Litha

Merry midsummer!

 Looking up at bluest sky through greenest oak leaves.

A Sunny Day--Finally!

It was a beautiful day today along Heck Creek.  After days and days of snow, rain, clouds and damp, it was so wonderful to see the sun and blue skies today.  Not a cloud in the sky--just an early rising moon to the east.

I was outside for a bit.  If you looked closely, you could see buds swelling slightly on many plants.   Maybe Spring won't be too much longer in coming.

 

 

BRP and Mt. Mitchell

With out-of-town guests here the first of the month, we had to take a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We headed north through Craggy Gardens to Mount Mitchell.

No one can take a ride on the BRP without noticing the grand skyscapes above the mountain tops.  I'm always photographing the clouds even though I know I'm doomed to disappointment--no mere photo can ever capture the magnificence.

I photographed a few wild flowers, though I tried to keep the picture-taking to a minimum with our guests along.  When Ralph and I go alone, he has to endure frequent requests to pull over just so I can look at flowers.  But here are a few trail side blooms. I enjoy the small and delicate flowers as well as the showy blossoms.


Saxifrage and tiny bluets growing on seepy rocks near the top of Mt. Mitchell.

Saxifraga michauxii and Houstonia caerulea

Saxifraga michauxii

A fringed orchid.

Platanthera psycodes

 Wood sorrel. Look at the colors in this small flower.

Oxalis montana

Not a flower, but interesting nonetheless, upright standing fir cones.

Abies fraseri

And the kids at the top.

The First Week of April

This past week has been cold and rainy and very windy.  All the clouds blowing in and out have made for some dramatic skies above the house above Heck Creek. 

Of course, no photo can really capture the sky.

Between the showers the Pop, with a little help from me, managed to get almost all of the siding on the big storage shed.  With its construction we now have all the stuff here and can stop paying for the storage unit.  We're slowly trying to sell or donate all the things we don't need so we can get rid of some of the clutter.

 

Finally the wind has blown away all the clouds and we have sunshine.

This morning there's not a cloud in the sky.   I can begin to see some color on the trees on the hill across the way.

  

And the redbud is flowering.

  

 Robyn's daisy just can't wait--it's bloomed its first bloom indoors.

 

Who are these people ....

Flying through the skies high above the house above Heck Creek?

 

Where are they all going?

Leaving their traces in the sky. 

(And what are those reflections on my camera lens?)

Midwinter Sunrise