1/365: "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." ~ Tony Robbins

365 Project

I began this project on January 1 and thought about it for months before I committed. I wanted to be sure that I could succeed, so I contemplated what I wanted to achieve and considered everything that would be a possible problem. I spent time reading advice from people who have done this project in the past. I looked at different projects to see what others had done. The notion of a 365 project …  (read more)
193/365: "The biggest emotion in creation is the bridge to optimism." ~ Brian May

193/365: "The biggest emotion in creation is the b…

12 Jul 2013 25 11 892
ACK!!! It's 11pm and I just got home a few minutes ago! Steve and I left the house at 7:45am and met our friend Michael and then drove 2.5 hours away to a lovely town called Cottage Grove, where we spent the day going on an amazing bike ride which took us to many beautiful covered bridges, around the edge of a gorgeous lake, and through sun-dappled forests! It was 35 miles of incredible scenery on a perfect day which we will never forget!! This pictures shows flowers called Queen Anne's Lace in the foreground and one of the covered bridges in bokeh beyond! WHAT A DAY...and now it's time for bed! No time for more pictures tonight, and I'll have to look at my pictures tomorrow! Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and astrophysicist who achieved international fame as the guitarist of Queen. As a guitarist he uses his home-built guitar, "Red Special". Queen's albums include numerous May compositions, including "Tie Your Mother Down", "I Want It All", "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Who Wants to Live Forever". Wikipedia: Brian May Explored on July 13, 2013. Highest placement, page 3 (#68). Also Explored on Flickr on July 12, 2013. Highest placement: #405.
194/365: "I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect - they are much more interesting." ~ Marc Jacobs

194/365: "I always find beauty in things that are…

13 Jul 2013 45 22 1636
This is the flower I was planning to feature a couple of days ago when the hoverfly zoomed in and demanded center stage! :D These are called Bachelor Buttons or Cornflowers. Did you know this is the national flower of Estonia, France and Germany?! It's known as a "Bachelor's Button" because at one time, young men would wear this flower to show they were in love. However, this flower is also worn as a symbol in different countries for many reasons including honoring veterans and showing political favoritism. This flower is considered a "beneficial weed" because it's edible and is used in tea and sometimes in salads! If you'd like to know more about this beautiful, popular flower, Wiki has a great page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornflower The reason I chose today's quote is because the composition in my opinion is off...I really wanted to get that flower on a third but to do that, I'd have to crop out important elements in the background. I think that this image has good balance but that flower in front...is so centered! Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with over 200 retail stores in 80 countries.He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997. Jacobs was on Time magazine's "2010 Time 100" list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and ranked number 14 on Out magazine's 2012 list of "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America". Wikipedia: Marc Jacobs Explored on July 14, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#43).
195/365: "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit." ~ Aristotle

195/365: "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but…

14 Jul 2013 40 18 1548
4 images in notes above!! :) Today was Steve's Sunday Brunch Ride, and we rode our bikes from our home around a beautiful valley nearby, and stopped at the lovely Touvelle Park on the Rogue River. After eating lunch, I wandered around taking pictures and was very surprised when I found a PLUM TREE growing next to the bank! AMAZING! (Thanks to Leapfrog Art for helping to point me in the right direction on identifying the species, I found a page about these plums here: Stringer's Orchard: Pacific Plum ) Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato's teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. Aristotle's writings were the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality, aesthetics, logic, science, politics, and metaphysics. Wikipedia: Aristotle Explored on July 15, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#38).
196/365: "The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives." ~ Albert Einstein

196/365: "The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sph…

15 Jul 2013 30 9 1144
2 more pictures in notes above! :) The other day I was walking down our road to get the mail when I noticed something round and glowing on some Oak leaves. I was surprised to see nearly a dozen galls very close together on a number of leaves. These fascinating things actually contain the larva of a Speckled Oak Gall Wasp. There are many kinds of Gall Wasps, and there are many shapes of the galls which form around the eggs layed on leaves. The larva eat the tissue inside the galls and eventually emerge as adults! Would you like to see the inside of a speckled gall? Take a peek! Outside and Inside an Oak Gall If you would like to know more about wasp galls, Wiki has a very good page here: Wikipedia: Gall Wasp Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century. While best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"), he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory. Wikipedia: Albert Einstein Explored on July 16, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#46).
197/365: "Practice is the best of all instructors." ~ Publilius Syrus

197/365: "Practice is the best of all instructors.…

16 Jul 2013 46 14 1369
2 more pictures in notes above! This morning I went into the garden, and what should I find but another hoverfly like I did the other day! This one was doing a LOT of hovering in place, and after being totally frustrated with autofocus not zeroing in on the fly, I decided to turn it off and use manual focus. What a perfect subject to practice on! I rarely use manual focus because autofocus is so accurate with the Canon 100mm 2.8L lens. However, I also know that I should use manual focus more than I do, because autofocus isn't always reliable and there are times--like this--when you won't get the shot without using your own two eyes to focus! Once I brought my camera up and looked through the eyepiece, I was delighted how well I could track him as he hovered and moved here and there, focusing in and out and sometimes peering around my camera to see where it was. Just like anything, practice makes perfect, and my first bunch of shots were all a blur. But when I saw this picture on my computer, I burst out laughing and clapped my hands in exhultation!!! "I DID IT!! I DID IT!!!" I shrieked in excitement! Tack sharp with manual focus...*SNOOPY DANCE*!!! I would have liked to have been a little closer, but it's a minor complaint!! I will DEFINITELY be using manual focus more in the future, now that I can see that I can get very good results with my own focusing!! :D Publilius Syrus, a Latin writer of maxims, flourished in the 1st century BC. He was a Syrian who was brought as a slave to Italy, but by his wit and talent he won the favour of his master, who freed and educated him. Publilius' name, due to early medieval palatalization of 'l' between two 'i', is often presented by manuscripts (and some printed editions) in corrupt form as 'Publius'. Wikipedia: Publilius Syrus Explored on July 17, 2013. Highest placement, page 1 (#27).
198/365: "We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." ~ Marilyn Monroe

198/365: "We are all of us stars, and we deserve t…

17 Jul 2013 36 11 1397
2 more pictures in notes above! :D These beautiful milkweed flowers grow out in our meadow and down by our seasonal pond and remind me of clusters of miniature columbines. I'll be showing more pictures of this remarkable flower in the future, which looks similar to a badminton bird from the side! Amazing! But from the top down, they are perfect stars, dazzling in the morning sun! Thanks to Pink Kat for identifying this flower for me! I remembered SOMEONE having some beautiful pictures of this flower but I just couldn't remember who it was!! THANKS KAT!!! YOU ROCK!!! *hugs* (BTW, I added texture to the background and the buds to give this image a little more drama and bring the flowers out.) Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, model, and singer, who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s and early 1960s. Wikipedia: Marilyn Monroe Explored on July 18, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#47).
199/365: "I think in life, if you continue to challenge yourself, you can pride yourself in what you continuously accomplish." ~ J. R. Martinez

199/365: "I think in life, if you continue to chal…

18 Jul 2013 46 20 1552
4 more pictures in notes! :D You can also find me on Facebook ! Sometimes I just cannot resist a juicy challenge! A few weeks ago I was invited to a really fun new group here on ipernity called "Bokeh Thursday" . There are lots of theme groups out there to help motivate, inspire, educate and entertain members, but this one was a group I thought I could actually participate in while being committed to my 365 Project, since most of my pictures are all about bokeh! To make things more interesting, there is a new theme every week. This week's theme was the letter "T"--anything that starts with T could be your subject. I actually had a hard time getting to sleep last night as I lay in bed thinking about subjects I could photograph that started with T... texture... turtle... thread... television... tool... toy... turkey... the list grew in my mind until I suddenly remembered what's in full bloom outside and screaming for me to photograph it...TEASEL!!! And...TAR WEED!! And then, when I woke up this morning and happily immersed myself taking pictures, I got pictures of bumble bees sticking their long TONGUES out...and I found THORNS and THISTLE... lol... this main picture showed me another thing to go with teasel... TWIRL! I finally had to pull myself back into the house by my ear (how do I do that, anyway?!) or I'd still be out there taking pictures of TREES and the TABLE ROCKS (huge, beautiful plateau formation visible from our home)...and groupings of TWO and THREE or even TEN! Oh brother... I ended up processing five pictures in all and I hope you enjoy my Bokeh Thursday submissions! By the way, our group would LOVE to have new members--if this group sounds like fun, please come and join us!! :) Jose Rene "J. R." Martinez (born June 14, 1983) is an American actor, motivational speaker and former U.S. Army soldier. Starting in 2008, he played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. He is the winner of Season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Martinez served as the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Rose Parade. In 2003, Martinez sustained severe burns to over 34 percent of his body while serving as an Army infantryman in Iraq. Since his recovery, he has traveled around the country speaking about his experiences to corporations, veterans groups, schools and other organizations. Wikipedia: J.R. Martinez Explored in July 19, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#37).
200/365: "Beauty awakens the soul to act." ~ Dante Alighieri

200/365: "Beauty awakens the soul to act." ~ Dante…

19 Jul 2013 46 17 1356
2 pictures in notes and 1 text note above! :) Yesterday Steve and I went out to do some shopping and I decided to buy a couple of flowering plants for my garden! It was very hard to choose, but I ended up purchasing an Echinacea variety and this one, which is a strawberry cultivar called Strawberry Lipstick! It smells like very sweet strawberry candy or Fruit Loops! I loved the hot pink color and the amazing looking stamens and couldn't wait to take pictures today! Durante degli Alighieri, simply referred to as Dante (c. 1265–1321), was a major Italian poet of the Middle Ages. His Divine Comedy, originally called La Comedia and later called Divina by Boccaccio, is widely considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature. Wikipedia: Dante Alighieri Explored on July 20, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#32).
201/365: "Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself." ~ Saint Francis de Sales

201/365: "Have patience with all things, But, firs…

20 Jul 2013 51 19 1998
2 pictures in notes above! :) A few days ago I was out taking pictures of flowers in my little garden when a hummingbird flew up and sipped nectar from the allium blossoms. I had no chance of taking a picture but hoped that at some point I might get lucky. This morning I was taking pictures of a white poppy when...ZOOM!!! In comes the hummingbird, flitting from allium to poppy flowers, and then up and away. Not enough time to aim, but I stopped what I was doing and hoped and waited patiently for it to return. Then, to my delight, down it flew and hovered in front of one of my gladiolus flowers! It was close enough to get pictures and I was READY!! I managed to get about twenty pictures, and these three were my favorites! I am so excited because these are the first pictures I've ever taken of a hummingbird away from a feeder!!! HOORAY!!! Francis de Sales, C.O., T.O.M., A.O.F.M. Cap. (French: François de Sales) (21 August 1567 – 28 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honored as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God. Wikipedia: Francis de Sales Explored on July 21, 2013. Highest position, page 1 (#25).
NAMING CONTEST!!!!! 202/365: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." ~ William Shakespeare

NAMING CONTEST!!!!! 202/365: "What's in a name? Th…

21 Jul 2013 36 16 1399
3 pictures in notes above! :) I went outside this morning to water my garden and as I trotted down the few stairs from our porch, I glanced at the walls to see if there were any critters to investigate. I was looking at the wall where our Rhodedendron bush grows and suddenly I saw a shape that grabbed my attention...could it be?!! NO WAY!!! *Janet bounces up and down in excitement* A GOLDEN ORBWEAVER SPIDER!!!! AT THE HOUSE!!! YES!!!!!!! I am crazy about these spiders and yet I have had very little luck finding them on our property. I did find one two summers ago when I was using my point and shoot camera, but I have always wanted to take a picture with my new camera. Last year I looked and looked with no luck. This year, I've been searching but didn't find any either. But it appears that I have a new friend who's found ME!!! HOORAY!!! I'm hoping this spider will stay here for a while, and in case it does, I think it should have a NAME!! This is where YOU come in!! SPIDER NAMING CONTEST!!! (She's a girl!) Last September when I found my baby Cat-Faced Orbweaver spider on our porch, I had a naming contest! It was a lot of fun to choose Roscoe Frank McCrawlerson from everyone's names, and I thought I have another naming contest for this spider! (I found out that she is a female after asking at Bugguide.com!) If you have a nice name, put it in a comment, and after a few days I'll pick the winner! You can choose a name with one name or if you like, you can come up with a first, a middle, and a last name! However, it's possible that I might take just a part of that name for the winning name--let's find out! LET THE BEST NAME(S) WIN!!! William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Wikipedia: William Shakespeare Explored on July 22, 2012. Highest placement, page 2 (#44).
203/365: "Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

203/365: "Happiness is a butterfly, which when pur…

22 Jul 2013 50 22 1449
6 pictures in notes above and 2 text note! :D Today I was thinking about milkweed flowers and what some of you said: that I might be able to find monarch butterfly eggs on the leaves. Well, I went to see but I didn't find any that look like monarch eggs, but I did find some other eggs! (See my third upload!) While I was looking at the flowers, I found this gorgeous skipper on a stem and also a beautiful wasp visiting the blossoms! Enjoy! Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. Wikipedia: Nathaniel Hawthorne Explored on July 23, 2013. Highest placement, page 1 (#26).
204/365: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ~ Gandhi

204/365: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Lea…

23 Jul 2013 41 18 1679
3 pictures in notes above! :) I went out to take pictures of milkweed blossoms today and also to see if I might find some different eggs on the leaves. Though I didn't find another kind of egg, look what I found resting under some milkweed blossoms, and right next to many stems that were completely covered in eggs!! I think it's a pretty safe bet that I found out what these eggs will turn into! (Still I won't know for sure until the eggs that I have hatch--they are exactly the same as these ones) Thanks very much to Art (Leapfrog) for positively identifying this beautiful lady as a Clio Tiger Moth (Ectypia clio)! ! If you would like to know more about this moth, here is a page to look at!: Pacific Northwest Moths: Clio Tiger Moth Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world. Wikipedia: Mahatma Gandhi Explored on July 24, 2013. Highest position, page 2 (#37).
205/365: "Butterflies are self-propelled flowers." ~ Robert A. Heinlein

205/365: "Butterflies are self-propelled flowers."…

24 Jul 2013 66 23 2260
3 more pictures in notes above! :) You know, I think the insect population on our property is conspiring against me featuring Milkweed blossoms as my Picture of the Day! Granted, I have a "top down" view that I featured the other day, but these flowers are amazing when seen from the side too, and deserve top billing!! When I arrived at our now-dry pond, where the largest concentration of Milkweed flowers bloom, I saw a tiny white butterfly flitting about from blossom to blossom...and all thoughts of flowers flew out of my head. BUTTERFLY!!!!!! *hyperventilating begins* You know, someone really ought to get a video of me taking pictures of a butterfly. It would be totally hilarious. Creeeeeeep.... *click*... creeeeeeeeep.... *click*... *butterfly giggles and gives me a raspberry before flitting off to a flower a hundred feet away* *Janet comes up with a dozen new good-natured expletives...after all, butterflies are skittish! :D* Creeeeeep ... *click*.... creeeeep... *click* ... *butterfly cackles evilly and flies to the next state* *more good-natured expletives, big sigh, fingers crossed that maybe one will turn out* I used to try frantically aiming all over the place as a butterfly zoomed everywhere...FORGET IT! :D I won't bother anymore unless they are being at least a little consistent in their travels! (um, fat chance!) :D Anyway, I had a wonderful time with this butterfly. It actually hung out long enough for a wonderful series of images! Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre in his time. He set a standard for scientific and engineering plausibility, and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. Wikipedia: Robert A. Heinlein Explored on July 25, 2013. Highest placement, page 1 (#20).
206/365: "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." ~ Marcus Aurelius

206/365: "When you arise in the morning, think of…

25 Jul 2013 44 24 1790
2 more pictures in notes above! :) My garden is still in the middle of a poppy blossom extravaganza, and though I could have shared some really neat pictures every single day for the past several weeks, I think you guys would hunt me down and shoot me for boring you to death with Yet Another Poppy Flower!! :D :D I *HAVE* been taking pictures most days and it's been really hard to resist sharing pictures on many occasions... and today... well, there wasn't anyway I could refuse! It's not my fault that poppies glow so amazingly in the morning light!! Today I fell over when I saw this salmon-colored, double-layered poppy. Which was covered with droplets from my garden watering. And then a hoverfly landed on it. The last straw was some really cool bokeh and that was just too much! *Janet explodes and the picture gets Pick of the Day* Not my fault. Blame the hoverfly. :D Marcus Aurelius (26 April 121 AD – 17 March 180 AD) was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers. Wikipedia: Marcus Aurelius Explored on July 26, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#34)
207/365: "Isn't it the sweetest mockery to mock our enemies?" ~ Sophocles

207/365: "Isn't it the sweetest mockery to mock ou…

26 Jul 2013 106 26 2426
2 more pictures in notes above! :) This morning after my photo shoot, I was about to head upstairs when I noticed a dark blotch on one of the dog's water bowls. Freezing, I wondered excitedly, "Could it be what I think it is???!" Slowly peering down to get a closer look, a pair of froggy eyes peered back at me! YES!!! A PACIFIC TREE FROG!!! IN THE WATER BOWL! WOO HOO!!! I backed up and quietly got my camera, put on the macro flash and returned. I think I heard something like, "Oh no... that human is back... I know, I'll keep really still and she won't see me!!" Instead, I cooed at it, "Aww, just look at how cute you are!" as I began taking pictures. Froggy began to sink down the side of the bowl, while seeming to say, "Lady, do you realize that you're blinding me with that pair of blazing suns you have there?!" I took a bunch of pictures as he creeped around the inside of the bowl and then climbed up to the lip, preparing to leap. "That's IT! I've totally had it with you and your Blasting Light Rays of Blindness! Not cool! Not cool at all!!" Unseen by us, a fly on the wall hears the commotion. Cackling gleefully, it mumbles to itself, "Now this is one show I gotta see!" Down it zooms, into my view, and then, to my complete surprise, right on the frog's head. Froggy yells out in my general direction, "INSULT TO INJURY!!! I CRY FOUL!! First you blind me, then you follow me around this bowl and keep flashing suns at me, and NOW THERE IS A FLY ON MY HEAD!" *fly blows raspberries at the frog and me* "BWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!! I AM THE PHOTOBOMBING FLY, HEAR ME ROAR!!...or well, hear me blow raspberries!" *Janet clicks the shutter release exactly ONCE* The fly zooms off, cackling into the wild blue yonder and the frog leaps off the bowl, screaming, "GOODBYE, CRUEL WORLD!!!" ... and lands on the soft plush rug three inches below. I pick up the squirming froggy, who's screaming, "GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF MY SILKY DRAWERS!!!" and I carefully cage it in my hands, run some water over it to get rid of the coating of dog hair and take the enraged amphibean outside where it crawls onto a leaf spluttering obcenities at me as I leave, and I coo an affectionate goodbye to my darling little friend. Living in the countryside is so much fun!! :D Sophocles (c. 497/6 BC – winter 406/5 BC) is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides. According to the Suda, a 10th-century encyclopedia, Sophocles wrote 123 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, The Women of Trachis, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most-fêted playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens that took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in around 30 competitions, won perhaps 24, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won 14 competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles, while Euripides won only 4 competitions. Wikipedia: Sophocles Explored on July 27, 2013. Highest placement: page 1 (#17)...
208/365: "Intimidation doesn't last very long." ~ Lenny Wilkens

208/365: "Intimidation doesn't last very long." ~…

27 Jul 2013 60 19 2003
4 more pictures in notes above! This morning I decided to go right over to the Milkweed flowers, since I've been finding so many insects there to photograph. Wow, did I ever find insects! I was only out there for about 15 minutes and saw several types of bees, three kinds of wasps and hornets, two types of skippers and four different species of butterflies. There were lots of beetles too, and flies I'm sure were around. The thing that's surprising is that upon first inspection, nothing was there. But after standing still for a moment, the insects zoomed back in to carry on their business. Makes me wonder how many insects I would see if I spent several hours here! Of course, I can't do it. I am always extremely wary of burning myself out, if even just for one day. That kind of thing builds up and I can't risk it because this 365 project requires me to take new pictures every day. If I got sick of taking pictures, it would be a disaster! So I'll have to see about an extended photography session next year. Something to look forward to! As I watched to see what was visiting the flowers, I hoped that a certain wasp I'd seen in the past would come by. This wasp is huge--about 2" long and you can really hear these guys buzzing around. They are not something I'd want to tangle with, but I WOULD like pictures! And lucky me...after several failed attempts on other days, today I got lucky!! I managed to get some very nice pictures as the wasp moved around the flowers, and then it landed on a flower with a skipper on it. The second it detected the skipper, it moved over in a very aggressive manner. I was close enough to take pictures and darn it if they didn't come out!! When I got to the third picture, I whooped in delight, as I was hoping desperately that I caught the skipper as it flew away! HOORAY, I DID!!!! (You can see my two other pictures of the wasp and the skipper by rolling your mouse over the upper left of the picture) Thanks to Art (Leapfrog) , I now know that this is a Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) and a Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)...you're the best!!! *hugs* Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is a retired American basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and as part of the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team", for which he was an assistant coach. From the 1994–95 season until the 2009–10 season, Wilkens was the all-time winningest coach in NBA history and retired still holding the record at 1,332 victories. Wilkens is now second on the list behind Don Nelson. Wikipedia: Lenny Wilkens Explored on July 28, 2013. Highest placement: page 1 (#21).
209/365: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." ~ Lao Tzu

209/365: "The journey of a thousand miles begins w…

28 Jul 2013 45 14 1455
4 more pictures in notes above! :) For the past few days I've been checking on the tiny eggs I found on the Milkweed stems, and this morning was HATCH DAY!! First I found a single caterpillar...and then I found dozens of adorable, itty bitty caterpillars crawling all over the leaf where their eggs had been attached! Talk about TINY!!! These little guys are just 1/16" in size and as cute as a fuzzy button! Would you just LOOK at that fancy hair?! We're talking HIGH FASHION here!! I went out twice to take pictures--once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and I'm glad I went the second time because on the way to the large Milkweed patch, I stopped by the smaller patch and found a pair of MATING Clio Tiger Moths--which is what these caterpillars will turn into!! Talk about luck! I got a picture of them to share, and a collage of images of the fuzzy babies--plus a couple of extras included in notes! HOORAY FOR HATCH DAY!!! :D Laozi or Lao Tzu; also romanized as Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Laosi, Laocius, and other variations) (fl. 6th century BCE) was a philosopher of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching (often simply referred to as Laozi). His association with the Tào Té Chīng has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism (pronounced as "Daoism"). He is also revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoist philosophy, which often refers to Laozi as Taishang Laojun, or "One of the Three Pure Ones". Wkipedia: Lao Tzu Explored on July 29, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#33).
210/365: "Color is for me the purest form of expression, the purest abstract reality." ~ Jim Hodges

210/365: "Color is for me the purest form of expre…

29 Jul 2013 41 15 1450
3 more pictures in notes above! :) Yesterday Steve and I stopped by a garden center on the way home and I brought home some new flowering plants for my garden! The wildflowers around here are getting scarce and though there are endless cool pictures to capture, I really love bright and cheerful blossoms, so I picked out a few! Today I'm sharing two images of a totally bizarre flower called a celosia! There are many different species, many of which look like burning feathers or flames, hence its name, Celosia, which comes from the Greek name, "kelos", which means "burned". This flower is also an important food in some countries and the leaves are supposed to taste a bit like mild spinach when cooked. Celosia also has many medicinal uses too! The kind of Celosia I got is known as a Cockscomb because of its appearance to a chicken's comb. Jim Hodges (born 1957) is a New York-based installation artist. Hodges was born in Spokane, Washington. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Fort Wright College in 1980 and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY in 1986. Since the late 1980s, Hodges has created a broad range of work exploring themes of fragility, temporality, love and death utilizing a highly original and poetic vocabulary. His works frequently deploy different materials and techniques, from ready-made objects to more traditional media, such as graphite, ink, gold leaf and mirrored elements. Charting both the overlooked and obvious touchstones of life with equal attention and poignancy, Hodges’ conceptual practice is as broad and expansive as the range of human experiences he captures. Hodges has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions in the United States and Europe and has been included in various significant group exhibitions, including the 2004 Whitney Biennial. Hodges is currently a Senior Critic in the Sculpture Department at the Yale University School of Art. A major retrospective of Hodges’ work, organized by the Walker Art Center and the Dallas Museum of Art, is scheduled for 2013 and 2014. Wkipedia: Jim Hodges Explored on July 30, 2013. Highest placement: page 2 (#46).
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