A FEW FAVORITES FROM MY ARCHIVES TAKEN IN LATE 2008/EARLY 2009

 You can enlarge each photo for more details. 

Yellow-collared Lovebird taken in an aviary while visiting the Honolulu Zoo.

Fir tree with pinecone (taken 200 hundred smiles south, still in Virginia). I tried to find out what type it was, but the closest ID was an Eastern White Pine. They were found along a wooded pathway next to water near the coast.

Examples of pine found online.  What do you think? 

Great Blue Heron taken in Florida.

Spider Flower - Tarenaya hassleriana

Mallard in Washington DC.

Last one - a large embedded tile in the wall of a seafood restaurant. It was torn down and in its place, a storage facility. I hope someone had the good sense to save that tile. I thought it was a lovely work of art.

That's about it for my favorites. I hope you have enjoyed them.

Thanks for looking and 

have a great day.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - FAVORITE PHOTO

 

I loved the side-eye on this beauty! This is one of two oxen we saw at Mount Vernon in 2016.  

What do you think he is saying?

Have a wonderful Sunday and thank you for visiting.  

FAVORITE PHOTO - BLACK-HEADED GULL

A photo from my archives of a Black-headed gull. You can read all about them here. It was taken in Oslo in 1914.

Here is a little info about them. Black-headed gulls are native to Norway but are a common sight in Europe and Asia, and are highly adaptable to a variety of habitats. 

In breeding season, black-headed gulls have a dark chocolate brown to blackish frontal hood, white eye-crescents, and a while neck. In winter, their head turns a dusky white. 

Most black-headed gulls migrate and spend the winter further south, but some remain in the milder westernmost areas of Europe. 

Other gull species found in Norway include: Common gull, Great black-backed gull and Black-legged kittiwake, Lesser black-backed gull and Little gull. 

More info can be found at the above link. 

Thank you very much for visiting and I hope your day is a great one.

WHEN YOU ARE SAD MY LITTLE STAR

An old photo of mine and a favorite I have shared before.

"When you're sad my Little Star, go out of doors.  It's always better underneath the open sky."

~Eva Ibbotson~

A Countess Below Stairs. 

If you click on the author's name under the quote, you will see where I got the following information from. There is a lot more to read.

"Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson (née Wiesner; 21 January 1925 – 20 October 2010), was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her children's literature. Some of her novels for adults have been reissued for the young adult market. The historical novel Journey to the River Sea (Macmillan, 2001) won her the Smarties Prize in category 9–11 years, garnered an unusual commendation as runner-up for the Guardian Prize, and made the Carnegie, Whitbread, and Blue Peter shortlists. She was a finalist for the 2010 Guardian Prize at the time of her death. Her last book, The Abominables, was among four finalists for the same award in 2012.”

A FAVORITE PHOTO

I cannot remember where I took this photo, but I loved the shape of it and best of all the color. Because it will be a while before I see such flowers again, I have been looking at some of my old photos.

You will probably recognize the Garden cosmos, also known as Tall cosmos, Mexican aster, Cosmos and Annual cosmos. Its botanical name is Cosmos bipinnatus.

It is an herbaceous annual plant often cultivated as an ornamental in temperate regions. Due to its self- sowing ability, garden cosmos can grow on the same spot for several years, even though it is an annual. Not surprisingly, this quality also made it an invasive species in certain areas of the world. Happily it is not toxic to animals or humans. 

"Cosmos" is from the Greek language, meaning a harmonious and orderly universe. Contrary to "chaos", Cosmos is used to describe how these charming flowers bring colors to gardens, so it is called the garden cosmos.

I was also very interested to find out that that Cosmos represents science. The story goes that it was once chosen to be given to Saint Felix, the dean of the monastic college in Oxford. He made great contributions to the development of Oxford and Oxford University. It can be said that he is the patron saint of knowledge. Another saying about it is that it represents wild beauty and eternal happiness, a symbol of order and harmony.

I think I will be planting these in our garden next growing season in great profusion.

Thanks for looking everyone and I hope your day is a great one.

AN OLD FAVORITE - A DOG ON POINT WITH A SPARROW?

 

A favorite from my archives. The weathervane caught my attention when we were on one of our weekend drives. We had stopped to look at an old building and this was on the roof. The sparrow refused to pose long enough for a photo. He was already heading south! You will see him if you look along the downward line of the roof.

"If twice rotates the weathervane, 

it’s indicating wind and rain."

~Author Unknown~

and

“You who travel with the wind, 

what weathervane shall direct your course?”

~Khalil Gibran~

Thanks so much for visiting, I hope your weekend is a great one, and that your weathervane is caught by a faint breeze to cool your day.

FAVORITES - SUBJECT: LEAVES

 Leaves can be as pretty as a flower.  Here are a few favorites, not taken this past month but over several years.

“Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf.  It’s ordinary to love the beautiful, but it’s beautiful to love the ordinary.”

~M. J. Korvan~

A FEW FAVORITE PHOTOS - ANIMALS AND BIRDS

 The start of a new month has usually been where I wanted to share a collage of the previous month's favorite photos from our garden walks.  However, there were no garden walks in August.  I hope to get back to normal soon. These are from my archives where I found several favorite animal and bird photos.  You may remember seeing them from before, but I haven't shared them for a very long time.  They were taken in various places over a dozen years or so.

Thanks for stopping by and 

I wish you all a very happy and peaceful September!

FAVORITES FROM JULY 2022

 

These were all favorites taken at Green Spring Gardens last month.  If you click this link, it will take you to their home page. 

A LITTLE BUNDLE OF FLUFF...

An old favorite from Walney Pond.  We came across these little darlings just clambering all over each other, ending up in a little ball of cuteness. Their parents were watching over them and we did not get any closer than our zoom allowed us.  Like all the wildlife we see, we are very happy to be given this gift.

FAVORITES FROM JUNE 2022

  Happy July everyone, Happy Fourth of July Weekend to those celebrating, and Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends out there!  I hope this month will be a good one for you all.

I am adding more favorites from the previous month.  I intend to do this regularly, as long as there is plenty of computer time.  I started last month at this link.  Today I am also adding a list of what and where these photos were taken.  Also another quote as you know how I enjoy those, and hoping that you will too.

"A picture is a poem without words."

~Horace~

Top left: Photo art of an eagle statue near the visitor center at Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, Virginia.  I enjoyed using Paint Shop Pro for this one.

Top row middle: Tree Swallow, also at Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, Virginia.

Top row right: Cat Bird in one of our trees in our back yard. 

Middle row left: Yellow Coneflower at Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, Virginia.

Middle row, in the middle: Female Eastern Cardinal, also taken in one of the trees in our back yard.

Middle row right: Siberian Lily, new to our front garden and recently planted.

Bottom row left: Female Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly at Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, Virginia.

Bottom row middle: Red Fox surprised me on our back deck one night.

Bottom right: Black Swallowtail at Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, Virginia.

Probably not the right Horace but the only Horace I found of interest was this one.  Born Quintus Horatius Flaccus (born December 8th, 65 BC), known in the English-speaking world as "Horace", was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.  He was a soldier, scriba quaestorius, poet and senator.

FAVORITES FROM MAY

 Today I am sharing a collage from last month's favorite photos.  There were many and not all are here.  It is so hard to choose a few.

"Instructions for life: pay attention.  

Be astonished.  Tell about it."

~Mary Oliver~