Round Robin Challenge: May Flowers

"Be like a flower, and turn your face to the sun."

~Kahlil Gibran

RRC: May Flowers

For the first Round Robin challenge of May, Karen wants to see the flowers! May Flowers to be exact! I wasn't sure my rose garden would be ready in time, but we had a sudden flux in temperatures last week, and it seems it was just the right amount of sun and rain to bring out the deep color of the garden. Pinks, yellows, reds... all bright and alive. It's gorgeous! Even my Japanese Maple is full of deep burgundy colored leaves, which will turn an amazing pink and copper just in time for autumn! 

The rose garden is one of my favorite joys in life. I have worked really hard on it, and it, in turn, has made me happy with all the beautiful colors, and the spicy scent of the roses. It's my happy place. And soon, I will be adding some Heirloom tomatoes to make it all come together. I can't wait until Alan gets the vegetable garden up and running! This year we are taking on pumpkins!

Round Robin Challenge: May Flowers















Okay, that's my May Flowers gallery. Now that you have seen my post, why not see what other participants in the challenge came up with. Just click the link at the top of the post to be redirected to the official Round Robin Photo Challenge blog. That's where you will find the links, and all the information you need to play along! 

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom."

~Audra Foveo

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Backyard Photography ~ Garden Diary... April 10th 2013

"You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present."

~Jan Glidewell

My lovely Japanese Maple has transitioned from stick figure to crimson beauty! I am a little caught off guard by how early the leaves have appeared, but I am not complaining! I get to watch this beauty move about now through the rest of spring and summer then turn the most magnificent crayola colors of copper and deep purple as autumn comes and goes. Aww... life in the garden... I love my maple tree, and with the roses surrounding it I feel ridiculously happy inside! And the occasional visit by a little bird doesn't hurt either! Now if I could just talk the opossums into coming back around to!

:)



Lesser Goldfinch...





Coming Soon...

New Roses
Lavender
Spearmint
Heirloom Tomatoes
White Strawberries

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Frozen Hot Cocoa

"Withstanding the cold develops vigor for the relaxing days of spring and summer. Besides, in this matter as in many others, it is evident that nature abhors a quitter."

~Arthur C. Crandall, New England Joke Lore: The Tonic Of Yankee Humor

I went out to the rose garden yesterday, to see how my roses have been faring in this unusually cold winter that the Bay Area has been experiencing. I knew that there would be at least a little damage, and of course, there was, but it broke my heart, just a little, to see what would have been some lovely new Hot Cocoa roses, almost open completely, but instead blackened and dead from the frost damage. The leaves have some black spotty fungus, which is easily taken care of. The key to all of it is letting nature take it's course. The current freeze damage is just a matter of ignoring it, as the dead parts of the rose stems protects the plant from further damage, and as for the fungus, a simple removal of the affected leaves in early in spring, along applying with a healthy dose of plant food, and a heavy dose of cinnamon at the base of each plant, will promote new, slow growth starting about a month or so after the first application.

All and all I have high hopes for the garden this year. :)

 

The key is to NOT PANIC! Believe me, thats easier said than done!

;)

~Mood: Hopeful :)

~Me :)

Technically It's The Middle Of Summer, But...

"Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock."

-Henry Ward Beecher

Okay, okay... I know... it's the middle of summer, but see, you would never know it if you lived in the Bay Area. It has been the coldest summer I remember, which makes it seem a little more like autumn. Today, for example, I have the back door open, but I am sitting here, typing this in a sweater. Strange. The garden seems to be enjoying it. My roses, which I will show you in an entry next week, are in full glorious bloom, as are the sunflowers that you see here, but the veggies are coming along SLOWLY. VERY SLOWLY. I think it has been all those foggy mornings, and afternoons with temperatures barely out of the 70's. Don't know for sure, but that appears to be the cause. Anyway, the sunflowers are the stars this week. I just love the unusual colors, don't you? I wish I would have planted more, but I was thinking on a smaller scale. No worries. Wait till you see the garden next year. There is a lot to look forward to. And all of it makes me happy. After all... who wouldn't smile with this much life in the garden?

:)








I look at these sunflowers and I see AUTUMN. I can't wait for my favorite season to officially arrive!


-Carly

Black Phoebe

From For Ellipsis

"You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair."

-Chinese Proverb

Lately, these pretty little birds have been visiting our yard. I haven't seen this particular type before, and after doing a little reading, I see that they are usually a shoreline bird, although during the winter they will take up residence in city parks and chaparrals. My cottage is on a nice piece of acreage, and I have often described it as a small park, so I guess the birds agree! Isn't it a pretty bird?

Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)

-Carly

A Sure Sign Of Spring

From For Ellipsis

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."

-Dale Carnegie

Mrs. Robin

From For Ellipsis

The rain has lifted a bit here in the Bay Area, so I spend a little bit of time in the backyard, photographing the beautiful birds. My yard has just been filled with them lately, it's a very nice indication that soon spring will be here! I spotted a Robin couple to photograph. Very cute. I wish their nest was in my yard so I can see the babies, but alas I think they are building it in the next yard, way up in the Poplar tree. Is there anything cuter then a baby bird?

-Carly

Round Robin Challenge: Morning Noon And Night

"Light gives of itself completely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not if you are friend or foe. It gives of itself, and is thereby not diminished."

-Michael Strassfeld

This was a great little challenge. Vicki, who has the blog, Maracas, suggested this topic for us to tackle, and what better time to do so, then in the summer with it's long days and ample light? I had a really good time with this one, although I had thought it might be a bit of a let down because of the smokey filter being put on everything due to the many wildfires here in northern California.

Because of all the haze, I went looking in my archive in case I had some time lapse photos of a subject already on file. I didn't have a series already complied that used natural lighting, so I put together the main photo above using a compilation of different perspectives of the Golden Gate Bridge. The photos were taken during different seasons as well, which also tends to play with light. Autumn, followed closely by winter, will always be my favorite seasons to do photos of bright sunny conditions. The light is a bit softer during that time of year, and natural filtering seems to work better for me. The sun in spring and summer is just too harsh for me. It's hot to work in, and I am rarely happy with the matted effect it seems to put on my subjects.

Still, I did do some new photos this past week in my backyard, and experimenting with the different times of day gave me a nice insight into what times work best for me. I loved getting up really early to do the morning photos. The air was cool, and the there was a slight blue/purple cast to everything. I imagine it had to do with the purple suns we have been seeing thought the smokey haze. The smoke makes for some gorgeous sunsets, but it does put an added color to objects that makes the photos I take look like I photo-shopped them. Thats not always a good thing.

For the challenge I wanted to work with something sheer, so that I could get a good look at how the sun would penetrate the object. Here is what I came up with...

Morning Noon And Night

Early Morning

Afternoon

Late Afternoon

Night

Thank you Vicki, this was very enjoyable! :)

Be sure to drop by Vicki's blog to see her Morning, Noon and Night photos as well. You can find her blog and the blogs of all the RR participants below. Go see the art!

Linking List
** WELCOME NEW MEMBER!

Vicki... Maraca
POSTED!

Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati
POSTED!

Jama Hameed... Sweet Memories


Sandra... Strong Chemistry


Janet... Fond of Snape


Monica... Family Affair Photography
Unable To Particpate

Olive... Ur Olive
Unable To Participate

Jennifer Robin... Robin's Woods
POSTED!

Jan... The Prytz Family
POSTED!

**Ourhomeschool... Through the Eye of my Camera
POSTED!

Steven... (sometimes)photoblog
POSTED!

Teena... It's all about me!
POSTED!

Open


Open


Open


See all those open places? I saved a place just for you! If you would like to join us there is still time. Just visit the official RR blog to learn all the details of this week's challenge.

-OndineMonet
"Four Views"
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco and Marin County
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Summer Fruit

"Think in the morning. Act in the noon. East in the evening. Sleep in the night."

-William Blake

The heatwave we have been experiencing in the Bay Area has finally lifted! Finally, we are back to a very comfortable range of upper 80's to low 90's, which is almost always accompanied by a cool breeze as the fog rolls through the Golden Gate. It's heaven here when the weather cooperates. I am really enjoying these warm months and all the enjoyment it brings. I am especially grateful for the harvest of fruit we have going on right now, as both the lemon tree and the plum tree are currently producing some particularly sweet fruits.

Last night I was in the back yard to do some photography for the this weekend's RRC, when I spotted one of Elvis's pals, Peanut, up in the plum tree helping himself to a delicious, ripe, juicy, black plum. Peanut usually shows up in the yard between about 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. It's amazing how scheduled critters can be. With gas prices so high, we have been spending a lot of time close to home but that didn't mean I had to do without when it comes to photography. I have been putting the tripod up in the yard, and keeping a small diary about when I see certain forms of wildlife. Birds, butterflies, opossums, they all go by schedules, and I enjoy watching and waiting for their visits.

We should make that a RRC at some point. Scheduled backyard photography. It could be interesting to learn about what animals or insects turn up in our yards and gardens at certain times and in certain regions. I would love to see pictures of fire flies, or deer, or even moths. No matter what time of day, there should be something interesting to see.

I set a couple of the damaged plums on the dining table outside, for the birds to enjoy, and sure enough, by late this morning it had been eaten on, and apparently enjoyed! I should have set the tripod up near the window to capture which birds had been by. I think it was probably the finch family, but it could have been the large robins that have been eating near the lemon tree. I have seen both eating on the plums.

Tonight, Alan and I will be eating on the plums. LOL. I am not sure what I want to do with these. I could make some Chinese food tonight, and these would make a delicious plum sauce, or I could grill up some chicken breast and make a spicy marinade with them and some red pepper or jalapeno peppers. Of course we could also turn the sweet plums into a nice dessert or even just snack on the just as they are, but somehow, I think I would enjoy doing something a little more creative with them. A salad could be good too. LOL. Plums are one of my very favorite summertime fruits, so I will think of something.

So tell me, are you enjoying this summer so far? Do you have a favorite summertime fruit? Do you have fruit trees in your yard, and if so, do you use the fruits in cooking or do you simply enjoy the fruit as is? What wild life can be found most often in your yard or garden?

-OndineMonet
"Peanut The Red Squirrel"
Berkeley, California
July 10th, 2008
Evening

Everyday at 2:00 PM

"Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time."

-Voltaire

For the last week or so, I have been enjoying a lovely visitor to my yard, a beautiful Gulf Fritillary butterfly. I had no idea tthey came this far up in America, but according to what I have been reading, they can most certainly be found here in the Bay Area, it was just that I had never seen one here in Berkeley before. I have only seen one so far, but I am keeping a lookout now. The one visiting my garden was a fast moving butterfly, medium low to the ground, and energetic. I wanted to get a clear photo of this butterfly with it's wings spread open, but I had no luck. Like I said, I have been watching for her, and today I am going to set up the tripod, so maybe I will have a clear shot at it. She is so beautiful, and as you can see, her wings are perfect. :)

-OndineMonet
Gulf Fritillary
Berkeley, California
July 1st, 2008
Afternoon

The Common Checkered Skipper

"Teaching a child not to step on a Caterpillar, is as valuable to the child as it is for the Caterpillar."

-Bradley Miller

Yesterday, was the first day this past week that wasn't way too hot to be outdoors here in the Bay Area. Well, at least it seemed that way to me! I am beginning to appreciate summer more and more, but learning to like hot weather will take a bit of doing. I can't think straight in warm weather, I tend to do a lot of idle daydreaming and memory visiting. That's not always a good thing, but sometimes it can be nice to visit those moments from way back when. Especially when I think about how brave I was as a little girl. I was a girly-girl, but I loved caterpillars and grasshoppers. I used to carry grasshoppers around, and show them off as my latest pet, as if I needed another, pets were the one thing I was never short of growing up.

Anyway, I would gently pick them up and carry them about, petting the back of their heads and naming them something weird like... Stuart. I have no idea why I found them so intriguing, but I did. Spiders were another story. I don't remember why I developed such a fear of spiders, but something certainly cemented that phobia in my psyche. LOL. AAACCCK! When it came to butterflies, I just let them float about, I never tried catching one. I don't think I ever quite believed that they actually came from caterpillars. LOL. Somehow it seemed to me that they must have been just a little bit angelic rather than something earthly.

One day, back in the mid 1990's I was in a toy shop, and found a butterfly kit. For a small price I could send away for the live caterpillars of Painted Lady butterflies. It took about a week to come by mail, and while I waited I put together the little habitat that came with the kit. I had so much fun with the first kit, that I bought several more after that. I haven't done that for a long time, but I think maybe I might start again. The company that makes the kits, Insect Lore, is on the Internet, which makes it all the more easier.

Anyway, back to yesterday. I went out in the backyard to look for Elvis, he had been out most of the afternoon, and I found him lying under the pear tree, watching something very tiny hopping and floating between the tree and the tip of his nose. As I got closer, I saw the teeny tiny butterfly, and it looked perfect. Like it was only a day old. I grabbed my camera, and waited patiently with my kitty for the butterfly to fully open it's wings. When it did, I was amazed. It was indeed perfect. It was a lot whiter then it appears in the photos, and it was probably the smallest butterfly I have ever seen. I didn't even realize at first that it was a skipper. It took a bit of research to find that out, although I should have known by the eyes that it was from the skipper family.

It has been a big year for Yellow/Black Swallowtails, which I haven't been lucky enough, so far, to be able capture with the camera, but I haven't seen very many Skippers at all, and I don't remember ever seeing a checkered one. It was a nice treat to be sure. I need to go and check on Elvis in a few minutes, but you can bet I will bring the camera along. You never know, maybe today will be the day I get a photo of a Swallowtail, but if not, I will be happy with whatever treasure I do find!


-OndineMonet
"Common Checkered Skipper" Pyrus communis
Berkeley, California
June 22, 2008
Late Afternoon

Round Robin Challenge: Backyard Photography

"In my garden, there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful."

-Abram L. Urban

Finally, I get a chance to show off my autumn garden! In autumn! :) I started my garden a little later than usual this year, I don't know why, I think I was just taking my time, trying to decided if I really wanted one. I have complained enough about how challenging this year has been, so I won't go into detail, but all the crap was getting to me, and so, as a result, I could feel my drive to be creative slipping away with each day. Well, one day last June, in a mad attempt to break away from some of the issues I was going through, I just jumped in, feet first, and planted away. First I chose what corner of the yard to make my own, then I visited the store, and chose the seeds and plants, and then I made the vision come alive. I have one or two more touches to go, like the orange autumn lights, and then it will be complete. Pretty soon I will have to decide if I want to plant some bulbs for next spring, or if I want to just go with container pots again. I bet you can guess I am sitting on the fence a bit. Well, you will just have to stay tuned! :)

Bachelor Button

Pink Aster

Yellow Sunflower

Hot Pink Four O' Clock

Orange Cosmos

Yellow Cosmos and Skipper

A surprise visitor to my garden, a tomato plant from the neighbor's yard!

From Alan's garden; Variety Bell Peppers and Eggplant

Solid Black Sunflower

Burnt Orange/Red Sunflower

Nemesia

Violets

This Round Robin Challenge, was suggested by Tammie Jean, author of the blog, "Long Drives To Nowhere." Thank you Tammie Jean! :) Please be sure to drop by her blog, and say hello, then pay a visit to all the participating Robins, to view their entries as well. And remember Robins, we always need new suggestions for future Round Robin challenges, so please submit your ideas. Email your suggestions to Karen, Steven or myself, and who knows, we might choose your idea next!

Linking List

1. Steven... (sometimes photoblog)
POSTED!

2. Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

3. Tara... A Long Walk Home
POSTED!

4. Janet... Fond Of Photography
POSTED!

5. Suzanne R... New Suzanne R's Life
POSTED!

6. Vicki... Maraca
POSTED!

7. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
POSTED!

8. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

9. Tammie... Long Drives to Nowhere
POSTED!

10. Julie... Julie's Web Journal
POSTED!

11. Teena... It's all about me!
POSTED!


-OndineMonet
Garden Photos
Autumn, 2007