Summer Colors

I love all the colors of summer.

Not a day goes by that I can't find

something wonderfully colorful to photograph.

These pictures were all taken

in a friend's yard or in an unplowed

field on the edge of town.



Dragonfly

I always think of dragonflies as a symbol of

hope and good luck. They're hard to photograph

as they don't stay still for very long. I found this

one resting on a recent hot afternoon.

Fireworks: For our Troops

Yesterday morning, after sleeping in a bit late,

I went to church. I drove my car there.

Many people were there talking, singing, preaching, praying.

Spent time watching a silly movie with my family

 at one point yesterday,

Last night we went to see fireworks

(yes, they had them on July 3rd).

Today we celebrated the 4th by going

 to Adventureland, swimming and going on rides

(okay, watching my son go on rides as they make me sick).

Spent some time doing yardwork and then

playing a game with my family.

Simple days, yet I see all the freedoms

we have in the United States and how fortunate we are.

I know we take these things for granted, yet I also know

we are lucky to be living in the greatest nation on earth.

I am thankful to everyone who helped build this great

nation and those who still fight for our freedom today.

Thank you, God bless you, and may you come home safely

so you may also enjoy simple yet precious days with your family.

Here are some firework pictures I took last night.

I haven't tried firework pictures before so I wouldn't say they're

anything spectacular, but some had interesteing effects.

These are sent out especially to all our men and women serving

overseas who weren't able to be home to celebrate with fireworks.

Iowa: Storm Approaching

I went out of town to watch the storm clouds

 that were approaching, but still far off in the distance.

I love the sun shining on the back side

of the clouds, lighting up the farthest side.

The storms never did reach us on this particular night.



Yellow Flowers

I love yellow flowers. I especially like them paired with

purple, but today I'm focusing on the yellow ones.

How could you not find a little cheer in yellow flowers?

They're bright and sunny and add wonderful

color to the landscape. Here are some pictures

of yellow flowers from my own yard.

I debated whether or not to use this photo as

it's a bit too orange to really be considered

yellow, but I liked the flower and the photo.

It's slightly out-of-focus and I loved

the dreamy water-color like effect

that had on the photo.

Art really is subjective, isn't it?

I love using "found" objects in my garden.

These flowers are in an old pail. I'll

show some more of the unique "found" objects

in another series of pictures one of these days.



Tiny Surprises

My husband and I were checking on flowers for a neighbor who 

was on vacation when we found 3 tiny and adorable surprises.

She has a tiny tree in a pot near her garage. The tree can't

be more than 3 feet high, at most.

Feel the eyes watching you?

Nestled in a tiny nest in that tiny tree were three baby wrens,

stacked on top of each other like pancakes.

 I love the look on the bottom wren's face.

I think he wants his siblings

to give him some breathing space.

Aren't they adorable? 

They are so tiny and can't be very old.

Momma Wren was nearby,

chirping and watching us

closely. I quickly got my pictures

and then left Momma and babies alone.

I love finding tiny surprises like this.

Thanks God. 

Our Baby Robins

We had a momma robin build her nest on the eve spout of our

house. We got a great view of the babies and momma

from our back porch and deck.

One of the babies testing his wings.



Waiting for lunch.

 

Momma arrives with that tasty worm.





yum!



Momma rests with her babies.




This is the first robin who flew out of the nest.



He didn't seem quite sure what he should do with himself
now that he was out of the nest.
The 3 babies are still hanging out near the nest in our
backyard, getting bigger and stronger every day.