Summer's Last Storm

taken:
day ninety four
09.21.12

At Lake Mille Lacs, on the last day of summer, in the final hours, a blustery ending brewed. 

Dark, thick clouds hid what would have been summer's last sunset. 

The winds whipped, the waves swelled toward shore. 

Before long the rain began to gush from the sky. 

Summer's last storm, washing away the brightness of summer, brought with it the rich and crisp days of autumn.

Exquisite

taken:
day ninety three
09.20.12

Just another tropical hibiscus blossom, this one pink, exquisite, radiant and ruffly.

Head Over Heels

taken:
day ninety two
09.19.12

I am head over heels for comsos. Truly. So much so, that this year I grew 5 different varieties, growing all from seed. They just make me happy, simple as that! This darling cosmo, providing a bee with a late summer refreshment, is the 'daydream' variety. With sweet and cheerful little blooms, I enjoyed growing this variety for the first time this summer.

What A Difference

taken:
day ninety one
09.18.12

As fall approaches the asters are still emerging, ever so gradually. They seem much more purple, on this day, in the fading evening light, than they were 15 days before, when they appeared more pinkish in the high afternoon sun. What a difference lighting, angle and 15 days can make!

Still Going Strong

taken:
day ninety
09.17.12

Just a sweet little succulent that I planted last summer. It's still going strong, along with it's moss rose companions.

Hope

taken:
day eighty nine
09.16.12

Sunflowers are bold and tall. 

Sometimes becoming weary, drooping toward the earth, weighted down with seeds, too heavy to face the sun. 

Sometimes life can feel the same way. 

There are days of strength and adventure, nothing could waver. 

Then, there are days when the seeds of everyday pressures weigh down even the bravest and sturdiest. 

When unable to face the sun, the fact is, it's still there, above, radiating sparks of hope and strength.

For someday, those heavy seeds will fall, leaving the opportunity to lift and face the sun again.

Nearly Invisible

taken:
day eighty eight
09.15.12

This tiny spider, gleaming in the sun, weaved it's web beneath our mailbox. It was itty bitty and nearly invisible. 

I only noticed it because the sunshine highlighted it from behind. Sneaky little spider!

September Afternoon

taken:
day eighty seven
09.14.12

Ok, can you tell I love cosmos? Here's another one, standing tall and graceful on a September afternoon.

From White To Pink

taken:
day eighty six
09.13.12

Deep pink now, but these hydrangea blossoms spend most of the summer pure white {as in this and this}. 

This 'pink diamond' turns vibrant as fall approaches, splashing what once was pale and smooth, with richness and texture. 

Unfolding

taken:
day eighty five
09.12.12

One of my beautiful Tropic Escape Hibiscus blossoms in the midst of unfolding it's vivid saffron hued petals.

Amber Waves

taken:
day eighty four
09.11.12

September 11th, a day of reflection and allegiance. A time to be united and patriotic.

These native grasses, growing nearby, reminded me of the lyric, "for amber waves of grain", in the song, America The Beautiful. Although they're not grains, exactly, they could still be considered "amber waves", by flowing and rippling all at once in the gentle September breeze on the steadfast day of national togetherness.

Ruffly Petals

taken:
day eighty three
09.10.12

I once heard that marigolds deter rabbits and other critters from nibbling on your garden. I guess the scent of the marigold can act as a repellant? So I decided to give it a try about 4 years ago. The first summer I bought the marigolds on sale from the garden center and planted them in a border around the entire veggie garden. That fall I harvested the seeds and planted them again the following spring. I've been harvesting and planting the seeds every year since.

Although they add a lovely cheerfulness to the otherwise boring looking veggie garden, it was definitely wishful thinking that they would keep out the critters. Especially after this summer {here and here}! Nonetheless, it'll still be a tradition for me to outline the garden with these easy and fast growing marigolds every year to come. Especially since they produce gobs and gobs of seeds, so why not use them, right?

I really do love marigolds. I love their blazing color. I love their ruffly petals. I even love their distinct scent, which reminds me of childhood for some reason. To me, they're nostalgia.

Sixth Birthday

taken:
day eight two
09.09.12

It was my youngest son's 6th birthday. A day to celebrate with a few of his little friends! Even though my son says, "he doesn't eat cake", I made mini cupcakes for the kids. I didn't frost all of them since the frosting is what he doesn't really like. What??? I know, isn't that the best part? It's my favorite part anyway. Along with a few other treats we also served Kit-Kats, my son's favorite candy bar. I jazzed them up by dipping one end in melted chocolate and speckling them with sprinkles, transforming them from average ol' Kit-Kats to birthday Kit-Kats...yum!

Overcast

taken:
day eighty one
09.08.12

It was just one of those days, a day I didn't get out to look for anything pretty or interesting to photograph. It was overcast and super windy. With evening approaching I decided to just snap a photo of the sky and the gloomy fast moving clouds.

Still Surviving

taken:
day eighty
09.07.12

On this day I went to my parents place to help my mom paint their house. When we were done painting for the day we walked through the backyard to check out their pond which is completely dried up because of the extreme drought that we are experiencing here in this part of MN. Instead of pond water, algae and ducks floating by, the area is filled with drought loving plants. It was such a strange sight. As we stood there, near the edged of where the pond water should be, I noticed this bee perched on this small white swamp flower that was still surviving in the dry conditions.

Golden Center

taken:
day seventy nine
09.06.12

Another pretty mum, this one soft and pink with a newly exposed golden center.

Do You Know What Bokeh Is?

taken:
day seventy eight
09.05.12

Who doesn't love a little bokeh? What? Bokeh??? You may know you love it or enjoy the way it looks in a photo, but you may not know what it is. 

It's adapted from a Japanese term, meaning blur or haze. According to Wikipedia the definition of bokeh, in photography, is: the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".

I've heard bokeh pronounced about 3 different ways, I like to pronounce it: bow-kay. It kind of reminds me of the word 'bouquet' as in a 'bouquet of flowers'. Perfect. Easy to remember, right? And the prettiest way of pronouncing it, in my opinion.

At this point I could get all boring and technical about lenses, aperture and depth of field, but I'm pretty horrible at explaining things technically. I suggest goggling it if you are really interested. You'll find tons of interesting information and in much better detail than I could give you.

What I can tell you is that I love blur, I love out of focus, I love light and sparkles, I LOVE BOKEH! The bokeh above, created by water droplets from an overnight rain, is so bubbly, like twinkling lights, something that only the lens can bring to life. And when captured, it's so so so exciting. It's an addiction, a thrill and I'm always looking for a way to achieve bubbly bokeh!

Vibrant

taken:
day seventy seven
09.04.12

Just some vibrant mums, huddled together, waiting for fall.

Finally Emerging

taken:
day seventy six
09.03.12

I forgot this plant was an Aster. It grew green all summer. Just green, no blooms. I waited and wondered what kind of plant it was, eager to see what sort of flowers would appear. It seemed to take forever, I almost gave up. Then I saw this, purplish-pinkish finally emerging. That's when I remembered "Ahhh, it's an Aster!" A nice little late season surprise.

Until Next Year

taken:
day seventy five
09.02.12

It was our last day at the cabin on Labor Day weekend. As a Common Merganser floated by, we soaked up every ounce of the sun and beach before we had to leave for home. Back to reality because even though the calendar states that it's still officially summer, everyone knows that Labor Day weekend signifies the end. Good bye to long hot days, bare feet across the rocks, splashes off the dock and relaxing beach afternoons...until next year.

Sparkling

taken:
day seventy four
09.01.12

It was Labor Day weekend, the weather was gorgeous, great for swimming and relaxing on the beach. I sat on the dock and watched the boys play in the water with my brother. The sun was high and hot, sparkling off the water's surface.