Grass Beautiful Grass

My love of grass began with a major research project I completed last year for a course entitled, "America's Obsession With the Front Lawn." I have become obsessed with the way people use grass in their landscapes, and find myself taking far too many photographs on this topic. These mounds of decorative grass were found in a Wendy's parking lot, of all places. It was gently blowing in the wind and completely mesmerizing.

Real Tree

The surface of this tree -- the mixture of bark and wood -- is so amazingly beautiful that I could stare at it for hours. How is it possible that nature creates this without any hidden motives or the need for attention?

Summer For Sure

Queen Anne's Lace and goldenrod blossoms are a sure sign that you are in the middle of summer. It reminds me of the lazy days of summer of my childhood when I didn't have a care in the world, and my face and legs were streaked with dirt from roaming around in the woods barefoot all day long. Those days are long gone. Now I wouldn't dare walk in the woods for fear of getting a tick on me! But those memories never fade -- these flowers still bring me back to that innocent connection with the power of Nature, and for that I am always grateful.

Is This Color For Real?

When I think about the colors and shapes found in Nature, it is almost impossible to not feel blissfully happy. 'Nuf said.

Bee Balm

My sister gave me some bee balm plants years ago, and they spread like weeds everywhere, so now I mow it down and just leave a small patch . . . so glad because that color is unbelievable.

Waiting

People who are bored are often the most fun to watch. They don't even realize how interesting they look leaning against random backgrounds.

Tuesday's Find

Couldn't just hike past this tree. I made a bunch of images looking straight into the lichen to capture those beautiful patterns. But it is this angle that pleases me most, with the greenery in the background.

Heaven

Went for a great hike to the top of the mountain, and when I saw that little bent tree and the shape of the cloud above it, I knew I had something special.

Peonies

I love this time of year when the paper peonies bloom. They are so old fashioned looking, reminding me of old ladies and their sweet gardens. Used a telephoto lens for these shots because I wanted the backgrounds to be as blurred and dark as possible.

Beautiful Snake

While photographing a clematis vine, I moved to get closer to the flowers, and saw this beautiful sight right where I was about to step. Luckily I had my telephoto lens on so I didn't have to get too close to the snake.

Poppies

Wandered around the back yard in the early evening, photographing the beautiful flowers I've planted over the years. The sun was super bright, making very hard shadows, which is perfect for the telephoto lens. Taking a few steps closer to the poppy, I made the image below. I cannot even believe the vibrant colors of the poppy and the papery texture of the petals.

Christmas in Spring

This pine tree looks like it's decorated for Christmas. It is so gorgeous, I don't know how to photograph it to do it justice. I took several full tree shots, but I think this close up reflects the lovely colors and shapes best.

Spring Leaves

There is nothing more glorious than fresh new leaves sparkling in the sun. I stood underneath this oak tree with the morning sun shining through them. I really like the shadow patterns played against the edges of the leaves.

Georgia O'Keefe

One of my favorite painters is Georgia O'Keefe, and this iris reminds me so much of her famous painting. It is sensuous and painterly, and hard to believe it is real. Found it growing by my neighbor's mailbox.

Good Smells

Every day I take a walk past this cedar tree surrounded by Lily of the Valley. There is something about the patterns there, and of course the luscious smells, that attracts me. This is a dark spot, so I went early in the morning when the light would help out.

Bleeding Hearts

This is an overhead shot of a bleeding heart plant. I usually crouch down low and photograph the flowers from the side to capture their lovely heart shape. But this particular frond had a sweet curve to it, and the hostas beneath gave a great backdrop. I manual focused on just the stem to keep the background a bit blurry. It was dark because a rainstorm was fast approaching -- perfect lighting to bring out the colors of nature.

IMPORTANT NOTE: After I finished taking this photograph, I went inside and found a tick crawling on my pants leg. Further inspection revealed three more -- one on the inside of my pants, one on my sock, and one on my bra! I stuck them all between pieces of tape and checked myself VERY carefully for any others, but that was it. You have to be really careful these days.

Violets

This morning I took pictures of the violets growing in the lawn before I mow them down. They are such happy accents to the lawn, I hate to mow them, but they grow right back anyway.

Daffodils

Just before the sun started to set, there were rays of light shining right on the daffodils. The dark background made the yellow flowers pop right out. And in the image below, the hard shadows made a really gorgeous pattern.

The Moon

The moon was so big this afternoon, I noticed it just as the sun was beginning to go down. Thought it would be a cool effect to make everything out of focus except the moon.

The image below has the moon out of focus -- it looks like a marshmallow in the sky.

More Pussy Willows

The pussy willows have turned yellow and fuzzy now, and behind them is a tree with red buds beginning to open. I may have taken this pic too late in the day for the yellow to show up well enough, but I love the colors in this image. Used my telephoto lens.