Clematis Left-Overs

Clematis The clematis bush that provided such vibrant color in late spring (see here) now looks like this. This is the seed pod for future generations of clematis. Even though the plant is well beyond its prime this time of year, I still see unique beauty in it. Thought for the Day: The best and …

Florida Sunrise

Marco Island Causeway The sky was threatening and I wondered how much longer I should wait for the clouds to break. The first couple drops convinced me to give it up. By mid-morning the clouds began to break up, the sun shone bright and I saw why Florida is called "The Sunshine State". Thought for …

Sunflowers

40 acres of sunflowers On US 136 five miles west of Fairbury, Nebraska, I found a sea of sunflowers in full bloom. Three feet tall, standing shoulder to shoulder, soaking up the bright sun with hardly a cloud in the sky. Pollinators were gorging themselves. It was a great day to be a sunflower! Thought …

Shoes on the Danube

Sixty pair of shoes, made of cast iron, sit on the bank of the Danube River just below the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest.   The shoes are old fashioned, all different styles, from all walks of life, worn by men, women and children from the 1940's. The shoes are a memorial to the thousands of …

Pinwheel Power

Pinwheels were everywhere, I mean everywhere.  Pinwheels could be found in people's yards, sidewalks, drive ways, on street corners, athletic fields, businesses, flower pots, tied to traffic signs, car antennas, as lapel pins, and churches. Aspen loved pinwheels.  Within a few days of his tragic accident, the entire community was blanketed with pinwheels, supporting Aspen's struggle for …

Cousins

The first real warm day of the summer, with the sun taking its sweet time to set.  The day was long, giving the cousins plenty of time to reconnect, and many fun-filled memories:   swimming in the lake, minnows, sand toys, sun screen, rope swing over/into the water, sand between the toes, sand castles, fish …

Ma’shem

I was walking alone in the courtyard of the Temple Mount, lagging behind my tour group, making my way to the Al Aqsa Mosque, when these three Arab boys came up beside me. They were smiling and talking loudly to me, "Ma'Shem, Ma'Shem".  I didn't know what they were saying, let alone if it was …

Ropers

Calf ropers are one of the "skill positions" in a cattle branding.  They must be able to lasso the hind leg(s) of the calf and drag them out of the pen to be branded.  As if on queue, the calf lifts its hind leg, and "swhoosh", there's a lasso dragging the calf out of the pen. The pen …

Tschus

"Tschus" (pronounced "chuse") is a German word/expression that means, "see ya".  I've had it on my license plate since Rebecca came into our lives as an exchange student in 1994. It's o-dark-thirty  (4:30 AM) now and I'm leaving the house to start my 8-day photo safari of the Nebraska sand hills.   I have a …

Cattle Crossing?

In the Must-See-To-Believe department, I came across this cattle crossing sign in southern Utah, somewhere along UT-24 east of Capitol Reef National Park.  The road was on top of a narrow mesa, and the edge of the mesa kept getting closer to each side of the road as I continued east.  At some point, I …