It’s May first and spring is in full bloom in my neck of the woods! There was much complaining from the natives about all of the rain in March and April. But, let me say, there are no complaints now! May is shaping up to be one of the most beautiful months ever. So, in honor of Earth Day, I’m blogging this month about all of the beautiful things surrounding us in nature. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a look around you. You might be surprised.
Everywhere I’ve gone these past couple of weeks there are wild flowers and luscious green grass and shiny new leaves on the trees. I notice these gifts. I notice because – like sparkly things – I love flowers. I love to look at them, smell them, touch them and . . . apparently, from pursuing my travel photos for last month’s blog, photographing them. Everywhere I’ve gone I’ve taken pictures of flowers.
I didn’t really notice that I do this until last month when I was drafting my April blog. But it makes sense because I am always drawn to a vibrant display of color. And a perfect bud or bloom has on occasion actually taken my breath away.
Susie Lindau (http://susielindau.com/2012/04/25/a-heatwave-cometh-early-a-photo-essay/) and Serena Dracis (http://serenadracis.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/welcome-to-wild-wednesday/) both recently posted pictures on their blogs of their back yards and gardening attempts, among other things. Karen McFarland has also posted awesome flower pictures on her blog recently. (http://www.karenmcfarland.com/perform-in-a-springtime-melody) All three of these blogs have amped up my spring fever. If you want some instant spring time, I highly recommend checking out these fabulous blogs.
Those were memorable blogs for me because I’m a flower-holic. I love them, plain and simple. I can’t resist snapping a photo every time I am awestruck by a beautiful bloom.
You’ll have to bear with me again this month as we take a little walk down memory lane and enjoy some of my flower-taking exerpiences.
And it’s not just flowers that call me like a siren from the sea. Oh no, it’s unique plants and trees as well. A serene meadow or fern-blanketed forest have also been worthy of my photo snapping skills. I especially like finding a growing green plant in an most unexpected place.
Like this hearty little plant pushing up through a bed of hardened lava.
Or these interesting specimens.
Or this Banyan Tree. If you don’t know about Banyan Trees, I suggest you do some research, they’re fascinating things. They remind of of things you’d read about in Gene Lempp’s blogs. (www.genelempp.wordpress.com)
And here’s a very unique and beautiful tree.
But mostly, it’s the flowers that captivate me. Here are some of my flower photos with a brief description of where I took them. Enjoy!
And what blog post about my travels would be complete without some photos of my favorite places – Disneyland and Disney World!
I don’t have to be stationary to photograph these colorful living organisms either. Nope, I can shoot right through the glass window of my transport vehicle. Like these three I couldn’t resist while on my bus ride through Honolulu.
The hillsides along the freeways were bursting with color. I know now what Rachel Funk Heller experiences every day where she lives in paradise! You’re a lucky girl, Rachel! I hope you appreciate this living landscape beauty.
Here’s one I took from a moving boat.
I captured some shoreline treasures . . .
And these mountain beauties.
And as much as I love finding the natural beauty in plants and flowers, don’t even get me started on the the man-made topiaries. I can photograph these things all day. And apparently I have, judging by my vacation albums. Who came up this this idea anyway? It’s genius!
And I don’t just capture these amazing gems during the day time. No sirree, I photograph at night too.
Here’s a unique palm tree that captured my attention in Honolulu, whist on my ghost hunting expedition one night last year. That’s right, I went in search of ghosts.
I not only shoot day or night, I shoot outside or in. Makes no difference to me and my snap happy finger.
And a little rain won’t impede my desire to capture that perfect work of beauty.
My affinity for photographing flowers evidently also extends beyond the realm of the living. Here are some floral arrangements that, while natural, would not appear in this form in the wild.
Not only are flowers lovely to look at and delightful to smell, flowers can be functional as well. For instance did you know that rose bushes are often planted on the perimeters of vineyards?
They not only attract bees and other pollinators, but they help predict sudden changes in the weather. Roses are very susceptible to mold and are hyper-sensitive to temperature changes. Vintners can watch their roses to know whether or not they need to take action to protect their grape crop. You see, it’s an educational blog too.
So there you have it. My crazy flower obsession.
What’s your passion, or perhaps what thing do you find yourself photographing over and over again, besides your kids and pets?
Word of the day: Fuliginous
Fun fact about me: I once used cocoa powder as stage make-up.
Thank you so much for the shout out!
I LOVE your photos! I think that is so interesting that you noticed how you are drawn to them when on vacation. It makes me want to take a look at what I take photos of.
Great post! Off to tweet it!
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Hi Susie! I discovered this fetish of mine while looking for photos to post on last month’s blog. I was shocked actually at how many pictures I take of trees, flowers, nature in general. Weird. Very few pictures of me or my husband. I obviously need to work on that on my next vacation.
Thanks for stopping by!
Patricia
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Loved your pictures. I think the Hibiscus is one of my all time favorite flowers. They are so ‘showy’ and with good reason!
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Hi Ginger. Thanks for stopping by this morning. I love tropical flowers, I think mostly because I see so few of them here where I live.
Patricia
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Such pretty flowers. Isn’t this a great time of the year with all the color around us! I’ve been noticing how colorful the redbud bushes are this year, too. The dogwoods are blooming around our house and they are a good sign winter is slipping away. My hubby has been out putting in plants, veggies, moving underground water pipes and such. He comes in covered in dirt and mud, but like the flowers it is a sign spring is here.
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Indeed, Paisley. Love to see the new greenery springing up out of the ground. And now that the dogwoods are blooming, you know what that means. We’re in for one more good snowfall before winter is officially over! it snows on the dogwoods every year.
Thanks for stopping by this morning.
Patricia
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This makes me think of Disneyland! …..I never really paid attention to flowers, until I noticed how beautiful Disneyland is! Yesterday, I noticed and random burst of wind, blowing tall grass making patterns, it was amazing! Take a drive down Pleasant Valley Road, it is just beautiful this spring, and Gold Oak school has a blanket of flowers in bloom right now. Just beautiful! Happy May Day!
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Hi Kay! Yes, Mother Nature has certainly blessed us this spring. Everything is absolutely breathtaking.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Patricia
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Love the photos! We have some of those cruise buffet photos in our stash 🙂 I just got a brand new camera and so time will tell what I am drawn to for taking pictures.
Your cocoa face makeup tidbit made me smile!
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Hi Colleen! Thanks for coming by and enjoying a bit of color today.
Cocoa powder makes excellent low lights if you’re trying to age yourself, which I had to do when I played Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! And I smelled good too!
Have fun with your new camera!
Patricia
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Hi Patricia! Always good to see you! Thanks you for the blog love! And well, as you can tell, I do love those beautiful flowers! Nature is always inspiring! It’s a great Pick-Me-Up, isn’t it? It signals that the dreary winter is over, or soon to be over, and a new fresh season, a new fresh start is here! Love spring and flowers! 🙂
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Hi Karen! Glad you made it over here today!
Flowers are definitely awesome gifts from God. I didn’t realize how much I photograph them until recently, but I understand why I do it.
Patricia
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You’re so talented with a camera lens! Your pics of the bougainvillea brought back memories of my former life in the Arizona desert. They were the most spectacular display of color, and I love them. How do you keep your photos organized? Do you keep them digitally or in print photo albums?
Last of all…cocoa powder? I need one more fun fact. What role were you playing?
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Hi Suzanne!
I keep my photos several ways: digitally on my laptop according to trip; burned onto disks according to trips; and usually printed out and incorporated into scrap books, although I’m sadly about three years behind in actually assembling the books.
Cocoa powder is an excellent low lighter when combined with white pencil to form wrinkles and for aging. I played Aunt Eller in Oklahoma and the gal playing Laurie, my character’s niece, was only about 10 years younger than me. Now that would still have worked, but we looked very similar in age so the director wanted to age me a little. I dusted my hair with baby powder throughout the performance each night and used the cocoa powder and white pencil to create lines and creases on my face. Needless to say,I smelled yummy between the baby powder and the chocolate. It was a mess to wash off in the shower every night though.
Thanks for stopping by. Always a pleasure to see you!
Patricia
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Yes, you probably did smell wonderful! That’s a good idea to put them in folders by trip. I just have a year where I lump them all together, but by trip is even better. I just need to get organized like you.
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Gorgeous flowers! I tend to kill plants~ not on purpose! But I do, so I admire flowers like these as nature’s little gifts to the world. I had no idea roses were used in vineyards. That’s fascinating. Of course, Disneyland is one of my all-time favorite places and I love to see the changing horticulture there. I’m inspired to go out today with my camera to capture nature’s beauty!
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Hi Tameri! Good to see you!
Get out there with your camera and shoot some things. I never knew I was so drawn to photographing flowers but the proof is there in my vacation photos! Funny the things we do without even really thinking about them.
And yes, Disneyland is not only the happiest place on earth, but a very clean and horticulturally inspiring place as well. Those designers are awesome. Some day I’m going to get to Disney World during their flower festival. I’ve seen pictures on the web and my fingers itch to snap some photos of my own.
Thanks for stopping by!
Patricia
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Beautiful flowers, Patricia. They’re my passion, too, and every year I take new pictures of my flowerbeds. I love the hibiscus flowers, but we can’t grow them outside where I live. So recently, my mom snipped off a piece of hers, rooted it, and gave it to me to grow. I’m probably a few years away from getting flowers on it, though. 🙂
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I had no idea this was an obsession of mine until I was looking at my photos. I do love flowers so it’s no surprise that I would photograph them. Something about fresh flowers just makes me smile and feel happy.
I wish you luck with the hibiscus.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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Beautiful photography! I can’t believe no one has asked what “fuliginous” means. (I had to look it up. Cool word!) Anyone can tell from my photos that my obsession is cars! I once went to the local historical museum, and it turned out there was a Buick enthusiasts’ gathering there. All my photos were of the cars! LOL!
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You see – that’s what I’m talking about. Our photo obsessions.
Just about every picture my mom took has someone in it – like me in front of the Grand Canyon, my brother at the pool, etc. My pictures – nobody. I wait for the crowd to clear before snapping a quick picture of a thing or a place. Weird!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
And – I love your car pictures!
Patricia
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Beautiful post! And a great reminder to stop and savor nature. I tend to miss out on lovely flowers and trees, largely because of my daydreaming tendencies. 😉 Pausing to breath, smell and enjoy can be medicinal. Thanks for reminding me of that.
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You’re welcome, August. I have tried to be more in tune with nature since I’ve started writing. It helps me to remember to incorporate all of the senses into my manuscripts.
Thanks for stopping by. Now get outside and sniff something!
Patricia
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Thanks for the shoutout! 🙂 The blog love is much appreciated! Your photography is beautiful, such gorgeous shots! You have been to some amazing places! Terrific post!
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Thanks Serena! I enjoy looking at pictures of other peoples’ gardens and hobbies, but it makes me wish I was more garden-oriented. I’d rather have someone else do the work and let me just enjoy the view!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Patricia
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When my husband and I went to Australia for our honeymoon, I think he thought I was kind of crazy because I kept saying, “We need a picture of that tree” and “Wait! I want a photo of that plant over there. We don’t have that at home.” I’m fascinated by the different species of plants, trees, and flowers that grow across the world.
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Australia for your honeymoon? Holy catfish, Batman! How exciting!!
I’d have been doing the same thing. It’s amazing all of the wonderful things God has provided for us to enjoy all over the world isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by, Marcy!
Patricia
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Those pictures are stunning, Patricia. Most of my favorites are from Disney.
I admire people who travel and bring back gorgeous photographs–I have trouble registering moments and landmarks.
A beautiful spring post.
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Hey Fabio, thanks for swinging by today.
I like to scrap book so I usually take pictures of signs too. That helps me remember where I took the pictures. I have very few pictures with people in them. Partly because my husband hates to have his picture taken and he’s not a very good photographer so the ones he takes of me are not always share-worthy.
Patricia
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Wow! What an amazing collection of photos! Thanks for the mention, I should take some shots of my back yard and send them to you, I’m a very lucky lady. Most people don’t think we have seasons out here in Hawaii, but we do, it’s subtle and you have to look for it. Great job!
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Hi, Rachel! I’d love to see your back yard! I bet it’s awesome. I’m sure in order to fully appreciate it though I’d have to see it in person. LOL
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Patricia
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you’re more than welcome to come over anytime, I’d love to give you the guided tour.
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I love colorful and showy plants and trees, but that plant pushing up from the lava bed caught my eye and attention. Thanks for this salute to spring.
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Hi, Pat! I’m so glad you wandered over today. Isn’t springtime wonderful? Well, except for the allergy sufferers, but everything is bright and new and fresh.
Yes, that little hardy plant poking up through the lava was pretty cool! I love finding little things like that.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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I love flowers, too, growing them, taking pics of them, breathing in their scent, and just looking at them. Aw, I sure miss being able to watch the hundreds and hundreds of bulbs I planted in my garden at the home we just moved out of. *Big sigh* You’re right about Banyan trees, they look like alien trees! So cool. Great pics, Patricia.
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Well, Lynn, you’ll just have to plant some more. My husband and I are in the process of trying to buy a house as well. I’m digging up some of my bulbs to take with me when we go.
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia
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