The Color Red

Red appears in nature, in all seasons, from flowers in all shapes and sizes, to the many colorful red leaves of fall, to the birds and insects in the gardens and in the woods, and even in the animals we find across the planet.

There are red cardinals, red blooms, red leaves and, well, you get the idea.

So here are a few images pulled from the archives featuring none other than 'red'.

Can you guess which one of these images is my favorite?

That's right. The last one is my favorite. This beautiful flower was blooming in a wooden flower box outside Isaac's Cafe a few weeks ago. I've wanted to post it sooner, but just didn't. It inspired me today to post 'red'. Years ago I learned that wearing red on Friday had a meaning all it's own. But for me, red on this Friday simply means the beauty of red that I have photographed in nature, and in this case spanning three different states. Stay dry this holiday weekend should you be the recipient of Isaac's leftovers. ENJOY!

Arbor View

Here's another image I dug out of the archives from my trip to Biltmore last year. As you walk from the house to the Conservatory, this beautiful arbor walkway greets you. I loved looking out into the gardens through the windows. We got a small reprieve from the triple digit temperatures last evening as a thunderstorm passed over. It was nice to have some rain as all of the plants and shrubs are looking a little peekish from the drought. However, word on the street is more triple digit temperatures are forecast for this weekend. Ugh! ENJOY!

Tuscany Perhaps

Where was this image taken I ask you? Tuscany perhaps? That's what I like most about an image, you just never know where you are. So you must 'look' closely. And as it happens in this photo, when you look closely, you will see it's in the trees and the lamp posts. Those trees alone are not indicative of Tuscany.



Last summer I traveled to North Carolina to visit a very famous estate, Biltmore. I wasn't sure of everything I would find there. Yes, I knew there was a famous house and, after much surfing the net, I discovered the estate also had hiking trails and a lake, and a farm.

As I drove along the road in August, after spending considerable time viewing the famous Biltmore house and its conservatory, I happened upon this scene, a field of sunflowers. Growing, for what seemed like miles and miles alongside the road, I discovered rows and rows of beautiful, bright sunflowers. I felt as though I were in the heart of Tuscany. Stretching out past the rows and rows of sunflowers were more fields, and far off in the distance, country roads disappearing into the landscape. Tuscany.

I stopped for some time alongside the rows and rows of sunflowers and attempted to capture the beauty of this scene in various compositions. All the while, as I snapped photo after photo, I felt as if I were deep in the heart of Italy. And today, after perusing my vast archive of images, comprised of varying trips across America, digging deep to find an image for this post, I stopped at this one. And I felt that same feeling today as I did then. Tuscany perhaps. ENJOY!

Green Ferns!

A beautiful photo of fern leaves that I wanted to share with you for some time. The Before and After the textures were added.

BEFORE


AFTER

Hope your week is going well. ENJOY!

Saying Goodbye!

Goodbye 2011. You were good to me. I won't soon forget. Happy New Year to all of my followers. I hope while you're stopping by you'll leave a comment back. Please leave me a comment and let me know how your 2011 went. I'd like to hear from you. ENJOY!

Top Photos of 2011!

Merry Christmas to All! ENJOY!

Flower Identification Needed!

Anyone know what this is? I took this image of a small bloom on a tree that was in a huge flower pot in the Conservatory at Biltmore. I thought I would post it today as I've looked everywhere online and can't find the name of it. Help! ENJOY!

The Biltmore House!

It's time, I felt, to post a few images of the Biltmore House. After all of the photos I have shared of my trip to Asheville this summer, I realized I hadn't shown you photos of the Biltmore. The estate was probably my favorite part of this trip, although I admit that the exterior of the estate house was so gorgeous. And it was such a perfect day. All be it was 90 degrees in the shade.

The second image was taken while on my way back from the Conservatory. I looked up to see the flag flying over a veranda and though it would make a nice shot.

And this last image I took specifically because I wanted a close up of the exterior of the house with the architecture. Although I think this image might be a little out of focus, I still wanted you to see it.

The weekend is coming. Yippeeee. ENJOY!

Four Butts!

When in Biltmore do what Biltmore visitors do, photograph nature. That is what I did and I have shared many images of my visit this past August with you. And then there are these. While I was on my way out of Biltmore, the first day I visited, I noticed sheep grazing on the countryside. So after a visit to the new Biltmore Village, I took the route out of Biltmore that took me right by these grazing sheep. I got out of my car, which I carefully parked on the side of the road, and walked up the hill. And there to my amazement were these four butts staring me in the face. And the entire time I stood photographing the sheep, those four butts stared back at me. I tried everything to get them to turn around. They did not. So without further ado, I give you those four butts. ENJOY!

Please Indulge Me!

I can't help myself. I took so many different photographs of the sunflowers and the sunflower fields while at Biltmore in August Here's another view. I think I have a love affair going on with these beautiful flowers. How can one not? They are so sunny and happy. And with all the rainy days around here of late, who can blame me for another "sunny" post. Have a great weekend everyone. ENJOY!

Rainy Days and Mondays!

A litle bit of sunshine on a rainy Monday here in the midwest. ENJOY!

Waterlily!

A little something to get your weekend off to a beautiful start. These gorgeous waterlilies were blooming in The Italian Garden at the Biltmore Estate back in late summer. You know me. I had to photograph them. And as usual, and need I say it again, and as usual, the sunlight drowned out the detail and the shadows were very dark, but of course, I had to try to bring it back to life. Not sure if I got there but here's the end result. ENJOY!

Vanda Sansai Blue Orchid!

Just a little bling from the Conservatory at Biltmore. Wouldn't it be great if these beautiful orchids were jewels? Yes! ENJOY!

Where does an image take you?

I'd like to think every image I take evokes a feeling, a reaction, something. But this particular image keeps taking me to a chateau in France or maybe a villa in Italy. And yet I've never been to either. That is what was so incredible about visiting the Biltmore Estate in early August. It left me with such a surreal feeling as though I'd been transplanted to some foreign country. This beautiful flowering tree sits in the corner of The Walled Garden at the Biltmore Estate. So I ask you, where does this image take you? ENJOY!

Seasons Change!

Fall is coming. I can feel it in the air. I can see it in the trees. I can sense it as night approaches. In early August as I drove through the beautiful estate at Biltmore, I stopped to photograph this lovely lilypond which for the most part was virtually ignored by every tourist as it wasn't a convenient spot to stop. That's why I did.

"Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, whether the summer clothe the general earth with greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch of mossy apple tree." . . . Samuel Taylor Coleridge. ENJOY!

Beauty Is In The Eye!

The Conservatory at Biltmore yielded quite a few beautiful, beautiful images. This is one of the gorgeous Orange Orchids blooming inside the Conversatory when I visited earlier in August. There were many beautiful orchids, but this one is my favorite. I love the orange orchid with its deep red center. If you live within 500 miles of the Biltmore Estate located in Asheville, North Carolina, I urge you to visit just once. That's all it takes. And then you'll wish to return and soon. And as an added bonus there are several entrances to the Blue Ridge Parkway on the south and east side of Asheville. Within an hour or two you'll be viewing beautiful mountain vistas. I would love to see the Fall colors along the drive I took to Craggy Gardens along the Parkway. Perhaps some day. Stay safe tonight New Englanders. ENJOY!

Beauty Shot!

One of those beautiful images from Biltmore. This particular sunny flower was blooming in the Walled Garden. Isn't it a beaut. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'm going to be chillin' after a busy work week. ENJOY!

Sunflower Field!

All of my life I've dreamed of photographing sunflowers in a field filled with large sunflowers. The rows and rows and rows of sunflowers at the Biltmore Estate went on for miles and was one of my favorite places to photograph. It was surreal to look at it. I felt like I might be in the south of France. ENJOY!

The Italian Garden!

The Italian Gardens at Biltmore were gorgeous. These beautiful hanging vines gave much needed shade to this bright sunny area of the estate. The benches hugged the very very high concrete walls which separated The Italian Garden from other gardens at Biltmore.

Here in the Italian Garden sit several lily ponds. In this image, the large plant sitting above the water in the upper left background is Papyrus (something I had to look up to identify), but I think the real showstopper in this image has to be the huge Victoria Water Lilies you see in the foreground. Aren't they just gorgeous? In the background around the statute are orange and yellow varigated Cannas and to the far left is a Purple Hardy Waterlily. It is a feast for the eyes everywhere you looked around The Italian Gardens.

This beautiful water lily is a yellow Mexican Water Lilies. I wanted to share this image mostly because I really like all of the interesting water plants and vegetation growing around the Mexican Water Lily. In the upper portion of the image, the red and green plant floating on the water is called a Mosaic Plant. It took some doing to identify it but finally I found a website that had photos of many images featured in lily ponds.

The Italian Garden was absolutely the most gorgeous place. It was high noon when I visited with the sun glaring straight down and the temperature was around 90 degrees so I did a fair amount of sweating just to get some of these images. But it was fun regardless. It felt so surreal just walking around it. This garden, as well as the gardens and parks on the estate, were designed by Frederick Olmsted, the same gentleman who designed Louisville's beautiful parks, along with his architect, Richard Morris Hunt. Olmsted's inspiration for The Italian Garden was derived from chateaus he visited while traveling throughout France. Here is a closeup of the Cannas.

I absolutely love this next flower. The huge leaves with the tiny center are amazing. They are Lotus Nelumbo Nucifera which again took me a while to identify. This is its seed head which I guess may have already exspunged its seeds.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. The weather here is fantastic (finally) after the heat wave that lasted non-stop for nearly a month. ENJOY!

Sunflower!

One of my favorite images from my trip to Biltmore is this beautiful sunflower. There are countless rows upon rows of sunflowers growing along the road on the estate grounds on the drive to Antler Village. The sunflower field is about three quarters of a mile long and about 6 to 8 rows deep. It was gorgeous. I had a wonderful trip. I can't wait to post more images. ENJOY!