The Final Day

taken:
day ninety three
09.21.2014

Well this is it, the final day of my Days Of Summer 2014 Photo Project. It was another wonderful season and here I leave you with a pop of pink frilly cosmos, one of my favorite flowers.

I do believe this will be my last summer photo project. My fourth and final one. These projects have taught me so much and have been deeply fulfilling. Four summers ago I forced myself out of my comfort zone and took a leap. If not for taking that leap I would not have come this far. I'm so proud of what I accomplished and when I look back at all my photos, I smile.

I'm grateful for those of you who stood by my side, cheered me on and gave me kind blessings along the way. You are my sunshines! 

I definitely still plan to publish to my blog from time to time. Just not with the pressure of doing a photo a day. I also hope to still sell my prints online and who knows what other exciting things may come.

Thank you to all who have followed along this summer! Your support warms my heart and gives me the encouragement to maintain this little online space of mine.

Fading Sunflower

taken:
day ninety two
09.20.2014

As we round out the last couple days of summer we see the sunflowers fade. What once was towering upright, facing the sun is now drooping, facing the earth, becoming food for song birds. Another three seasons will pass before new sunflowers will be brought to life once more, bringing back cheery sunshiny days in the garden.

Mother Nature's Perfection

taken:
day ninety one
09.19.2014

It's all prefect. So prefect that it seems like someone staged it, the perfect cosmos blossom, the perfect sun flare from above, the perfect water droplets clinging to the stem. Aside from planting the cosmos seed, I didn't have a hand in the perfect moment, but Mother Nature sure did. There's no double that it was Mother Nature at it's best. I was just there to capture it.

Fall Decorating

taken:
day ninety
09.18.2014

On this day I chopped down all of my ornamental corn. A definite sign that summer is coming to a close. Here are the stalks tied with raffia ready for some fall decorating. I love the festive array of colors of the ornamental corn stalks. Each stalk has it's own unique variation of color.

Prairie Fleabane

taken:
day eight nine
09.17.2014

Some lovely little 'prairie fleabane' that grow nearby.

Flare

taken:
day eighty eight
09.16.2014

There's a big clump of this adorable puffy lavender wild grass growing along the road across the street from our mailbox. It's full of flare in the morning sunlight.

The Golden Hour

taken:
day eighty seven
09.15.2014

The golden hour; the hour just after sunrise or just before sunset when the sun is lower in the horizon, when sunlight is softer. One of my favorite times to snap photos. This 'snow puff' cosmos is basking in the golden evening sun. I love the halo effect of the setting sun when the subject is backlit by the sunlight.

The Season Is Almost Over

taken:
day eighty six
09.14.2014

The season is almost over and lots of flowers are past their prime. I'm not sure what kind of flowers these once were, they are in my mother-in-law's garden, but I thought these tiny seed pods were interesting.

Monarch Rescue

taken:
day eighty five
09.13.2014

This monarch has a sweet story. As I was meandering the shore of Lake Mille Lacs at my parents cabin I felt a fluttering flip by me. I turned and noticed this monarch floating in the water right along the shore so I went over and gently plucked it out of the lake. I put it on the rocks in the sun so it could dry. Then I sat down and watch it. It flapped it's wings softly and before long it started to walk toward me. I got up a couple of times to move out of it's way, I wasn't sure where it wanted to go, if it was coming to me or trying to go past me. Then I decide to pick some flowers for it. When I put the flowers in front of it, it took a few sips of nectar. Really cool! Then, after a few more minutes, I started to worry because it looked like it was dieing. It seemed to drift off to it's side and almost stop breathing and moving. I wondered if it was nearing the end of it's lifecycle and that's why it landed in the water in the first place. So I started to feel sad and didn't expect a good outcome. But then, all of a sudden, in a quick instant, it lifted off and fluttered through the air above me, all the way up to the tree tops. I was so happy! It was fun to rescue that precious monarch and share a special moment with such a beautiful butterfly.

Fields Of Cosmos

taken:
day eighty four
09.12.2014

I have a vision that all empty land could be filled with fields of cosmos. What a beautiful word that would be.

I Wonder

taken:
day eighty three
09.11.2014

Well hello, little grasshopper! Does the world look different from up there, I wonder, at the top of that tall sunflower?

Pretty Petunia

taken:
day eighty two
09.10.2014

I love the vein-y detail in the center of this pretty petunia.

Cloudy Afternoon

taken:
day eighty one
09.09.2014

Another sunflower, another bee, under a cloudy afternoon sky.

Face To Face

taken:
day eighty
09.08.2014

Who doesn't love coming face to face with a beautiful monarch butterfly. They are amazing creatures. Did you know that the monarchs that are born in September and October migrate all the way to California and Mexico? It seems impossible but it is truly astonishing that they can fly that far and still have enough energy to carry on and create the next monarch generation. Which will be the generation that will migrate back north in the spring and start the whole cycle all over again.

Getting Along Together

taken:
day seventy nine
09.07.2014

Morning glories can make their home just about anywhere as long as the have something to wind around. This morning glory vine decided to pair up with this pretty pink zinnia. It seems they are getting along together just perfectly.

Sparkle And Shimmer

taken:
day seventy eight
09.06.2014

It was a damp dewy Saturday morning. Dewdrops reflect some of the prettiest morning sunlight and it's one of my favorite times to walk around looking for sparkle and shimmer. Even spider webs look lovely in this kind of light.

At Sunset

taken:
day seventy seven
09.05.2014

French lavender at sunset.

A Lot To Offer

taken:
day seventy six
09.04.2014

A soldier beetler gingerly making it's way around an obedient plant blossom. The obedient plant must have a lot to offer because soldier beetles hoard their pretty lavender blooms day after day when they are in bloom.

The Place To Be

taken:
day seventy five
09.03.2014

Sunflowers are the place to be, this time of year, if you're a bee.

Glimpse Through

taken:
day seventy four
09.02.2014

A glimpse through the cosmos petals reveals a tiny little bee wing.

September Sunflower

taken:
day seventy three
09.01.2014

A super sunny sunflower on the first day of September.

A Match Made In Heaven

taken:
day seventy two
08.31.2014

A match made in heaven, a bee and a zinnia.

Glowing

taken:
day seventy one
08.30.2014

A 'bright lights' cosmos glowing in the morning sun after a shower from the garden sprinkler.

Delightful

taken:
day seventy
08.29.2014

I'm always thrilled when I see a hummingbird in my garden but I rarely have time to snap photos of them before they zip away. Luckily when I spotted this one I was standing close to a tall sunflower and I think I blended in with it enough so the hummingbird wasn't startled by me. I stood as still as I could, gradually raised my camera and was able to take many photos. In fact this guy flew so close to me a couple of times that I got a bit freaked out and was worried that he was going to fly right into me. It was so delightful!

Early

taken:
day sixty nine
08.28.2014

One must get out to the garden early enough in the morning to witness the blooming morning glories. As soon as the sun gets high and warm the morning glory shuts and hides until the next morning. Sometimes on a cloudy cool day though, you'll get lucky and they'll bloom all day.

The Old Church

taken:
day sixty eight
08.27.2014

A bit of the old world is still nestled along a secluded unpaved road in a suburban Minnesota town. It's a place I grew up passing by often. This place, an old historic Swedish church founded in 1872, is near my parents home. It's a cherished building to many, so much so that it's on the National Register of Historical Places.  

An August afternoon walk with my mom and my boys brought us to the grounds of the church. It's the first time we brought my boys there.

With the graveyard surrounding the church you immediately know it is a sacred place and as we strolled through the grounds we read several of the gravestones, many of them are very old dating back to the early days. It's easy to let yourself imagine the lives of those people, what their stories were and become mesmerized by what it was like long ago when the church was first founded. 

I felt grateful for this day and this serene summer walk with my boys and my mom. It was fun to introduce my boys to a bit of the old world and show them this special old church that is so full of history and beloved by many.

Hiding

taken:
day sixty seven
08.26.2014

I spotted this wispy 'rough blazing star' growing wildly in the empty lot across the street. A tiny bit of purple beauty hiding among tall neutral native grasses.

Alluring

taken:
day sixty six
08.25.2014

The alluring petals of a sunflower.

Feasting

taken:
day sixty five
08.24.2014

One evening while walking through the prairie area of my yard I spied this dragonfly feasting on a large long-legged type fly. This fly was not much smaller than the dragonfly itself. See, I told you, despite the darling and dainty persona dragonflies are known for, they are actually ravenous predators, with large appetites, always on the hunt for their next meal.

Dreamy

taken:
day sixty four
08.23.2014

A dreamy view of the center of a 'tropic escape' hibiscus.

Weathered Metal

taken:
day sixty three
08.22.2014

It was 8:00 in the evening and we had been at the MN State Fair for about 12 hours. We were finally making our way through the newly remodeled Heritage Center, when I looked up and noticed this windmill. The sun was setting and I loved the way the sunlight gleamed off of the weathered metal.

Pretty Pink Profile

taken:
day sixty two
08.21.2014

The profile of a pretty pink zinnia.

Dazzled

taken:
day sixty one
08.20.2014

I'm always so dazzled by butterflies. Especially when I spot a 'eastern tiger swallowtail' fluttering through my garden. I feel giddy and humbled by their visits. My tiger lilies are always a favorite for these butterflies.

Growing Roadside

taken:
day sixty
08.19.2014

Some wild grasses growing roadside across the street from my house.

I'm Not Afraid Of Bees

taken:
day fifty nine
08.18.2014

I'm not afraid of bees. Not one bit. When I'm in my garden they buzz inches from me and I'm simply fascinated by them. Wasps and other stinging meanies, well, that's another story. I can live without those nasty guys. But beautiful pollinating bees, I adore them.

Ruffly Abstract

taken:
day fifty eight
08.17.2014

Sometimes I don't get around to taking my daily photos until evening and sometimes I only make it as far as the front porch. Which was the case on this day. Good thing I have a few potted plants to choose from in the case that I've had one of those days. I tried to get a good abstract shot of the ruffly petals of this pink and white variegated geranium but shooting in 8:30 p.m. lightening is sometimes a challenge.

Center Of Attention

taken:
day fifty seven
08.16.2014

It's just a given that cosmos end up being the center of attention this time of year. The 'picotee' cosmos are filling my garden with glorious petals of white with striking pink edges. 

More To Come

taken:
day fifty six
08.15.2014

Another darling cosmos. There's more to come, I'm sure of it.

Tenderness

taken:
day fifty five
08.14.2014

As usual this time of year the cosmos are rippling through the garden with ambition and tenderness. Always one of my favorites. 

Exquisite

taken:
day fifty four
08.13.2014

An exquisite 'eastern tiger swallowtail' butterfly enjoying a pretty pink cosmos. I love having these beauties visit my garden!

Entwined

taken:
day fifty three
08.12.2014

Entwined morning glory vines backlit by the golden late day August sun.

Adorned

taken:
day fifty two
08.11.2014

Another sunflower. This one adorned with some water droplets after a shower from the garden sprinkler.

Uneven Beauty

taken:
day fifty one
08.10.2014

A feathery frilly poppy growing at my in-laws cabin. I don't know what variety of poppy it is but I find it very interesting with it's irregular shaped petals in various sizes. It's erratic, sporadic, uneven beauty.

Minnesota Evening

taken:
day fifty
08.09.2014

You know the scene.

It was a fabulous Minnesota evening.

A sunset pontoon ride.

A bright full moon rising.

A shoreside blazing camp fire.

Kids fishing off the dock.

Toasted marshmallows and s'mores.

Lounging back in an adirondack chair.

Serenity.

Until . . . MOSQUITOES.

They have a way of ruining everything!

Lovely

taken:
day forty nine
08.08.2014

The profile view of a lovely black eyed susan. I love the details in the flower center and the way the petals gently curl back at the tips.

Snack

taken:
day forty eight
08.07.2014

Here's a tiny blue eyed damselfly. If you look closely you'll notice he's having a bit of a snack. No doubt a tasty little bug morsel.

The Best

taken:
day forty seven
08.06.2014

A tipped look at the graceful petals of a 'bright lights' cosmos. These cosmos, they're the best! Truly the best. They're vivid and dynamic and just plain cheerful. A garden is not a happy garden without a 'bright lights' cosmos to cheer it up.

Lounging

taken:
day forty six
08.05.2014

I caught this adorable little tree frog lounging on one of my pink oriental lilies, soaking up some late morning sun. Tree frogs are always a fun little surprise in the garden even though I see them in there almost every single day. I never grow tired of these tiny green visitors.