Weekly Image of Life: Seasons and Changes~ Red Leaves?

“The one red leaf, the last of its clan, 
That dances as often as dance it can,  
Hanging so light, and hanging so high, 
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.”
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834

Our Japanese Maple tree is green for most seasons in bloom~ from spring through summer.  In fall the leaves usually turn a bright, beautiful shade of red.
It truly lights up the garden with its seasonal change.

The Japanese Maple contrasts nicely with the strap-like green and white leaves of the Yucca below it.

Last year’s Japanese Maple in fall…

Last year…

But this year there were changes, even before we got to September.
Our normally green Japanese Maple leaves began turning a bronze-green color in July.
They’ve remained that color for the rest of the summer.  I believe it has to to with our extremely hot, dry weather this summer.  All of our plants have suffered in some way or another, even with watering.

Just this week I began to see a tinge of red around the leaf edges.
Perhaps we’ll get some red after all!  Changes!

This year…

“Change in all things is sweet.” ~Aristotle

The Weekly Image of Life post: Seasons & Changes, is brought to you by Island Traveler’s blog: “This Man’s Journey”.  Check out his post on Seasons & Changes, here, and join the rest of us…by sharing photos or stories of Seasons and Changes.  Each Wednesday, Island Traveler will post a new challenge.  Come join the fun!

Judy

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All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

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Gardening for the Soul

My daughter, Kara, has a lovely garden.  It’s just steps from her door, and it brings abundant color to her living room.  She’s a great gardener, tending her plants with the care of a “flower mother”!  Her garden is a riot of color: blue, red, yellow, purple, orange, white,
and pink.

Gardeners know how good it feels to dig in the dirt and watch their plants grow.
It surely feeds our inner being, our soul.  It’s a connection to the earth and life.

This year Kara’s garden is extraordinary because she dedicated it to the memory of our close friend, who passed away in May.  She told me she wanted to have a beautiful garden because our friend was such a beautiful person inside and out, and always doing things for others.  I think our friend, who was a fantastic gardener herself, is watching over Kara’s garden and smiling. 😉

“Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.”  ~Linda Solegato

Kara’s Garden~

~Zinnias, Salvia, Petunias~

~Impatiens, Salvia~

~pretty orange flower~

~pink daisy-like flower~

“When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.  If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.”
~Author Unknown

~daisy-like flower bud, unfolding~

~purple daisy opening~

~Kara’s Garden….a burst of color from containers!~

Kara’s Garden is not situated on a large piece of land.  She and her husband have a condo and the garden is on the deck!  The deck has benches, so flower boxes fill the benches, railings and the floor below the benches.  She even has a corner with an Herb Garden.  Two “upside down” bagged tomato plants hang from the upper deck, loaded with large green tomatoes!  Those tomato plants are about 6′ tall!
An entire garden in containers!

Do you like to garden?  Do you use containers?

Thanks for visiting.  Please excuse the construction on my new theme!  I’m still playing with the features! 😉

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

Capture the Color

A good blogger friend, as well as an excellent photographer and story teller, This Man’s Journey, has nominated me for the challenge of Capture the Color.

I have just a few hours to complete this challenge!  I’m on the RUN!  😉

The “Capture the Color” challenge has been organized by the blog: Travel Supermarket.  Check out their site, it’s cool!

The Capture the Color challenge is to share a photo representing each of these colors:

RED, BLUE, WHITE, GREEN and YELLOW.
Capture the Color link, click here.

I’m making it a Color Tour.  Is everyone ready to travel?  Hop aboard and buckle your seat belts!

The first stop we’ll make is WHITE.  

WHITE

We discovered this white and rather shaggy mountain goat in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, while hiking the Hidden Lake Trail.
The goat is molting, so that’s why he has a rather unkempt look.  The Hidden Lake Trail begins at Logan Pass and ends
below the rocks the goat is standing on, where you can glimpse a bit of  Hidden Lake.  Glacier National Park is a favorite of ours
as it has a wonderful variety of sights.  Azure lakes, huge white glaciers, waterfalls, great hikes, massive peaks, wildflowers and abundant wildlife.

Next stop: GREEN!

GREEN

The lush spring GREEN landscape surrounding and complementing Fallingwater is a sight to behold!
Fallingwater was designed by the great Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family of Pennsylvania, USA.
As with all his designs, Wright wanted the building to blend in, and become one with the land.
Touring this building shows how far ahead of his time Wright was.  He implemented many design features
that were new then, and continue to be used today.

All aboard for YELLOW!

YELLOW

The bright YELLOW gold dome shines brightly against the blue sky.  Where are we?  Why, we’re in the City of Light~ Paris!
You are looking through the archway at the l’Eglise du Dome….the church of Les Invalides and the site of Napoleon’s tomb.
This structure was built by Louis XIV between 1671-1676 to shelter old and wounded soldiers.  The church is astoundingly beautiful.
Surrounding the courtyard are museums filled with the artifacts of war: uniforms, guns, swords, flags, and more.  The painted ceiling in
the dome is stunning and a definite must-see!   My daughter and I loved Paris but lost/couldn’t find the Eiffel Tower when we
first arrived!    Click here for the story..

Buckle up!  We’re moving on to RED!

RED

The RED rocks of Zion National Park rise high above us as we hike the Riverside Trail.  We are sheltered by the RED canyon as we walk
alongside the Virgin River.  Zion National Park is located in Utah, USA, an area with many beautiful and unique rock formations.

Our last tour stop is BLUE!

BLUE

The AZURE BLUE waters of Moraine Lake in Alberta, Canada, are calling us to visit.  This lake is one of my
favorites.  Even though there were many people visiting the shores of the BLUE lake, it was quiet and peaceful.
Capturing the red canoe in the middle gives perspective to the size and grandeur of the mountains that surround it.
Come on…dip your toes in!

I really enjoyed having you join me on the Capture the Color tour!  We’ll plan another one soon!
(As the challenge time is nearly over, I don’t think I can name anyone else to do it.  In fact, I may have missed the deadline myself!)

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Weekly Image of Life: Summertime Blast~ Zion National Park

We had a Rockin’ good summertime blast at Zion National Park!  

And you know why!   There were lots of gorgeous rocks to gaze at, hike upon, and take photos of.

Here are some more of those larger than life creations of nature~

This was taken at the start of our  Emerald Pools Hike….
It was a great hike to take, alongside the river,  on a warm day’s BLAST of heat in Zion canyon.

The Virgin River at the start of the Emerald Pools Hike.

 

This was taken on the Riverside Walk Trail.  I wanted to have a comparison between the rock and people, to show how large the rock is.

 I waited until the couple got to the large slab of rock, and then I snapped the shutter.

A massive slab of rock that fell a long time ago, rests against the mountain.

The last photo shows the LAST BLAST of SUMMER……a colorful summer sunset.

The last sunset we saw on our trip.

Where did you enjoy a summertime blast this year?

Thanks for visiting!
Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Water Dragon Sunday Post: Close-Up ~ Zion National Park

  “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.  It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
~Charles Darwin

Close-up…..Zion National Park…..”Garden Wall”

 

In Zion National Park, there is a short hike of a mile alongside the Virgin River.  The name of the hike is “Riverside Walk”.
Good things come in small packages.  There are plenty of wonderful sights to see on this short hike, on mostly level ground.
Every time you turn a corner, you open up a new vista between the massive canyon walls.
One of the sights to behold is the “Garden Wall”.  It is so named because constant dripping water down the rock face has created an environment for plants to grow.
One is able to gaze at the colorful rock facade and see various plants growing in niches all the way to the top.

Thanks for visiting!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Canyon View

Dear Blogger Friends….

I’m on a trip in the Southwest U.S.   Today I’m sharing a photo of the Grand Canyon with you.   I will return shortly.

I apologize for not answering comments and visiting blogs.  I’ll play catch-up when I get a chance.

I have taken 1000 photos so far!   So, I’ll have lots of images to share with you!

Take care….

Judy

A view of the Grand Canyon

Weekly Image of Life: Breathtaking

 Standing on the south rim of the Grand Canyon was breathtaking.

The sharp drop from where I was standing to the bottom of the canyon seemed like miles.  The jagged faces of the colorful rocks were beautiful, like spires in a cathedral.  In fact, I felt as if I was in a very spiritual place.  

It was winter, and there weren’t many tourists.

It was quiet and peaceful.  At times, all I could hear were our own voices.

The sheer beauty of the vast, deep canyon took my breath away.

The south rim of the Grand Canyon.

What took your breath away?

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Ancient Artifact? or ?

Is this an ancient artifact?

An ancient Greek Sun symbol?

Or is it something else?

An ancient artifact? !!

Actually I can’t fool any of you!  This is sort of ancient…er um….it’s from last  summer’s garden!  Now can you guess?
As near as I can tell, it’s a Purple Coneflower.  We have them in the area where I found this cool specimen.  It makes such a great photo subject.  And….as you can see below, I had fun playing on PhotoShop with it too. 

Dried Purple Coneflower with the "Dry Brush" effect from PhotoShop.

 

Thanks for viewing my Coneflower!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Les Belles Fleurs L’hiver (beautiful flowers in winter)

Hello great blog readers!
I’m ready for spring!  If we can’t have spring let’s have some nice, deep snow!  I haven’t had a chance to cross-country ski or snowshoe yet.  It has been a different kind of winter for our whole country!  The south is freezing and the northern ski slopes are struggling for lack of snow.

I’m controlling Mother Nature today and I declare it’s SPRING in my house!
I like to buy inexpensive bunches of tulips at the market in the winter.  It brings color into the house and it brightens a dreary day.
Plus….it gives me something else to on which to practice my indoor Macro shots.  I’ve taken photos of all the pens, boxes, plants, lamps, paperweights, coasters, floors, candle holders and plates in the house already, so this gives me some variety! 😉

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.
–  Gertrude S. Wister

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 ~And just a reminder from Mother Nature that winter isn’t over yet…..we got 2″ of snow overnight. 😉

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Have a colorful, happy day!
Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Random

Since there was no official WordPress Photo Challenge this week, several of us are doing our own.  I followed Maggie’s path and did RANDOM.  Random can mean scattered, as in these scattered leaves from fall.

Scattered Leaves

I sit in the warm fall sun,
The wind whirling about me.
My face is upturned to
Feel the warmth
Of the rays on my face.
I welcome the sunshine
After so many days of rain.
The wind caresses and tickles,
Blowing my hair askew.
It sends leaves scattering
In a vortex of color
Around me,
And I am dazzled by
Their beauty.

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.