shots are some of my favorites from this set. I'm not sure if it is the shape of the lily, or the contrast of it against the black background. But I just love them.
I'm sure Squirl will like them too, since they is yellow. ;-)
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That one, I'm particularly fond of, since you can see the grains of pollen.
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Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone! If it doesn't rain, I'll be singing at a church service that is outside amidst the trees. My mother in-law is going to come and hear me sing. She, my father in-law and brother in-law are visiting this holiday weekend. It should be a lot of fun to have them here!
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As you can probably tell, this rose was part of the bouquet that I received from my family as congratulations on my new job.
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I got these flowers from my family as congratulations for my new job! They were delivered to my work-place! That is 2 deliveries in one year. :-D
I couldn't believe how beautiful they were. And the funny thing is that on the day that they arrived, I had just been thinking about how I wanted to buy flowers for the weekend to celebrate and for taking photos.
There are a lot of photos here, but it is because I couldn't eliminate any of them. I am just too pleased with how they turned out.
AND, if you want to see more, you can go to my photostream on flickr. Of course, flickr is being dreadfully slow today. I'm not sure what is going on there.
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The one just above, and the first one, are probably the ones I'll have blown up into 5x7's in order to have some to decorate my new office.
I love the curls on the center of this reddish gerbera daisy. (in large)
I think the large one on that photo is really fascinating - the curls, the straight parts, the pollen grains...
Have a good weekend everyone!
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I had never seen a double hibiscus like this one before. I thought it was very unusual.
As for my snorkeling trip on Saturday, it was fantastic! The waves were a lot smaller, so it was easier in general. The reefs had a lot more places with a bunch of fish. We went to 2 separate reefs for 1 hour each. The second reef was one where only 2 dive groups go to, so it was flourishing and is actually considered the healthiest reef in Key Largo. There were really a ton of fish.
I ended up being about an hour late to the conference and missed a talk about migraines, but it was worth it. I also ended up getting part of my back a little bit burnt, but a few days of aloe cleared that up.
All in all, it was a really terrific trip. I had a lot of good beach and pool time. Went in the hot tub a couple of times in the late evening and had some excellent fish and crab - not to mention that key lime pie. The talks were really interesting and informative. One session was particularly pertinent to what we do in the lab.
And now, I'm preparing for my interview. It is on Tuesday.
I gave my talk to a member of the lab on Thursday and I'm adjusting it from the things that we discussed. I'll give it to the whole lab at lab meeting on Monday. Hopefully, there won't be very many changes at that point, since it will be the day before I give my talk. But luckily, with powerpoint, you can make changes up until the last minute.
ugh. My heart is starting to race just thinking about it. Need to take deep breaths and think about flowers and Key Largo....
;-)
I'll be sure to post how it goes. I have to meet with the Dean, so think happy thoughts for me. Clarity and confidence, that is what I need to convey.
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So, those were all of the flower photos I took today while at my conference in Key Largo, FL. I took time out from hanging around the beach and pool in order to get those shots (wipes brow with the thought of the effort it took to stop laying around). ;-)
I specifically made sure I got this "sun" picture for Amber.
This next one is the conference building where we had our meetings.
Pretty nice, eh? Of course, like most conference rooms, we actually sit in an enclosed walled-off room. But at least during breakfast, we got to look out at the ocean.
Every time I walk out of the room, I sigh and just thank my lucky stars that I am fortunate enough to get to attend a conference here. It is just absolutely fantastic and gorgeous. The weather has been about 82 all week with a breeze that is just enough to keep you from getting over-heated.
The conference is set up so that we start early (7:30) and end late (7 pm), but we have a big chunk of time in the middle of the day that is free. The first day, I spent it on the beach and in the pool. The second day, we went snorkeling. And today it was back to the pool/beach.
As for the snorkeling, there are coral reefs a few miles off shore that basically extend up and down the entire Florida keys. The one we went to was really a good depth for me. I saw a lot of really beautiful fish - one eel - and one shark. The sharks always weird me out a little bit. Although I know they are nurse sharks and totally harmless, it still makes me nervours. I took a bunch of photos with an underwater disposable camera. Of course, they never turn out as beautifully as it is in person, but it is enough to spark my memory of the trip.
I actually decided that I'm going to go out snorkeling with a different group tomorrow. This trip will go to 2 sites and will get back later in the day - which means that I'll be a tiny bit late for the afternoon session. But I think that will be okay, considering the number of people who are missing/present at any one time. I just heard tonight from a guy who went out with them today that he thought it was really awesome. So, I'm cautiously looking forward to it.
And I had a couple of things happen tonight that really made my evening. The people from my lab that are here at the conference didn't want to eat at 7 pm when we got out for the night and wanted to drink instead. Well, seeing as how I don't drink, and am really tuned to having meals at regular times, I decided to go out to supper on my own. I started to go to the hotel restaurant and then decided, at the last minute, to walk to the restaurant we'd been to the night before. I'd gotten one type of fish there last night and decided that I wanted to get a different type of fish tonight. They seated me at a table and I got to watch a lovely sunset while eating my salad. And the 2 things of note are that 1) I saw a dolphin that was just off of the dock breaching itself about 6 times. It was really incredible. I've only ever seen dolphins and whales breach at aquariums/Sea World. It was amazing to see it in person, in the wild. and 2) Because I was a returning customer (it came up in the course of chatting to the waiter), I got to have a complimentary slice of key lime pie. Which was A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!
The tuna that I had blackened was amazing too. Just incredible.
And here I am, winding down my evening by looking at my photos and blogging. What a great way to end the day. :-)
I have one more full day here (Saturday) and then we fly back to the cold hinterland on Sunday.
- more later -
Posted by danielle at 09:12 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
As per my usual photo-taking when I don't use my lightbox, I set the flowers on the floor to get a wide shot.
And guess who came over to investigate?
Yes, the Girlie-girl had to get right in the center of things.
I actually had to herd her away to get that first shot, because she kept wanting to lie down in the sun. This made her tail, or some part of her, in the photo.
Finally, I shoo-ed her away and got a shot. But just one, because she was quickly back.
Close-ups will be here when I take the ones with my 70-210 mm lens with the Kenko extension tubes.
But here is a hint of some photos taken in the late afternoon sun with the lens that came with my camera.
Posted by danielle at 10:11 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
A special delivery arrived today at the lab!
I've always wanted to have flowers delivered to my work-place. After all, it is the place where I spend the majority of my time everyday.
As you can see from the title, these are orchids. I had to go to several labs to find one with a digital camera and the zoom function for close-ups really didn't work. But you'll be seeing close-ups sometime after this weekend. :-)
The small orchids are yellow with reddish flourishes near the center. The large orchids are pinkish-orange with yellow centers. I love orchids that change from one color to the other within the same flower. They are just gorgeous and are really making me grin from ear to ear!
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I had trouble yesterday getting the stars to align to allow me to post, so these are a day late.
That one reminds me of an onion.
I kept twisting the rose around to get the best angle for lighting. Since I like a bunch of them, I'm posting them all.
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In the large view, the petal to the lower left has a lot of neat texture.
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As you can see from the lighting, the sun was setting when I took these photos. The rose just happened to be on the right spot on the table to catch the light, and I just happened to get up to get a drink of water at the right time.
This rose lasted for 2 weeks. It was the only one in the bunch that made it past the one week mark (at which point I threw the others out). It looked really nice as a single solitary rose in a small vase. I'm glad it lasted so long.
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I got these roses from HB for Valentine's Day! :-D
Aren't they beautiful?
And of course, the Girlie-girl had to get in on the action and investigate.
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These are the carnations that were part of the Thanksgiving bouquet. I'm just now getting around to posting the photos.
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Posted by danielle at 10:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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These are the roses that were in the Thanksgiving bouquet.
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In that large one, I like how you can see the lighter veins and the fuz that is on the edge of the leaf (albeit a bit blurry).
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I had a lot of trouble getting that shot. I needed to get the flowers angled more so that I could get my tripod to look down at the center of the flower. I think that sometime, I'm going to need to invest in (or make?) some kind of stand that is adjustable in height and has some sort of frame to brace or rubber-band vases in place so that it can be tilted more. My lens is so heavy on my camera that I can't utilize the full tilt of the tripod head, or it just falls to a pointed down position. It is hard to describe and not worth taking a photo of. But suffice to say that sometimes it is quite difficult to get the shot that I want.
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I think that last one is my favorite. That and the first one. Well, actually I like all of them for different reasons. But the variations in color really show up well on the first and last one.
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Usually, I look at the little plastic tag that comes with the flowers and tell you what the flower type is. (great grammar - please ignore). However, I forgot to look this morning and I'm now posting this on my lunch hour at work. So, I'll have to fill you in later.
I really like these flowers. They cascaded down the pot really nicely and were really full.
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That one is one of my favorites.
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I really like that one too. Especially the deep color.
Poopie, yes it is cold here now. I've been walking to and from the garage I park in at work with mittens and the outer layer of my winter coat (I'll be putting the down liner into it soon, I'm sure). We've had frost for 2-3 mornings and we've turned the heat on today; for some reason, our house had stayed remarkably warm. Finally, the gerbera daisies are just LOVING the chilly weather. Who would've thought? They were terrible during the summer - wilting, never blooming. But the minute it went into the 60's, they perked right up. I should probably try to get some pics this weekend.
Take care all!
D
Posted by danielle at 02:30 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Today is the fourth or fifth dreary/rainy day we've had here. I chose these flowers, because they seemed to brighten up the day a little bit.
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I don't know what they are called. They are one of the perennials that was here at the house when we arrived.
I hope you have a good weekend. :-)
Posted by danielle at 08:41 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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This flower is 'Perky Pink' Gaura lindheimeri hybrid.
Evidently, it is not common enough to have a "common name".
I did pick it out because it was tall and unusual. It kind of reminded me of an Asian plant - like the starkness of an orchid maybe.
Or maybe it is because the center reminds me of a type of sprout that you find in Asian cuisine.
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I haven't posted many photos on Fridays lately, because I'm taking a Friday morning class about how to teach in higher education. Consequently, my Friday mornings are more rushed than usual. But I hope you enjoy these today.
Oh, and as an aside, this plant didn't do really well this summer on the deck. I think it was getting too much heat and sun, because now that it is cooler (high 50's) it is doing so much better! I'd thought everything would be done by now, but some of them are doing better than ever.
Posted by danielle at 01:42 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
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This is the verbena that is in the same pot as the lantana. If you want to see how it looks when the shot isn't all zoomed in, you can see it in the lantana post.
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These flowers have done particularly well with the amount of sun and water that they've been getting while on the deck. It has been a joy to see them go from a 4 inch pot to a huge amount of space in the big pot.
I hope you have a good weekend!
Posted by danielle at 08:54 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Here are the flowers at their home, or as I like to think of them - in situ.
Closer....
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Closer...
And another bunch of flowers...
And closer....
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UPDATED: I've exchanged the previous - slightly underexposed - photo with one where I've altered the light in photoshop.
This insect is a fast little bugger. I ended up giving up on trying to get rid of him and just decided to take photos of him instead.
I love the look of that leaf. It isn't as artistic as one with light shining through it, but I like it for the ridges. They remind me of lizards/dinosaurs for some reason.
Just in case you missed it, the 100 Things 11-20 is below.
Happy Friday and have a good Labor Day weekend!
Posted by danielle at 11:14 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
This is my favorite fushia photo out of the whole group. I like the way the upper petals curve with the points on the end. It is very fairy-like to me.
Here it is in large.
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I'd all but given up this fuschia for dead.
You can actually see some of the dead parts in there. Basically, it was getting older, and I guess fuschias are notoriously short-lived and fussy. Nothing like having a fussy plant, eh?
Well, when I was at my friend's wedding and HB was in charge of watering, it kind of croaked. But I kept watering it when I came back, because there were the tiniest little green leaves at the base of the dead branches, and I just didn't have the heart to dump it in the trash.
And after about, lets see, has it been a month now? Yes. So, after about a month of watering it, it came back into bloom.
And now, I don't have to regret not taking photos of it before the false alarm of death. Which, believe me, I was having some major bouts of regret.
But no more!
Because I went and took the time to bring it into the house and get photos with good lighting (not shown yet), I'm going to space out the photos over the course of several days.
If you feel like you can't wait, they are all on Flickr already. But since I haven't been posting much lately, I thought a burst of posts might be kind of nice.
I like that one, because it looks like an alien to me.
Do you see it?
Posted by danielle at 07:58 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
This is it! The long anticipated final book in the Harry Potter series comes out tonight at midnight.
I'll be picking up my copy in the morning from Target. I will be under a media black-out until I finish reading it, because I don't want to accidentally hear any plot details. So, if I seem like I'm hiding in a cave for a while, that is because I will be. ;-)
I've been debating about reading it particularly slow in order to stretch it out and make it last longer, but I imagine I'll be reading at a medium to slow pace instead. I just want to be sure that I'm not reading so fast that I lose the magic of it. And after waiting all of this time, I want it to last for more than just a couple days.
And if you haven't guessed by now. I still haven't taken close up pictures of the flowers on my deck.
I do have a far away shot that I took when I was testing out some camera settings and then when I was testing the flickr uploader software.
If you look at the large view, you can see it better.
Unfortunately, at this moment the hibiscus wasn't blooming. But it has just been a wealth of blooms lately. Its been really really gorgeous.
Well, I'll be seeing you later. For those of you who read Harry Potter - enjoy the magic!
Posted by danielle at 09:47 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
This was one of the centerpieces for my friend's wedding. I was really excited at the use of hydrangeas in the centerpieces, since I love them so much.
And speaking of weddings, today is HB's and my 11th anniversary! We have plans to do some fun things this weekend. Hopefully, the weather will stay nice.
Have a good weekend all. :-)
Posted by danielle at 02:57 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
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This hibiscus bush is one that I bought for $25 at Home Depot this Spring and have housed on my deck. It gets an incredible amount of sun, and is ideal for such a tropical plant.
And here is a slightly different angle that shows off the flower a bit differently.
and in large (highly recommended that you click that link)
And finally, the one that may be my favorite, just because it gives you an unexpected view of the flower and it highlights other aspects of its beauty.
Hope you enjoy the flower and have a good weekend!
I'll be at a wedding next Friday and may not be able to post. We'll have to see what the internet connection is like at the hotel.
Posted by danielle at 10:13 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
When we were in Texas, I was disappointed that the bluebonnets weren't in bloom, because I've heard how beautiful they make the roadsides and the fields at Wildseed Farms. I've also seen photos that are just spectacular and I was hoping to experience that beauty in person.
Luckily, there were a row or two that were just beginning to bloom when we were visiting. By the way, I was leaning over a rope to get these shots, so unfortunately they aren't super close-up like I'd wanted.
And then there were a few that weren't exactly blue. I wonder if they are still called bluebonnets?
I'd almost forgotten that I had these photos. But I was getting kind of desperate for a Friday photo.
Also, I keep getting random requests for photos of the Girlie on Friday. I hope to share something with you next week. I'll keep my eye out this weekend for a good shot of her. She can be tricky to photograph.
In the meantime, have a good weekend. :-)
Posted by danielle at 09:40 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
While we were at Wildseed Farms in Texas, the hibiscus for sale were blooming. This pink one is probably the best photo of the group that I was able to shoot. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like it was acceptable to wheel them around for photographic purposes into better lighting. So, I was faced a situation of less than perfect lighting.
But the flowers are still pretty and worth admiring.
And I'm getting this posted so late, because I ended up with a migraine this morning and am staying home for the day. This, of course, means that I'll have to go in all day tomorrow, but I'd rather do that than go in now and be there until 8 or 9 pm tonight. That is just way too close to bedtime and plays havoc with me.
So, I hope all of you have an excellent Memorial Day weekend. I know that I'll be enjoying the bliss that is a Monday off of work.
Posted by danielle at 01:43 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
This might be a Gay Feather (Liatris). I was looking around at different types of Liatris and it seemed like the Gay Feather was the main one I kept finding that looks like this flower.
This flower was tricky to photograph because it kept swaying in the wind. But when the wind died down for a few seconds, I got this shot. I also like this photo because of the fence. There are all kinds of neat fences and structures at Wildseed Farms in Texas. It really is a fun place.
Posted by danielle at 08:49 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
These bloomed out in our front flower bed. They have been blooming every year since we moved here with no effort from me to plant bulbs or anything in the fall. Clearly, the bulbs are much hardier than everyone says.
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I hope you enjoy the yellow tulips. And may you have a good weekend. :-)
Posted by danielle at 10:40 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Like last week, I don't know the name of these either. But I do like them. A few years ago, we saw them in purple and they are on a collage that I made of flowers that hangs on the fridge. Since then, whenever we have visited Wildseed Farms, I've seen them in yellow. This is the first that I've seen both yellow and red.
I like the chubby leaves of the plant. That is how I know it is a succulent of some type. I also like the pom-pom frillyness of the flowers.
I hope you have a good weekend. HB and I are slated to go out to the best fish and chips restaurant in the Twin Cities (at least we think it is the best). It is a British pub that has outdoor seating and lawn bowling on a rooftop, grassy deck. I'm not sure if the lawn bowling will be started at this time of year or if it will be warm enough to sit outside, but it is nice to know that the possibility exists.
Posted by danielle at 10:18 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
This photo feels like Spring and Easter to me for several reasons. One is that there are strips of fresh green amidst the dry brown dirt which is a sure sign of Spring. The other is the colors of the poppies look very spring-like to me. It reminds me of Easter for the same reason - new life amidst the three. Three being an element of the trinity/triune, of course. The stripes of green with the flowers also reminds me of the rays of sun coming down from above. It has that same shape of being wide in the foreground and skinnny in the background that you see for artistic representations of the light of Christ or the light of heaven shining down. That may be stretching the symbolism surrounding Easter a bit for some of you, but now that I see it, I can't ignore it and thought someone else might find it interesting.
As today is Good Friday, it seems premature to wish everyone a Happy Easter. But know that I'll be thinking those thoughts for you on Sunday.
Posted by danielle at 10:35 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
These are more beauties that I saw blooming in Texas. They are African Daisies. I loved the yellow appearance and that slight ring of blue around the center when I first saw them. I'm still in love with something about the lighting/shading colors of the daisies. I can't put my finger on it, but I know they are beautiful.
May it bring you a moment of joy today.
Happy Friday!
Posted by danielle at 09:46 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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When I was visiting Texas, there were many flowering trees blooming. I like this one for its puffy look and the Mickey Mouse that I see in the center in the branches, if I squint hard enough. ;-)
Some of the prettiest flowering trees were not the one in this photo, but had very tiny purple flowers. This made the branches look like the normal, skinny, distinct shapes, but they were highlighted in purple now. It was all very gorgeous and made me so happy to get to be a part of Spring somewhere. It may be a month until we see that kind of progress. It is hard to know, since I don't remember last year's Spring very well (except I do remember that it took forever to get here).
But in the meantime, I'm stocked up on flower photos. Some better than otherss, so I'll get to share those with you on Fridays again. :-)
Happy Friday!
P.S. HB leaves for India today, so keep him in your thoughts for safe travel. He'll be back on Tuesday.
Posted by danielle at 09:13 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
These are the flowers that I fell in love with at Home Dee-pot the other weekend and they have just been a joy to have around.
I like how they look very ruffly in this next photo.
I of course, had to do my share of close-ups, because I just loved the star shape in the center.
and in large - be sure to check this one out! Especially take note of the pollen in the center.
This next one is just a slightly different angle, but I really like it too and couldn't decide between this and the one before. So, you get to see both!
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This is what my little camera studio looked like.
Yes, they are sitting on top of a tissue box. And note how the Girlie is close by. She was actually sniffing around the tripod at one point. But even though I had my camera detached from the tripod at the time, I had my macro lens on the camera at the time and wouldn't have been able to get a good shot of her.
Well, I hope you enjoy these photos. I know I enjoyed taking them and looking at them. :-D
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Guess what I've been doing!
I've been taking photos with my extension tubes.
You know what that means, right?
tee-hee!
Posted by danielle at 01:11 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
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I saw these orchids at the MN state fair too. I like how sharp and crisp the one blossom on the right is.
Unfortunately, I don't have much more to say about this photo other than that it was the closest I could get to Christmas colors right now.
i have a poinsettia, but haven't found the time to take photos of it yet. Soon, I hope. Of course, I'm also this weekend trying to get lights put on our tree, decorations put on it, Christmas cards sent out, and HB and I are planning to go on a date to see Casino Royale. Lots to do! All good stuff, but stuff that I want to do NOW and not have wait any longer, so it all feels more pressing than I'd maybe prefer. I just want to have time to enjoy the Christmas decorations and because our address changed last year and I never sent out