Blossoms!

If pink and white flower blossoms are your favorite, then this is the post for you! It doesn't seem to matter how many photos I take of these beauties, I can't get enough:-) This first photo was actually taken by my mom, Nancy, and edited by me. She realized she could see a different perspective from where she was sitting in the car, said how good her view was, and so I handed her the camera. She was right - look at this gorgeous view, and what a great photo!

"Pink Path"

"Pink Think"

"Pretty Pink Petals"

"Light Up"

"Soft and Bright"

"Delicate"

"Reach Out"

"Bright Beauty"

"Clouds of Pink"

"White Light"

Bees!

I have lots of new photos to share, have been taking way more than I can keep up with, lol! Starting with just a few bees, though, because I love them so much. Plus, while they might make some people nervous, when I'm in an orchard or around flowers with the sound of bees buzzing in the air, it just feels like I'm surrounded by the most wonderful energy:-) As you probably know, honey bees are in crisis right now, so plant lots of flowers and garden organically to attract them to your garden - bee prepared to bee mesmerized;-)

"Embrace"

"Bee-lieve!"

"Don't Let Go!"

"Eye Spy"

"Bee Ballet"

I don't think I've ever shared any bee wisdom or medicine on my blog. I've researched them on several sites - here are just a few of the traits they represent:

*Accomplishing the impossible - looking at the bees above, hanging on determined to get their pollen; they prove you can reach your goals:-) Also, the way bees are built, they shouldn't be able to fly, but they do.
*Be productive without overdoing it, remember to "savor the honey of life". Also, are you actually working and being productive, or just being busy?
*Bees show the value of working as a community.
*Enjoy the sweetness of life.
And, two of several traits from my favorite quick reference site Animal Spirits:
*Prosperity
*Understanding female warrior energy

These photos are of honey bees and Anthophora urbana (I believe, but if not, please let me know). All are available in our shops (which the photos link to), because I bee-lieve I'm not alone in my love of bees:-)

Flora

Time for a new post! We weren't able take a drive for a couple of weeks, and I was going through withdrawals. So, I hope there aren't too many photos here, but I have a flower addiction and it must be satisfied, lol! I hope you enjoy, and if you have a favorite, please let me know:-)

"No Matter How Hard, Keep Reaching for the Light", these beauties are a bit tattered and torn, but they've still got their faces pointed to the sun. It's a message I value. These are Common Madia (Madia elegans).

"Sticky Chinese Houses" (Collinsia heterophylla), not a title, but the actual name of the flower. I think this has to be one of the best flower names! It's a California native, and is also known as "tincture plant" or "Purple Chinese Houses".

"Foothill Shooting Star" (Dodecatheon hendersonii), actually taken on our trip to Sequoia. Came across one little patch of these delicate beauties, and was thrilled! This is one wildflower I'd really been wanting to see and photograph:-)

"Lovely Little Vetch", this one's for Nature ID. She has an awesome blog that chronicles the flora and fauna of California's central coast area (and beyond). She had a vetch she was trying to id, too. I think mine's "Hairy Vetch", but am not sure.

"Pretty Face", again the common name for the flower, but works as a title. I love these elegant little wildflowers. They're a member of the lily family.

"Tomcat Clover" (Trifolium tridentatum), cool name and cool-looking!

"Long-beaked filaree" (Erodium botrys), geranium family. A non-native invasive, but still pretty:-)

"Thistle Honey", last but not least, a honey bee doing good things with milk thistle:-) Such a beautiful flower, but it's a wicked plant (those thorns are strong!). Hope you've enjoyed this little stroll - fauna coming soon:-)

Poppies, Poppies, Poppies!

Yup, three recent photos of California Poppies:-)

"Sunny Side Up!" Love the sheen on poppies when the sun hits.

"It Takes Two..." These were growing out of a steep hill hence side view.

"Sunny Side Up!" Even on a cloudy day, California Poppies are neon-bright!

A Pretty Stroll

More blossom photos taken recently. Hoping the rain clears so we can get out again tomorrow. I'd like some sunny photos (but really am loving the rain!). Hope you enjoy this selection - who else has fruit trees blooming now? Are you taking photos? Please share how spring is looking to you:-) P.S. Which of these photos is your favorite?

"Slow Dance"

"Pink", ya think? ;-)

"For You!" A little bouquet.

"Focus"

"Wild Beauty", because it was - a little tree on the roadside in the foothills.

Choosing a View

Sometimes, when I go to add my daily entry here, I think about all of the things I don’t write about or show. Other than one post about this area (well, two if you count the stray animal post), I work very hard at concentrating on the positive. I look for the beauty in an area where it can be difficult to find. I would only have to turn my camera away from the foothills to portray a town that most would believe was in a different country. Sometimes, I want to do just that because I can’t believe it is the way it is, and I can’t believe we’re living here.

However, I haven’t done it, and don’t know that I will (other than just to have a record, I guess). By sharing the images that I do, I believe I am creating the world I want to live in versus the one that surrounds me on a daily basis. I want to share the good energy that fills me when I’m out taking photos of flora and fauna:-) I want to keep a hold on that energy, because my heart really needs it.

I imagine that I’m not the only who creates a different world on their blog from the one that they live in. We all have a story, and we all have our own ways of telling it. It’s what gets us through and helps us on to the next chapter, right?

Yay! Quick Fix Today:-)

We needed to get some groceries today, and went to a store that's a little farther away, so I brought my camera. I wasn't sure if I'd get anything, because this morning was super foggy, and even by the time we went, it was still dreary. However, I know overcast conditions can also provide some of the best lighting, and it really does make for beautiful flower photos. Tonight, I'm just sharing a few. I'll probably make you sick of fruit tree blossoms by the time I'm done, lol!



The robin was a wonderful surprise! I know they're a fairly common sight, but they're so handsome and this is actually my first photo of one:-)