Springtime Serendipity

I looked up 

just as the sun 

broke through the trees 

and shined its spotlight on these Indian Blankets.

ser·en·dip·i·ty

   [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee] 

noun

1.

an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

2.

good fortune; luck

New Love

Would you believe

my friends and family pitched in and bought me

a big, beautiful Mac computer?

I'm still in shock.

You can read about it here.

Mac and I are still in the 'getting acquainted' phase of our relationship... the past week has been crazy busy... but it was love at first sight.  I can't wait to play with some photos I took of a friend and her family last week, and get back to work on my book.

I hope you forgive me for neglecting you.

In the meantime, here are a few shots from a recent afternoon walk...

I loved the contrast of this yellow flower against the dead wood.

Tiny flowers.

Tossed by the wind.

Sunlight's touch, instant art.

Sunlight illuminating the petals.

The bugs are back!

Framed by purple.

Finally staying still long enough to say hello.

Which way did it go?


I hunt flowers and dragonflies.

They hunt lizards.

To each our own.

Can I get an "AMEN!"?

The “Amen!” of nature is always a flower.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

AMEN!

I took a walk... Part 2 (Butterflies)

I have a good excuse for taking so long to post these butterfly photos I promised last week ... 

I was busy turning a whole year older and celebrating Easter surrounded by my kids. 

Most of these butterflies have flitted off to more colorful lands..

I'm glad I captured them when I did! 

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

Maya Angelou

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

Author Unknown

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly."

Richard Bach

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

Nathaniel Hawthorne

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." 

Rabindranath Tagore

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."

Richard Buckminster Fuller

"Butterflies are self propelled flowers."

R.H. Heinlein

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever."

Carl Sagan

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."

Anonymous

I took a walk...

I've been forced to add an afternoon walk to my daily routine. 

One in the morning just isn't enough, 

what with the lingering sunshine, 

the new flowers popping up everywhere, 

the sound of a tumbling creek...

Of course, I take my camera, so you can come along with me.

First stop is the big pond, so Max can cool off...

Belle gets close enough for a drink, but rarely wades in past her two front paws.

She prefers lounging in the sand until Max decides he's thoroughly soaked.

Yellow is still the main color of the season...

(I found out these are called Golden Groundsels  - I still prefer Yellow Explosions.)

...but blue and purple are popping up everywhere, too.

I loved the delicate furl of these... um, I'm not sure what these are.

If flowers could talk, the one below would be shouting "PARTY!", don't you think?

It's technical name is "Sensitive Briar" but I prefer "Pink Party"...

So far there's only one of these Indian Blankets blooming.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a blanket of Indian Blankets!

Unfortunately, there are more things sprouting than beautiful flowers...

Be careful not to trip on these vines.

Ouch! 

This is one of the paths I take on my afternoon walk. 

The creek is just to my right.

My absolute favorite spot...

It's obvious now that many trees didn't make it through the drought. 

The shadows of bare branches on the trunk of this tree caught my eye.

The dreamiest blue...

Don't these look like tiny irises?

These tiny pink flowers are spreading everywhere...

...and butterflies love them!

Stay tuned for the butterfly pics in "I took a walk..." Part 2!




Thanks, Hilary!