Confused

The dogwoods at the temple are blooming, and are absolutely covered with flowers this year.  There are a couple of large trees, though, that can't decide whether they should bloom white, like everyone else, or try a little pink on.  I don't know if this is an aberation or not, but if this is a true variety, I want one for my yard!  It's a confetti tree!

Before the (next) Storm

We have been had a LOT of rain in the last week.  There are small breaks before the next storm rolls through--maybe an hour if we are lucky, that allows me to get outside without getting soaked.  A couple of nights ago this was the treat I saw from my upstairs window.  A glorious sunset, lighting up the oncoming rain clouds.  It was nice to see them gift-wrapped like that.

Water Control Specialist at Work

Driving through a back canyon in Utah, my friends and I came upon a beaver pond beside the road.  I was amazed at the complexity of the dam that had been constructed, and the sheer amount of material used.  I was even more impressed by the precise felling of the trees on the far side of the pond.  It took a fair amount of work to get them to all fall in separate directions; I love the way they are fanned out.

I couldn't resist this shot.  The warmth of the fresh wood against all the gray tones just made this sing to me.

The Old Men in the Mountain

I love finding faces in strange places.  Standing in the parking area at Red Ledges in Diamond Fork Canyon, I looked across the road to the mountainside over there.  Huge boulders and outcroppings are everywhere.  I laughed out loud when I saw these two looking back at me.  The one on the left definitely had a broken nose and evidently forgot his dentures; the one on the right has a snooty, I'm-better-than-you-even-if-I-am-rock look.  What a hoot!  I wonder if anyone else has noticed them?

Snowcapped

The view down Diamond Fork Canyon...

 This is the back of the front range of the Wasatch Mountains, if that makes sense.  I love the view, but I really want to go back in the fall when the aspens and other trees have turned and that foreground has some lovely color!

Skyline Sentinels

I am a sucker for a lone tree or two against the skyline.  Add in red rocks and a blue blue sky, and I am happy!

Red Ledges Textures

I love the differing textures of the rocks--whether they are layered...

 ...pitted and carved...

 ...embellished with seams of color...

 ...or look like captured waves...

  As I was clambering through a narrow area between the cliffs, I looked up and noticed the cliff swallow nests.  They were at least 60' up, or higher.  Thank goodness for a good zoom.  It allowed me to see the individual daubs of mud that they use to construct their nests.  Fascinating!

Diamond Fork Canyon

When I was in Utah at the beginning of May, my friends took me up Diamond Fork canyon, southeast of Provo.  What a surprise to see the Red Ledges area, with red rock formations like you expect to find in southern Utah.  We got out and hiked around a little; I loved the sunshine and warm temps and blue sky, but I sure was longing to shoot this area on an overcast day when the colors would play out better and you wouldn't have as much of a challenge with exposure and the sun/deep shadow dynamics.  What a fabulous place.  I loved all the windows, holes and formations.

  Look at all the colors here--oranges, yellows, creams, pinks....all in one little spot.  Amazing!

Roadside Charmer

Cute as it is, but the buoys are the frosting on the cake!  If this is a bus shelter, I wouldn't mind going to school!

Colors in Bloom

Tradescantia or Spiderwort, which my mom used to call Widow's Tears

 Perennial Bachelor Button, or Centaurea Montana, or Mountain Bluet, or Blue Cornflower.  So many names for one flower.  I've grown these and they can be invasive, but they are so pretty with the delicately fringed petals.

 A variety of peony, which reminds me of a sea anemone.  So pretty!

A combo of colors at the Farmers' Market.  Campanula and Leopard's Bane (so, does that mean these lovely little yellow daisy-like blooms repel or are deadly to leopards? ;-)  Just wondering...)

Parking Lot Rorschach

Rain, in-and-out sun, some gas drips on the wet parking lot...voila!  What do you see?

Blues

I was delighted to see a plethora of great blue herons at Useless Bay.  I always associate them with freshwater lakes, streams and ponds, so seeing them wading through the tidal areas and along the shore was really a treat.  There were so many around it was an embarassment of riches.

 I love watching them fly--the wings are so large, and their bodies, necks and legs so delicate.  I heard them calling to one another...I'd never heard that before and the call sounded (to me) like a duck with bronchitis.

Shells

Love looking for shells at the beach.  It's hard to find a complete one--between the rocks and wave action, and gulls (who drop the shells on the rocks to break them open) an unbroken one is a treasure.  But, even broken they are beautiful.  I don't know what type of shell this is, but I love the spiral at the top...

 ...and the way the color blends and bleeds in layers down the interior of the shell.

 A mussel shell---they are ubiquitous.  I love the blue showing through at the base of this one.

 These are my favorites!  They are Purple Mahogany Clams, also known as Varnish Clams or Savory Clams.  They have come down from British Columbia and are considered to be an invasive species, but they are so beautiful I can forgive them.

 In one of the tidal pools we spotted a live sand dollar.  I've seen the brownish varieties, but I've never see one this shade of deep purple.  Amazing!

 ...and barnacles.  Barnacles are EVERYWHERE; they are on pilings, on rocks, on other shells, on drift logs.  If something stops moving long enough, barnacles start growing.  But--I love the lacy patterns that they make on the rocks.

 I've never seen one like this, where the barnacle "prints" have that lovely blue-ish hue to them.  This rock even had a fringe of barnacles starting.