Oh Nuts!

Somewhere

Somewhere over the rainbow,

skies are blue,

and the dreams that you dare to dream

really do come true.

~ Lyman Frank Baum ~

 

I Saw the Angel

I saw the angel in the marble

and carved until I set him free.

~ Michelangelo ~

Stone Archways

Grapes

Butterfly Garden

If you look for God's beautiful work,

it is never hard to find.

And if you look in nooks and crannies

in even the smallest towns,

sometimes you'll be surprised

by what awaits you.

Here's an example of both of these.

This is a butterfly-shaped butterfly garden

behind the Madrid Public Library,

designed and installed by an Eagle Scout candidate.

It was just planted this year so I'm

excited to see what the next few years will bring

as far as the growth and blooming of the plants,

and all the butterflies and hummingbirds it should attract.

Check it out.

It's behind the library,

just above the High Trestle Trail.

Pictures don't do it justice.

 

 

Another Step in my Journey

Sometimes I take steps forward and upward,

only to be pushed backwards,

but I will get to the top.

I am persistent.

I made a decision long ago

not to let the setbacks keep me down.

I will get to the top.

I get up again and again.

I have many things that inspire me

and push me onward

in this journey called life.

I will rise to the top,

live out my life with my Savior

and you can as well.

I have no illusions of power or glory,

I simply want to be at the top of my game

and fulfill my dreams in life,

and live the life Jesus wants for me.

I will get to the top.

I wish the same for each of you.

~ Alice Sharp ~

 

Bird Silhouette

Birds are a miracle

because they prove to us

there is a finer, simpler state of being

which we may strive to attain.

~ Doug Copeland ~

 

Wildflowers

I very much enjoy wildflowers.

I think they're a bonus

of joy and beauty from God.

 

Beautiful Iowa

Sunset on the Des Moines river

at Dolliver Memorial Park.

Beautiful, beautiful Iowa.

We have it all here in Iowa.

 

Butterfly Bush

Lion's Club Building

The Lion's Club building in Cripple Creek, Colorado

was such a wonderful example of architecture

and is a gem to me.

With the storm clouds rolling in behind it,

it made for the perfect photo opportunity.

 

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

I've been wanting to photograph hummingbirds for quite

some time, but finding them is hard enough,

and then asking them politely to sit still for a moment is even more challenging.

These are by no means the clearest photos of hummingbirds you'll find online,

but they are best photos of hummingbirds I've ever managed to take.

After doing a bit of online research, I believe both photos show

the ruby-throated hummingbird. The second photo makes that

hypothesis fairly clear, while the first photo does not.

However, it is only the male ruby-throated hummingbirds

that actually have the ruby-colored throat. In the first

photo, the throat has a small red tinge, but I believe that is

a mere reflection off the red bird feeder, and am therefore

concluding that the first photo shows a female

while the second photo shows a male.

According to National Geographic, these birds beat their wings

up to 53 times per second, can hover, fly backwards, and also fly upsidedown.

It's no wonder it's been hard for me to try to get a decent photo.

I wasn't looking for hummingbirds at the time I shot these photos

and didn't have my camera set to the best mode,

but I just got lucky on this particular day.

These photos were taken in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

 

 

Reflection off Glass Door

Flower in the Rockies

"The fact that I can plant

a seed and it becomes a flower,

share a bit of knowledge and it

becomes another's,

smile at someone and

receive a smile in return,

are to me

continual spiritual exercises."

~ Leo Buscaglia ~

 

Note: I first thought this flower was perhaps a bluebell,

but after doing a bit of internet research,

I am doubting that. This photo was taken high

in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. I'd love to hear from you

if you know what type of flower this is.

Thank you.

 

Cumulonimbus Clouds over Mountains

These cumulonimbus clouds later brought

storms to the area of Colorado around

the Cripple Creek region,

a very beautiful area of the state.

 

Summer Days Blowin' Away

Flower Thief

Caught this chipmunk

sitting in a basket of petunias

eating to his heart's content.

Pretty darn cute little critter.

Thank goodness they

weren't my flowers.

Blue Colorado Sky

"The sky is the part of creation

in which nature has done for the sake

of pleasing man."

~ John Ruskin ~

My Garden

Hollyhocks being held up 

by an old bed frame

in one of my flower gardens. 

I love using

"found" objects in my gardens.

Colors

Everything is blooming most recklessly;

if it were voices instead of colors,

there would be an unbelievable shrieking

into the heart of the night. 

~ Rainier Maria Rilke ~