Bubbles

My daughter. Sometimes you chance into a photo...no setup, just pure luck to capture the perfect moment.

Autumn in the Garden

A few photos taken during a walk with my mom this past Autumn at the UI Botanical Gardens.

Poppy head

Buzzing around

This little guy was flitting about from flower to flower and I got lucky he was still long enough to get this shot. Gosh, I love my poppies.

First poppy

The very first poppy of the season! I love them. They are glorious for about 2-3 weeks each summer and then the blooms die off and I am left with a giant ugly spot in my yard. I was hoping to move them to a different location before they bloomed this spring, but didn't get to it in time. I will have to try to get it done later in the summer.

Apple blossoms

Pinwheel

The back of this tulip reminds me of a pinwheel, one of my favorite childhood toys. :)

A memorial

Hues of purple

Pollination

Tulips on Bamboo

Pink blush

Orange and red

Tulips on the fence

So far, this is my favorite photo of the tulips this year. I love the texture combos!

Crimson tulips

Frilled tulips

Tulip Time!

There is absolutely nothing besides my children that I enjoy photographing more than flowers...and I am lucky enough to have plenty of photo opportunities right in my own backyard! Each spring we have...in order...hyacinth, crocus, daffodil, tulip, iris and gladiolus bulbs. And then we have poppies, columbine, lilac, our rose garden, all the fruit trees, and honeysuckle. I love my gardens!

I know it has been a long time since my last post...I apologize. If you read my other blogs, you probably know the reason for the long absence! So I will start off with a photo I took today of some tulips and hyacinth in my front yard, and I will try to be diligent about posting something new each day or two. :) Enjoy!

Lavender petals

I am blessed to have several Lilac trees in my backyard. Below the Lilacs, we have a run for our chickens, so the Lilacs not only provide shade for them in the summer, but also attract all sorts of insects for them to eat. I like the fragrance they provide, and the opportunity for photographs. :)

Road Trip! Glacier National Park - Mt Vaught

Again, I am not sure if I am getting the name of this mountain correct, but I believe it is Mt Vaught and we were on our way down from the summit (the continental divide) on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Stunning views. Really, the photos do it no justice whatsoever. We had some problems with our van on the way up...serious problems which I cannot recall at the moment, but for a time it appeared we would be stuck on the side of the road. Luckily we managed to get the van going again and decided that heading back to camp might be a prudent idea!

Road Trip! Glacier National Park - Upper McDonald Falls

I showed a photo of Lower McDonald Falls a few posts ago and now here is a look at the upper portion of the falls. We didn't hike to the upper falls...with 4 kids in tow, a mountain hike was not on our agenda...especially after our rain drenched hike back from Avalanche Lake the day before! So I settled for this long distance photo instead. If we ever go back to Glacier, this hike is on my list of 'must-do' hikes.