Category Archives: Flowers

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Light and Shadow

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Have you visited Monochromia yet? Check it out and you’ll see some of your favorite bloggers posting some incredible B&W images!

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My WordPress journey began as a chronicle of my life and travels on the bike.  The bigger, planned trips, and the smaller, more spontaneous ones.  As I ride along, I never know when something is going to catch my eye, and inspire me to pull over.

Sometimes I work hard to capture what I see and sometimes I get lucky and the first shot just works.  Other than conversion to B&W, this image is exactly as it was when it came out of the camera.

Let me know what you think and come visit me sometime at Life on The Bike.

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I Want to Shoot Like Liana!

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Have you visited Liana’s blog?  Her work inspires mine.

No, I am not the poet / writer that she is but if I can gain even a measure of her skill with the camera, I’ll be satisfied.

http://thehourofsoftlight.wordpress.com/

Many of the photographers that I follow inspire me, and I plan to highlight some of them over the next months.  When one of my images aspires to the style of someone I admire, I’m going to post mine, referencing the photographer at the same time.

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Peonies: Buds to Blooms

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Unlike last year, when barely a bud was to be found, this year’s Peony bushes have been full!  As each day passed, the buds opened and the most beautiful blooms emerged. I just could not stop shooting and before I knew it, the file had grown to over 60 images.

Have no fear!  I’m only sharing some of the images, most in color, some in B&W.

The images progess from buds

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and the ants that help the buds to open.

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Then the blooms began to open

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Even the leaves are captivating

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I only wish I could somehow share the aroma of these gorgeous flowers!

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Petal Love

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My peony plants are incredible this year!  Each bush is full of gorgeous blooms.  I’ll soon share a series of photos, revealing the peony from bud to flower, but for today … just a little petal love.

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By the way, how do you pronounce Peony?

My friend Rick and I say pee-OH-knee.  Others say PEE-ah-knee.

What do YOU think?

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And So It Shall Remain …

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Every now and then, the image looks best straight out of the camera.

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And so it shall remain …

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The First of Many

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It happened almost over night

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The first Rhododendron bud opened

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My Rhododendrum shrubs (or Rhodies, as we like to call them) are full of buds

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By the end of the day, a few other buds had started to bloom.

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Soon, the entire shrub will be full of gorgeous blooms such as this one from last May.

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Rhodies are abundant in this part of the world.  “Tall, wild varieties can reach over 35 feet high, and are found throughout the coastal mountain ranges from New York to Georgia. Designated as West Virginia’s state flower, rhododendrons are particularly abundant in the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge mountains. Species in the Pacific northwest from northern California to British Columbia vary in heights” (www.library.illinois.edu)

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Joy

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When spring finally does come ’round, the moments of joy are endless.

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If you haven’t already done so, I’m sure you are looking forward to getting back outside, putting your hands in the dirt, and bringing color and beauty to your surroundings.  I’m so lucky to have a screened porch to enjoy while creating this blog post.

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The bees are buzzing, quite loudly actually, all around my new hanging baskets and the blossoms on the Redbud Tree, all of which have been purchased from local nurseries or greenhouses.

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The birds that have nested in the gutters over the carport are adding a beautiful song to the other sounds of spring, and FINALLY, I have found a few basil plants (if you know me at all, Basil is my summer addiction).

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I’ll have to bring the pots in every night for a few more weeks, but at least I have some!

Yes, there are chores to be done, and errands to be run, but even accomplishing those things seems easy on a beautiful Sunday in April.  So, until I can get back out on the bike and join my friends, at least I can get my hands back in some dirt, and finish what I started yesterday

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Is it REALLY Here?

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As a woman who embraces all seasons (yes – even winter), I have none the less been ready for spring.  After snow and 20 degree temperatures last week, Spring may finally have arrived in Southwest Virginia this week.  Hurray!!

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I even planted a Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) yesterday.  The Dogwood is the State Tree of Virginia and while I have several in the woods that surround my home, I’ve never planted one (this one is a cell phone photo …)

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I hope the freezing temps are gone for the year, and I’m sending warm thoughts to those of you who are still hoping for Spring.

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Grandma

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When I think of Easter, I think of my Grandma.  Actually, I think of both of my Grandparents and the rest of my family,too.

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My sisters, parents, and I would travel to Pinehurst, NC for the holiday.  We’d participate in all the usual Easter things.

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Decorating eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide (and somehow, Grandpa always found the last one!)

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Attending services in the Chapel on the Village Green (where all the children received a potted Easter Lilly)

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Enjoying an incredible meal, which always included lamb and homemade mint sauce.

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It somehow just doesn’t seem right to not be with family this weekend, so I’m thankful that I have years and years of memories to make me smile.

Have a lovely Easter weekend!

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Botanical Gardens

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Other than the scary plane flight back home (oh my!), my time in Florida could not have been better. The company of dear friends, along with delicious food and drink, was more than enough to make me happy.  The addition of warmer temperatures, even if accompanied by rain and overcast skies, and a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, made for a wonderful weekend.

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“Nested in 14 acres and amongst 12 buildings, the gardens are an open-air and under-glass museum of thousands of colorful and exotics plants.  The mission of the gardens is to provide an oasis of inspiration and tranquility, while furthering the understanding and appreciation of plants, especially epiphytes (a plant that derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and usually grows on another plant).  Selby Gardens is known for its living collection of more than 6,000 orchids, but it is also an established authority on other epiphytes including bromeliads, gesneriads, and other plants”.

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I’m not sure when I’ve been to a place where I’ve known so little and learned so much!  My ability with the camera did not do justice to the glory of these plants (tripods were not allowed iin the orchid house), but the photos do reveal their vibrant colors and uniqueness.

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This Fig Tree had the most incredible root system.

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Despite the focus on plant life, the Gardens are home to wildlife as well.

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I was so focused on capturing the color of this plant that I didn’t realize until later that I beheaded this little critter.

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The Rainforest Masks of Costa Rica were on display, in the 10th annual exhibition of the people of Boruca.  The masks are carved from native woods and are intricately painted in vibrant acrylic pigments.  Incredible!

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The historic Selby estate contains gardens devoted to Bamboo and Banyans, Cactus and Succulents, Bonsai, Hibiscus, Tropical Fruit, Fern, Native Florida Plants, Mangroves, Tropical Hardwoods, as well as Orchids.

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Even the gate that surrounds the property is a work of art.

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 Multiple visits would be needed to fully appreciate the gardens, a must see for plant / flower lovers.