Best of 2019

I dedicate this collage to the last year of a decade. I hope you had a great 2019. Here are a few top images from my year. This year brought many, many changes. I welcomed all of them with open arms. One can't survive in this world without accepting change. I hope you enjoy a look back. ENJOY!

Agaves, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

Last year in Fall Cheekwood featured gorgeous Agave plants in their Fall Festival. I hope they return this year as they were gorgeous. Here's a few pics to wet your whistle.

These are Blue American Agave plants surrounded by blue flower beds. I'm not sure what that blue flower is, but it's a gorgeous display.

The varigated Agaves were planted next to yellow and orange Chrysanthemums. Wouldn't this look great in a yard for Fall. Notice the pumpkins scattered throughout this particular display.

When I Googled Agaves, including the various varieties featured here, I noticed several images where the Agave plants are planted in long rows in Mexico. No doubt so they can grow big and be exported to America. It's a rainy week here in Tennessee, but at least the high temperatures are gone. Although we still have a fair amount of humidity to contend with. I did some Fall decorating yesterday. I can't hardly wait for the cooler season to come and relieve us of all of this heat and humidity. ENJOY!

A Walk through Cheekwood - Happy Easter!

Come take a walk with me as I take in the flowers blooming in the Robert Ellis Color Garden at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. This gorgeous garden was adorned with red and yellow Tulips in every size and variety that the landscapers could possibly imagine.

Visitors may have surrounded me as I meandered along the garden path, but it was as though I were totally alone in the universe, as I took in every vibrant red and stunning yellow Tulip popped open with sunshine diving deep into its inner beauty.

The deep reds and yellows were laden with black centers and large stamens. The varieties of Tulips was astounding with single and double and even peony shaped Tulips all around.

Oh, Cheekwood how you out did yourself on this glorious Bloom Fest celebration.

Every Spring I attempt to capture the beauty of the Crepe Myrtles as they stand sentinel keeping a watchful eye over the stunning blooms around them.

Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Jonquils, Petunias. Thank you Cheekwood for a glorious Bloom Fest. I take my hat off to you!!

I wish each and every one of you a very peaceful and Happy Easter. May your day be filled with sunshine and bright blue skies. And may all the wonders of Easter surround you. Whether it be chocolate bunnies and dyed eggs or a sit down feast of scrumptious baked ham with all the trimmings, I wish everyone peace and joy on this glorious day of Resurrection. ENJOY!

Cheekwood Bloom Fest 2019 ... Lavender and Purple Hues

What a headline! Just hang on because we're talking purple and lavender hues. A feast for your eyes!

This is a double flowering Tulip called Tulip Blue Wow. Where it got this name, I haven't a clue. But the Wow part of the name definitely says it all for me.

Say 'hello' to a gorgeous deep Burgundy Lace Tulip. I don't know which I love more, the deep burgundy hue or the lace tips that look slightly cut into the flower.

Purple Hyacinths and yellow Tulips, what more can one ask for. A stunning garden display that sits behind the Botanical Hall in the Robert Ellis Color Garden.

Capturing the full sun lit lavender Tulips was a challenge. So I bent down and snap a few pics of the Tulips with the sun shining in front and my pics snapped from behind. This is the result. You be the judge.

The Purple Hyacinth and orange Violets were a big hit on my Facebook page. You just never know what will inspire people. Matters not, because all I want is to inspire whether it's a purple Hyacinth or a waterfall. Inspiration is all I'm looking for.

Searching far and wide, I never found the name of this Tulip and failed to check the garden marker. Many of the flower petals stood wide open offering up a bird's eye view of the inside and the stamen. So gorgeous.

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is situated just south of Nashville proper and today is the last day of Cheekwood's Bloom Fest featuring many, many, many species of Tulips, as well as Hyacinths, Jonquils, Violets and more.

I had hoped to find some cloud cover when I arrived yesterday based on the meterologist's forecast, but instead found full sun. It can be quite difficult to capture the best images in full light when shooting flower photography. Don't let that stop you. Inspiration lies in every single petal you capture.

 I hoped you enjoyed this journey through the purple and lavender hues of Bloom Fest this year. I'll come back soon with gorgeous red and yellow Tulips. You won't want to miss that. ENJOY!

Best of 2018!

It's that time of year when I share the best of 2018 captures. We visited several botanical gardens, a national wildlife refuge, an artist's village, a state park, and I even spent an afternoon capturing images of Elk and Bison at the prairie at Land Between the Lakes. And least of all, I threw in a few images from around Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee. While I didn't travel far out of state, I still managed to capture some unique images. I hope wherever 2018 took you in your travels you were able to stop and smell the roses and take a few pics to tell your story. Have a wonderful 2019 and here's to lots of new adventures and journeys with your camera in tow. ENJOY!

Swashbuckling on the Open Sea

Imagine being a pirate sailing the open seas in search of gold and jewels. Donning a black pirate's hat and yielding a long handled sword I would shout at the throngs of mateys manning the cannons. A skull and crossbones flag hangs high up on the mast. Weeks would pass as we sail north and south and east and west only to return to port once wooden chests were filled heaping to the brim with gold and silver and jewels. One must be allowed to dream every once in a while. ENJOY!

A Fall Princess

As I snapped images of the gorgeous Water Lilies in bloom at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, on a brief visit a few weeks ago, I finished up and walked away from the pond. Then I turned and walked back. I stepped off the path near the fountain. Something had caught my eye.

There stood this gorgeous Fall princess bedecked in dried flowers, with large yellow bows and long flowing ribbon. She blended in so well, I nearly missed her. She held a basket of dried flowers on her arm. Her pouty lips and dark tinted sunglasses, no doubt, were meant to tantalize. A checked hat with a wide brim shielded her from the sunlight. She was the star of the Scarecrow Display, held every Fall in the Seasons Garden, during Cheekwood's Fall Harvest Fest. What a stunning creature.

Fall temperatures are cooling off the heat of Summer here in Tennessee. I anxiously await bright sunny Fall days, on this rainy Sunday afternoon, to capture the red and yellow and orange leaves as they fall from the trees. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

I continue to listen to the stories of heartbreak and survival coming out of the devastated Florida Panhandle and pray for God's mercy as tens of thousands of people pick up and clean up, while others whose lives and livelihoods were blown away, find the courage to begin again. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Cornucopia

Today, I just need to say. I'm a Derby City girl who moved to Music City. I am from the Bluegrass State and now reside in the Volunteer State.

I used to photograph Kentucky and Indiana. Now I photograph Kentucky and Tennessee. Today I share a cornucopia of images I captured in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, to herald a new season approaching. Fall is coming.

Tis the season for all things pumpkin, pine cone and acorn. Go crazy with witches and brews and spider webs too. ENJOY!

Pansy Perfection and Turn Off the Spigot Please

Pansies are the quintessential Spring bloom. These beautiful, bright and colorful flowers are seen everywhere right now. This beauty is called an Icicle Pansy. Seriously, I have not a clue where it got it's name. I have never planted Pansies before in my planters. Every year I consider it and every year I end up choosing Geraniums instead. I love red Geraniums. They attract Hummingbirds which is a plus. I used to plant Petunias every year, but as our Summer months grew hotter, and eventually morphed into sweltering, I found Geraniums withstood the hotter months of Summer better than Petunias. Although I haven't met a Petunia I didn't love.

This variation of Pansy is called Blue Frost. Again, not a clue where it got its name. I love the bold explosion of color in the center, but I like Icicle Pansies more. I think the yellow is more appealing with the blue. I captured these colorful blooms at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville several Springs back when I visited during their Cheekwood in Bloom festival.

Can I change the subject now? Oh, my God. Could someone turn off the spigot. It has rained and rained and rained and rained here in Tennessee. I kid you not. It has been raining since the middle of February and we're going into the first of April. There are so few sunny days, there's no way to plan a trip to Cheekwood to see their beautiful Tulip display this Spring. I want to get over there and take in all the Tulips, but it's a scheduling dilemma when every day its raining and on the weekends too. I love that Spring is here and there's an explosion of blooms. Tulips, Daffodils, Pansies, Jonquils. You name it, it's blooming. Not to mention the trees in bloom. But could we get some sun please. ENJOY!

Looking Back at 2017

Wherever you travel in the world, more than likely you carry a camera with you today. It may only be a camera on your smartphone or a tiny point and shoot or it might be a larger digital camera with interchangeable lenses. Here's a look back at a few of the venues I captured images of in the past year from the Tennessee all the way west to the Pacific.

One of my favorite places to visit in all of the States is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At the highest elevation, any visitor in an automobile can drive, sits Clingman's Dome. On this beautiful day in the Smokies, I captured this image of Fontana Lake way off in the distance with clouds floating by.

Capturing images of farms and farmland is by far one of the many photo ops photographers enjoy doing. To take this urban image, I only traveled about thirty miles north of my home and about a mile from the Kentucky/Tennessee northern border, just outside of Portland. This vintage barn with it's peeling red paint sits in a large field with beautiful yellow Canoli flowers in bloom in the background. I love to see the gorgeous fields of Canoli seeds in bloom every Spring. They are breathtaking.

Visiting Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is a great way to spend a few hours and get outdoors in nature. This Spring I walked over to the arboretum one last time only to find all of the visitors had dissipated and there was the beautiful arboretum just waiting for it's close up. It's yellows and purples and reds were so pretty, but I especially loved the urn at the back of the arboretum filled with flowers.

I flew across many states to land in the great state of California to spend a few days in San Francisco this Spring for a sales conference. While out on the Belle of San Francisco one evening, I walked out on the deck looking toward the Golden Gate bridge. When I turned back this image stared back at me. The city's lights were so beautiful I snapped a few images to share with you.

Photographing flowers is one of my favorite past times. Who doesn't love a beautiful flower. To capture Sunflower images this Summer, I traveled south almost an hour to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to Batey Farms to snap images of the beautiful Sunflowers in bloom. It was a picture perfect day with blue skies and tons of sunshine and the time of day couldn't have been more perfect for flower photography. It was the best photo opportunity I have ever had to take images of Sunflowers.

I hope you enjoyed coming along as I looked back at my travels in 2017. I can't wait to see where 2018 takes me. Are you ready for a major cold front that is on the verge of sweeping down from Canada in the next day or two. Today was 70 degrees and really didn't feel like Christmas at all, but this cold front will surely remedy that. Are you deckin' the halls. I trust you are or have and are now in hot pursuit of that perfect gift for your loved ones. My tree is decked, the gifts are purchased and I'm all set. Hope you are having a wonderful Holiday Season. ENJOY!

Best of Birding 2017

It has been a slow year for me from a photography standpoint, but I have managed to get out and take some photographs especially of birds. Here are my top three picks for bird photography for 2017.

No. 1: In February, I captured this image of a Sandhill Crane migrating south for the Winter in Cecilia, Kentucky foraging for food next to a pond. The thing I like best about these birds are how large they are and, in spite of that, still seem so utterly delicate.

No. 2: This beauty was added to my Birding Life List. This Summer Tanager was up and down on the branches of the Crab Apple trees in Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee, grabbing seed after seed and swallowing each one whole. I managed to capture this image before this seed went down the hatch. The depths of red on this tiny little creative is just mesmerizing.

No. 3: I just added this image in the past two weeks as the American White Pelicans had made a stop over on their migration route south on Old Hickory Lake, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Virtually right out my front door. The Pelicans, to my delight, are still here on the lake. What I wouldn't give if they would stay and overwinter here allowing me photos ops aplenty.

I'll post my best landscape and flower image(s) in a few days. In the meantime, I hope you are getting your decorating on. My tree is up and lit and adorning my living room with wreaths and table decorations all around. I decorate in the classic red and green colors as it brings such a beautiful uplifting feeling in Winter, when there are numerous gloomy days. I hope you are having a fantastic week. We're heading into the weekend. ENJOY!

Ode to A Pumpkin

Everywhere the pumpkin! The one unequivocal sign of Fall has to be the pumpkin. You see them in storefronts and front yards and porches. You see them on mantels and hearths and tabletops. You see them stacked or sitting side by side. There are pumpkins painted completely black and pumpkins covered in velvet. There are pumpkins picked in pumpkin patches at the local farms. There are pumpkin carvings and pumpkin glows. There are pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin spice cupcakes. There are pumpkin breads and pumpkin beers. And least we forget, the most supreme pumpkin of all has to be the pumpkin pie.

I wanted to share one of my favorite pumpkin images with a little watercolor and ink pencil detail. I love all the shapes and sizes of the pumpkins and there's even a gourd thrown in. I captured this image in 2016 at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens Fall Harvest Festival. I hope you like it. By the way, I'm covering all things Halloween and Fall, in case you haven't made a note of it yet. Stand by, more is coming. ENJOY!

Oooh, Scarecrows

The past few years I have visited Cheekwood Botanical Gardens here in Nashville during their Fall Fest activities. Their out of this world Scarecrow display situated in the Turner Seasons Garden was a hoot both in 2015, and was even better in 2016. Here's a little flashback to wet your whistle should you decide to create your own scarecrow for your yard. What a hoot and oh, so cute. I have two favorites. Can you guess? OK, I'll tell. I love the scarecrow with the pumpkin head and pigtails and I love the country musician with the hat and guitar. They are both my favorites. Hope you enjoyed this look back at some of the best of the best scarecrows from the Fall Fest at Cheekwood. I'm going to try and take in the exhibit for 2017. Can't wait. And to those Floridians suffering from Hurricane Irma, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. ENJOY!

Oh! Butterfly

Here's the next series of Butterflies as promised. Hang on, we're going Buttering again!

THE FRITILLARY

This brightly colored orange Butterfly is a Gulf Fritillary. Are you wondering why it's called the Gulf? It's because they are common only in the southern United States. That dark yet bright orange color is unmistakable in the gardens and meadows which makes them easy to spot. I captured this beautiful Gulf Fritillary in the Bradford Robertson Color Garden at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville.

I wanted to share this view of the Gulf Fritillary so that you can see just how beautiful his wings are when they are fully open. What a beautiful bright orange.

Another specifies of the Fritillary is the Great Spangled Fritillary. They are more common and are generally a dull orange with row after row of black spots covering their wings. This beautiful Great Spangled was checking out a purple Thistle at Bernheim in the wildflower meadow.

THE PAINTED LADY

Alright, I admit it. I have too many favorites in the Butterfly family. The Painted Lady is just one more I love. I think it's because when their wings are closed it as thought an artist painted a beautiful pattern on their wings. This beautiful Butterfly was busy pollenating the bushes at Bernheim Arboretum.

Here is the Painted Lady with its wings closed. Can you see what I was talking about? What a pattern. This Painted Lady I captured posting for me atop a Black Eyed Susan at Bernheim a while back.

THE BUCKEYE

Here's a Butterfly that I especially like to photograph when their wings are wide open. Look at those spots. No wonder it's called a Buckeye. These Butterflies are common throughout wildflower fields as was this beautiful Buckeye was the day I captured this image at Bernheim Arboretum some years ago.

THE HUMMINGBIRD MOTH

I couldn't resist showing you the only image I have ever captured of a Hummingbird Moth. Seriously, can you see where they got their name. Mother Nature can really create some oddities. But he is a beauty too. I captured this guy buzzing around the Butterfly Bushes at Bernheim a bit ago.

I hope you enjoyed my second series of Butterflies as I loved sharing them with you. What a variety when you look back across the last two posts. I guess I'm a 'Butter Lover'. Have a wonderful 4th. ENJOY!

Summer Tanager

Spending the afternoon walking around Cheekwood Botanical Gardens was a treat today. It was such a beautiful day with blue skies and fluffy white clouds and plenty of sunshine. Very, very few visitors were at the gardens so I felt like I had it all to myself. I took a stroll to the Willis Perennial Garden which I have only visited one other time. As I approached the garden, I looked up finding myself face to face with a gorgeous red bird. No sooner than we had made each other's acquaintance, he flew away.

Taking note of where he flew off to, I walked over to the opposite side of the flower garden in his direction. He was already busy flying down, grabbing something and flying off to a branch nearby. I thought he was a Scarlet Tanager, but later discovered he wasn't. He was a Summer Tanager. A bird I will happily add to my Life List. I watched him intently drop down a second time and grab a bug and fly off to a nearby branch.

I read on All About Birds that the male Summer Tanager is the only completely red bird in North America. The female isn't red either, but rather she is a mustard yellow. Odd. Summer Tanagers migrate as far south as the middle of South America in Winter. What's so remarkable about these birds is how they literally catch bees and wasps 'on the wing' snatching them up without getting stung. I hope you enjoyed this bright spot in my day. And I hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Back soon.

Best of 2016

As 2016 draws to a close, I wanted to spend a few moments and look back through the year. From left to right here we go!

The Bridge at Giverny sets the stage as we meander through the Waterlily Gardens at Gibbs Gardens in northern Georgia. In late Fall at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge in central Tennessee, I photographed a gorgeous wetland scene. Next we are on the shores of Old Hickory Lake where I captured an image of a beautiful Great Blue Heron fishing one early afternooon. Next featured is a gorgeous pond in the Japanese Gardens at Gibbs Gardens, resplendent with foliage and aviary sculptures.

Follow me to one of the many flower gardens at Gibbs Gardens where a Gulf Fritillary Butterfly basks in the hot Summer sun. Next we have a quaint thatched cottage found at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, in late Fall. As we go back to Gibbs Gardens we meander among a plethora of Waterlilies . . . from a deep blue, a lavender and finally a dark blue duo.

Back at Cheekwood, I captured this splendid image of the Tulips display during Cheekwood in Bloom in early Spring. Let's go back once more to Gibbs to find a gorgeous white Waterlily displaying a beautiful reflection in the water in the Waterlily Gardens. For a bit more of Fall, we have an image of Radnor Lake with the woods of Radnor Lake State Park in the background in its Fall splendor. Spring found me in north central Tennessee, just outside the small town of Portland, photographing a gorgeous yellow Canola field in full bloom with a beautiful blue sky as its backdrop. Moving on we find a scene at the Japanese Gardens at Gibbs Gardens featuring a sweeping Weeping Willow Tree draped over one of the many ponds in the gardens. Finally, as I took in the variety of decorated Scarecrows on display at Cheekwood's Fall Harvest Festival, my favorite of this Farm Girl Scarecrow stood out among the rest.

I hope you enjoyed my look back over the past year. I enjoyed Spring, Summer and Fall with each season's beautiful colors. As I wander from home in the New Year, I promise to snap a few pics to share with you upon my return. I trust you are all having a safe and Happy Holiday. ENJOY!

Linking to Wednesday Around the World and Wild Bird Wednesday and Metamorphosis Monday

Afternoon Light in the Color Garden

Afternoon light saturates the beautiful Chrysanthemums, Elephant Ears and Coneflowers in the Bradford Robertson Color Garden at Cheekwood. I walk among the flower beds watching as a Gulf Fritillary flies from bloom to bloom spreading pollen as he sucks up the nectar. The pattern on his wings only God could conjure up. Fall temperatures are slowly creeping into Tennessee after record setting highs this week. I have absolutely no plans for the weekend and that's a very good thing because it has been an especially busy and stressful week. We gain a whole hour this weekend as we 'fall back'. Don't forget your clocks. ENJOY!

Happy Halloween

A bit of nostalgia as I share a photo of my favorite Scarecrow from Cheekwood's Fall Harvest Festival last year. Happy Halloween All. BOO!

Colorful Fall Arbor

As luck would have it, I happened upon the Arbor in the Robert Ellis Color Garden at the perfect time. All of the beautiful Elephant Ears and Cana Lilies were in bloom. Rows and rows of purple and yellow and deep Crimson Chrysanthemums lined the Arbor walkway at Cheekwood during their annual Cheekwood Fall Harvest Festival. Whether you are knee deep in snow high in the mountains, walking along the seashore, down at the lake shore, at the river's edge or rustling through the falling red, orange and yellow leaves of Fall deep in the valley, have a great weekend. ENJOY!

Pumpkin House & Patch

What a fantastic idea to craft a small house completely out of pumpkins and a thatched straw roof. The kiddos loved it as they ran in and out at Cheekwood. There were piles of pumpkins laying all around it in a pumpkin patch fashion. It was a popular area for everyone. It just occurred to me one could make a smaller version of this for a Fall decor display. Oooohhhh! ENJOY!

Linking to Foodie Friday & Everything Else