Another year ahead!

As I do occasionally, I create posts for friends, who are special to me. This is one of those posts.

This one is for Gina V.

Because I just passed another year, the title of this blog has 2 meanings: I have found myself one more year forward and look forward to the one coming up.
The past year has had its ups and downs, as many do, but I like to base a year on the people I meet, more than anything. Events are one thing but meeting people who leave an impression are something entirely different. And while I have met quite a few people this year, meeting Gina has left quite an impression on me. I could list the reasons why but I won’t: she knows why, I think, and that is all that matters.

I consider the work included here some of my best work, either for personal reasons or because of feedback. The dates refer to the original date I took the photos.

So, Gina, these are for you….sort of a gift to you as I enjoy the entry of my next year on this planet. Enjoy!

Flame and glass (2004)

Fading Tree Peony (2008)

Chance Meeting (2008)

Details of the Garden and a few First Time Bloomers

I planted my Cholla in 2005 and it sends out to arms every year but this is the first year it has pushed out blooms! And it’s just getting started!
And the bees are already visiting! Lucky bees!

At Long Last: The Gardens at Jay Street

Dwarf Tulips

This post is going to be virtually nothing but pictures, I’ve decided. To be precise, pictures of my yard, close-ups of some of the plants, blooms, etc in both the front and back yards as well as shots of groupings. Many readers either haven’t been here to the house or, if they have, have not been by this year, for one reason or another.
I’ll name as many as I can; I do know most and many I know only by their botanical name, not their common name, and vice versa. I’ll always label them from front to back.
If you want to write back and identify ones I haven’t named, feel free and I’ll add a note to the photos. And don’t be surprised if I add a few “shifts”.
In any case: ENJOY!

Fading Dianthus Bloom – Spiderweb Cactus Bloom

Galaxies, Upon Request

My friend, Catherine, asked “Wither is they?”
So, I respond, They is here:

Close-up of a Mentzilla (I don’t know a common name for it), taken down the street at my friend, Mark’s, house. I have mentioned Mark here a few times before; he is a curator at DBG. Recently, I submitted this photo for possible publication in a book of local photographers on Contemplative Photography (examples of which are here but aren’t local, just good examples that were used in a class I took at Working with Artists).

Galaxies, Waiting for Rebirth

This photo was in a previous post but since it is a galaxy photo, here it is again:

The Center of the New Galaxy

Monroe (aka The Poof) Emergency Fund Request

Poof in the Morning Sun

This is a different kind of blog than any other I have ever posted. Please read the letter below and respond in whatever way you can. It is about the proud fellow above, who I recently posted a blog about and who is loved by many.

Poof

Please help us pay for Monroe’s emergency back operation, which is being performed Thursday, May 28th. Here are the details for this request:

On Holiday……….

Family of Four and then some

Sometimes I dedicate posts to friends so I just want you to know that this one is for Deb, who was visiting from Saskatchewan this past week.
[So, Deb.............enjoy this post.]

We spent a couple of days up in Estes Park and although we didn’t pay the $20 entry fee to go into Rocky Mt. National Park, we did get to see a fair amount of wildlife, anyway. The group above just happened to taking in some sun in a neighborhood when we happened by on a side road to our condo by Fall River.
While I didn’t take a whole lot of arty shots, I did manage to take a few. But one of the great shots I like from our weekend is this one. We were walking down the main drag when we came across this fellow, who was, as you can tell, pretty damn cute. Right after I took this picture, I leaned into him and he licked my nose…something a bit unexpected considering we had never met.

Buddy

A Deimos Way of Life

A Deimos Way of Life 2

Experimenting with a new process. Any thoughts?

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The Spiderweb and Its Heart

The Spiderweb and Its Heart

I’m not going to explain this because I’m going to let you figure it out. Get back to me if you have the answer.

Have an excellent day!

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April (Snow)showers Bring…

Undaunted Iris bucharica

It snowed about 10 days ago….a typical late April storm…it was supposed to be a real dumper here in the city but it fizzled out. Instead, it pounded the mountains, foothills, and the plains east of town.
A couple of days before the storm hit, my Iris bucharica (Corn Leaf Iris, though I had to look this up since I’ve never called it that) bloomed. The before-storm pictures really don’t do justice to what this one displayed. I have several around the yard in various places; it is really one of my favorite plants that appear in Spring.

Emergence

Allium Beginning

I have several alliums in my yard. They range from about a foot tall with 3″ globes to 18″ tall with globes the size of a basketball to 3 or 4′ tall with 6” globes. As they bloom, I will be posting them so you can see what I am talking about. The most stunning allium, of course, is the one with the basketball-sized globe, Allium shubertii. I’ll explain it later when you actually see it.
For now,  just know that they have all started pushing up through their centers of gravity to make their presences known to me since their leaves have been showing for over a month.

Tentacles

Emergence and Birth

This is just one of them. I have about a dozen throughout the yard. The one above will be about 3′ tall with a 6” globe.

Melting Snow Shower

Enjoy!

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