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.