I Heart Macro and Sunday Mornings

It's that time of the week again- Time for some Macro Love!

I went out in the yard this morning, camera in hand, to take in the early morning sights and beauty.

I have 4 hummingbird feeders and watching them fly around is like watching a symphony in motion!

There was a nice ruby throated hummingbird here but he got a little camera shy. This one however wanted breakfast no matter who was watching!

OK now you're starting to  Piss.Me.Off!

Not to be outdone, this dragonfly flew in and landed just as I snapped the pix of the hydrangeas in bloom. You can barely see his wings moving as he flew in.

Sunbathing

The daylillies are starting to bloom all around the garden.

I love daylillies!

Each one with their spectacular painted colors, all different.

There is a daylily farm here on the shore, Sterrett Gardens, about 45 minutes south of me, that i try to get to each year to add to the collection.

They give you a checklist and you can walk the fields looking at all the varieties in bloom, make your list and then return to the gazebo where they check you out and then go dig the varieties you have chosen.

They also ship and have a wonderful website.

This frog is a little skittish, I can only get so close before he jumps and hides but he has been livingin our little pond out front all summer so far so he must eat well here too!

I have been waiting for the rest of the birds to hatch out and leave the nests so that i can trim the bushes without anyone freaking out. Looks like i'll be trimming soon!

Head on over to Lori's and join in the macro love this beautiful Sunday!



Outta Here!

Living here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia has it's perks once in awhile.

Aside from the Chincoteague and Assateague National Wildlife Refuge and seashore, we live right around the corner from NASA Wallops Flight facility now known also as MARS- Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport.

Growing up, my son liked to participate in the model rocket launches, he also went to a camp for robotics there, and then in high school received a year long internship at NASA and then in college had a paid internship over the summer and is now employed there.

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility and the Marine Science Consortium now offer a lot of programs and camps for kids and I would recommend anyone with children look into what they offer.

This morning there was a sounding rocket launch and although the actual flight facility is several miles away, the launches can all be seen right from our front yard.

There are a few major ones scheduled for later this year that everyone is excited about as we are slated to be the supplier to the space station if the launches go well.

For the major launches we usually go over to the island to watch up close.

The rocket got about this high in the sky before the sound reached us

This smoke trail as all that was left to see a mere few seconds after the launch

Life on the shore is good!

It's Summer!!

Jun 9, 2011 11:54 AM Temp

97.0°FSwitch to Celsius 9mphHi: 97°F

Lo: 76°FRain: 0.00"

Gust: WNW 9Heat Index: 105°F

Humidity: 41%Dew Point: 71°F

Avg Wind: 9 NW

Pressure: 29.94"

Rain/Month: N/A"Sunrise: 5:39 AM

Sunset: 8:23 PM

Moonphase:

As reported at: Wallops Flight Facility Arpt

 

Actually not for another couple of weeks, but the numbers don't lie! And it's not even Noon yet!! Heat index 105* Turn on the sprinklers and head to the pool!
**Update-at 3PM the heat index hit 107*

Bead Table Wednesday

This table was significantly neater, albeit full at the time, when I started this project 3 weeks ago.

It now has some trappings for photo shoots, prints are lying about, gifts from the delivery of a new book, art photos are waiting to be framed and yet i get the most work done when everything is around me like this.

You see, I tend to work in series, which to me means I work though an idea and then when I get started actually making the idea come to life, I will create a series of them until I've satisfied the idea and then I will move on to another idea. ( Remember that commercial with Dom DeLouise about 20 years ago where he frets over a HUGE plate of antipasta worried saying " Oh geez, I hope it's enough"? Yup, Me) For those of you who do shows, you know what this is like. Inevitably there will be someone who loves this but would like it in a different color, or larger, or smaller,or silver, or bronze, or....

For this particular series, i have been working with vintage and digital collage images that i love which soon spread to my own photos and artwork under glass , set in filigree bezels, all wire wrapped with Czech glass and various other stones and beads. 

My purpose when coming up with this idea was to have some new pieces in a more affordable price range (since Sterling silver has gone rocketing through the roof) for sale at our restaurant gift shop and to finally get something listed into my Etsy shop ( we'll leave that for another post)

I cleaned and setup the display case at the restaurant Memorial weekend with 14 necklaces and have been busy finishing up the rest of these this past week (50 in total) Some of which are to be donated for fundraising events in our area.

I spent yesterday TRYING to photograph the rest for listing, inside by a window, outside in the shade, in a light tent in the sun, but I haven't gotten a setup I'm happy with yet as far as lighting so i will attempt it again another day. So for now the Etsy shop sits empty still.

So what's on your table this Wednesday?

I Heart Macro

This is my favorite waterlily, it looks hand colored with crayons. I never tire of taking it's picture.

It's I heart macro Sunday over at Studio Waterstone, join Lori and the rest of us!