If it was Monday, it must've been macro

I'm only able to get out in the yard right around the house in small snatches of time lately, so most of what I can do is macro. Not that I'm complaining! :-)

Celebrate the rain

We've been having some wonderful Indian Summer days, but every once and a while we get some rain; a portent of what's ahead... might as well embrace it and get ready for the 6+ months of wetness!
Caught a couple of wonderful flares yesterday morning after the early shower had passed.

I loved the fact that the grass was so heavily laden with droplets. I love all the different sized droplets, too.

Symmetrical Architecture

I love succulents, and their balanced symmetry. It never fails to amaze me how perfectly arranged the leaves are, and how they unfold so evenly.

Black and white just seems to intensify the structure and shape and emphasize the abstractedness of the design.

Thanks for all the well wishes and good thoughts and prayers for Rick. He is home after 2+ weeks in ICU. A couple of new twists, but we dodged a big bullet and a difficult consequence, so we are happy and willing to adapt to the new changes. I will post when I can as I find time --lots of new things to learn how to do!!

It's starting to look like fall

Took a little time the other morning before going into the hospital to spend the day with Rick to go to the Botanic Garden and "fill my bucket". Amazing what even 15 minutes in a garden can do for me. I love the fall colors that are starting to come on. The combinations of the asters and the black-eyed susans always say "autumn" in my book.

I couldn't resist the back-lighting with the early sun washing across these

I always love the combo of sun shining through Japanese maple leaves against blue sky. Such a wonderful cheery combination!

The decorative grasses always evoke thoughts of prairie, MidWest, and harvest (when I don't think of the deer eating them)

Hydrangea heads aging against a weather-stained fence...

And grapes in an overhead arbor, used to provide shade

Tie-Dyed Variety

I love this dahlia. Don't know the name of it, but all these blooms were on the same plant. Lots of variety in color, shading, and variegation. Nature is so wonderful!