Rose

 Rose

"A life filled with love, must have some thorns, 

but a life empty of love will have no roses."

Sunflower

Desert Sunflower

"If we could see the miracle 

of a single flower clearly 

our whole life would change."

...Buddha

Red Rose

Red Rose

"The red rose whispers of passion, 

and the white rose breathes of love...

Be Still

 Be Still

Tree

Trees are your best antiques.  

~Alexander Smith

Yellow

Yellow

Flowers seem intended 

for the solace of ordinary humanity.  

~John Ruskin

Pool

Shootin' Pool

There's something so satisfying about learning new things ---

no matter what your age is!

(Way to go, Mom and Aunt Margie!)

Los Gatos Dam

 Dam along Los Gatos Creek

In one drop of water are found 

all the secrets of the oceans.  

~Kahlil Gibran

Flag

Flag

category is "Blowin' in the Wind"

(which isn't easy to find here!)

Bougainvillea

Saturday morning walk

and Sadie needs to investigate every bush!

(Bougainvillea bush)

Water Fountain

Water Fountain

at a neighbor's house

"In my neck of the woods"

Leaves in the Gutter

Leaves in the Gutter

Sometimes the simplest things make a great picture.

As I walked with my granddaughter, we decided that

"Interesting things on the ground" would be our theme!

White Trunk

"In your neck of the woods"

is the category --

this tree is around the corner

from me.

I like how the white trunk

stands out.

Rain Chain

 Rain Chain

A Mother's Day gift from my daughter, a chain of cups to catch rainwater

I can't wait to hear it in action!  (we tested it with the hose though!)

Reflections at Night

Reflections at Night

"Your path is illuminated by the light
Yet darkness lets the stars shine bright."
~J.L.W. Brooks

Flower in the Twigs

Flower in the Twigs

Sometimes the simplest things make a great picture.

As I walked with my granddaughter, we decided that

"Interesting things on the ground" would be our theme! 

Trees

The trees are 

whispering to me, 

reminding me 

of my roots, 

and my reach... 

shhhhhh... 

can you hear them? 

Selflessly sharing 

their subtle song. 

~Jeb Dickerson

                  Trees

The Flower

The Flower

 “Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.”
--Gerard de Nerval

Leaves on Grass

Leaves on Grass

Eucalyptus leaves, I believe.

Sometimes the simplest things make a great picture.

As I walked with my granddaughter, we decided that

"Interesting things on the ground" would be our theme! 

Cactus at Night

Cactus at Night

This week's theme is 

Plant Life

and here in the desert

well, all the plants are

quite the same

so it takes creativity

to make them look different!

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

The most beautiful thing

we can experience

is the mysterious.

It is the source

of all true art and science.

--Albert Einstein

Nature's Arrangement

Nature's Arrangement

Sometimes the simplest things make a great picture.

As I walked with my granddaughter, we decided that

"Interesting things on the ground" would be our theme!

Night Life

A Study of Light in Black and White

One of my fav things to do is experiment in black and white photos,

this taken at night while on a walk in my neighborhood,

the headlights of a car in the distance.

Clouds

Clouds

“Clouds come floating into my life, 

no longer to carry rain or usher storm, 

but to add color to my sunset sky.”

-Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds

Ocotillo

Fouquieria splendens (commonly known as ocotillo)

is one of my fav plants here in the Valley of the Sun!

 
“He'd always had a quickening of the heart when he crossed into Arizona 

and beheld the cactus country. This was as the desert should be, this was the 

desert of the picture books, with the land unrolled to the farthest distant horizon hills, 

with saguaro standing sentinel in their strange chessboard pattern, 

towering supinely above the fans of ocotillo and brushy mesquite.”

-Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man