Small creatures

I think this is a type of dragonfly. Love the way its wings sparkle in the light.

Not sure what kind of moth this is, but it was definitely happy in these purple blossoms.  

In the upper right, there's a bee buzzing its way to a Trumpet Vine tubular.

And soon we'll go out for an evening walk amidst the sound of frogs and crickets.

Rose glow

In memory of Mom.

Soaring...

 

 

In remembrance.

Moving into Fall

The days become shorter. 

Day lilies bloom. This would make a lovely stained glass window.

The change of season may bring a change of fashion.  

And the daisy family reigns in the garden.

Gone wild

This white duck must have gotten bored with life on the farm. Or perhaps it escaped the butcher's hatchet just in time..... 

Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath. 
~ Michael Caine

Road Work

I saw on the internet that Arizona was dealing with some unusual traffic problems this morning. 

And it reminded me of this sign (also from the internet) that greeted motorists a couple of years ago on their way to work.

Have a good commute -- and watch out for rogue road signs....

Blooms and bugs

 

Echinacea visited by a bee. (won't you bee my honey tonite?) 

Black-eyed Susans with a Pine White butterfly, which, according to my butterfly book, is "a pest of pines and balsam firs in the West". 

And here are rose hips, sans bugs. 

Catching Trochilidae

Earlier this year I said I'd try to catch a hummingbird  -- in a photo, of course. I don't quite have the proper equipment, but here are a couple of attempts of a female Black-chinned Hummingbird. In this first one, she has her back to us as she's taking a drink. 

Here she's perched -- for a few seconds. Even when they perch, they seem to be vibrating. 

According to Wikipedia: The Aztec god Huitzilopochtli is often depicted as a hummingbird. The Nahuatl word huitzil (hummingbird) is an onomatopoeic word derived from the sounds of the hummingbird's wing-beats and zooming flight.

I'll finish this with a tableau of Morning Glories and Daylily we spied while taking a walk.

Bee-havior

I love the vivid red of this Rock Rose blossom, and by chance I happened to capture a bee in flight while taking this photo. The strange thing is that the bee looks to be flying upside down. I don't know much about bee flight. Do they do acrobatics while buzzing from blossom to blossom, like little stunt planes? Any apiologists out there who know?     

Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.  
~ James Russell Lowell

After the storm

It looks more like a parade has passed through than a storm. Even with all its violent energy, perhaps a storm is a kind of celebration? 

The greater difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests. 
~Epicurus

Antidote

A respite from summer heat. 

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. 
~Sam Keen

Capital capitol

The Idaho capitol was recently reopened after several years of restoration. We made a short visit during the weekend to check it out.

The building was completed in 1905 and is similar in architectural style to several other state capitols with a central dome and rotunda.

 

It features columns and beautiful staircases. Some are marble; some are surfaced with scagliola - "fake marble".

In the old days, vaults were necessary to store records and other valuables.

But today, the vault has a different purpose....
:-)

Flight

Yesterday we visited one of my favorite places in the town, The MK Nature Center. It was a sunny, glorious day, perfect for a mini-getaway and for taking photos.

Two-tailed Swallowtail taking in a little lunch.  

Rose at sunset

I wish all of you a happy and beautiful 4th of July. 

It is at the edge of the petal that love waits. 
William Carlos Williams 

What's in a name? That which we call a rose 
By any other name would smell as sweet. 
William Shakespeare

Dreamy

These clouds caught my fancy. Musical, a band playing in the sky....

"Happiness is spoken here"

This neighborhood market was owned and managed for many years by a lady named Margaret. A very independent spirit, she always spoke her mind. She often had banners and signs posted addressing the politicians and policies she disagreed with.

 She also had sandwich board signs set up out front with positive sayings to greet her customers.

A few weeks ago, the store went dark. A sign on the door said it was "closed due to illness".  And in today's news was a short article saying she'd passed away. She was 95.

The market is one of the very few neighborhood markets left in Boise. But with her passing, its future is uncertain. Will it continue as a neighborhood store? Will it transform into another kind of retail store? Will it be torn down and become an apartment complex or someone's house?

I didn't know Margaret, but I hope she is in a place where "happiness is spoken".

Peonies

Lovely blooms right now.

Red against green

As seen several hours after a storm.

Tail-end of the tulips

As seen during a walk.

Cutting edge?

Saw this scene of sunlight and shadows one recent morning during breakfast, and had to take a photo.