So Proud...

of our
first
watermelon.
:) :)

Color

Butterfly

Butterfly butterfly,
flutter by...butterfly.

Butterfly butterfly,
flutter by...flutter by,
flutter by me.




[This large iridescent
specimen fluttered
over Ginger this A.M.
(early) to dry its wings
(apparently) in the
morning sun on our
windowsill.
It was so large
that Ginger saw it,
stood with her
head cocked up,
and barked loud
enough to
wake
the entire
neighborhood!]

Watery Interlude

This was a rare
four waterfall
view (in a
small public
park)
with a bridge
in the back!
(Valle Crucis,
N.C.)
Artistically
rendered
by me;
what a dream
come true!
...Wish that
I
was 'miniature;'
this is all
that my world
would need to be!

A Slice of North American Beauty...

To Celebrate the 4th!
Top: The view off of tempestuous
Mount Mitchell; the "Big Boy" of the Appalachian Mountains at 6684 feet! The state park at the top of this mountain is the at the highest point east of the Mississippi. I would say that as we were driving, 'perilous' was a good word to describe the mood of it. One gets the feeling that Mount Mitchell is to be taken quite seriously. I imagined the first people coming up to it's summit. The top was like a strange, new land with oddly altered vegetation everywhere that would require some study (actually.) There were many stark, white and dead trees interspersed throughout the other trees also. Looking down was a totally new affair. I liked the view down but could only see down partially~ we were just too high up!
Sign: We had never seen this sign before; it describes a blind switchback (circle) to go UP (The road curves the opposite direction than the sign~ go figure!!) :) The road trip up to Mount Mitchell off the Blue Ridge Parkway was AWESOME.
Vegetation: The trees at the top (over 6000 feet)
were strangely mutated, dwarf and utterly windswept to the point of looking damaged. It gets very cold up on this mountain in the winter. Even in July, it was almost a full 20 degrees cooler at 6000-ish than lower in the mountain range.
Queen Anne's Lace: We saw a giant variety of this plant that must have been 5 times larger than ours at a mere 4000 feet. It was huge.
Mountain shots: The mountain mist/fog rolled in past 5000 feet. In each shot, Mount Mitchell is the mountain in the back! It is massive and well above the lower peaks.
Yes: We will go back!

(When) He's Down

When he's down

it's almost as though

her heart becomes a heavy weight,

pressing...

He's been down so many times before.

It's very hard

to separate herself (from him.)

How long will it take (this time?)

"Am I strong enough?" (No.)

(I need more time.)

(Let me rally myself...Yes, I must be stronger now.)

Stronger I will be-

and she longingly wills him strong, too.

Then she thinks back

to the very essence of

her son

as a pale wisp of a boy, at thirteen-

gaunt and leaning over (almost as if to flop;)

his young strong frame propped up, crooked in the bed.

I pray he can summon what he needs.

After her prayer she decides upon a walk.

That day,

just

as she rounds the bend in the road with the dog--

her eye catches him

moving his slender frame

in a slightly crooked fashion;

down the mountain path he slips

from shadow and into the light.

With a wry smile he states, simply

"I just got up!? "

"I don't know why but I feel better!"

With her breath caught

as if

seeing an apparition

she breathes a deep sigh of

relief and hope and thankfulness

all mingled

together;

what a

sweet release

it is...as if

another uphill battle has been eluded-

the enemy has again

been

strong-armed into certain submission.

She is sure that she see shadows

slip back.

Let us now dispose of the remains of the day~

far from the pain

the morning brought.

He is so unpredictable; this son.

She smiles. He loves the element of surprise.

Does he plan it that way?

Will he always find her startled at his rising;

at the tricky nature of his comeback?

He bounces back when I have almost given up.

He bounces back when I let the outcome go.

I must remember

this one

thing.

A Poem of mine...featured here ( for July )

Yipee!!! :)

http://www.joyfulonline.net/

Also...
coming soon;
more "Watery Visions"
...like this!

What an interesting day it was...

Top:
Terrific rusted
barn
in full
sun.
Middle:
Fresh hay
bails
in
the
forefront
of a mountain
view.
Bottom:
amazing
Grandfather
Mountain;
Can you
see
the beard?
:):)
It was a
GREAT
car ride...
to say the least.

Sunny and blue.

Blowing Rock
views are
impressive
today
with the
sun out.
~Hazy blue~
summer days...
The clouds
cast a
strong
shadow
on the
mountain tops
below.
:) :)

Isner Comes Through.

Simply amazing.
What a gift.

TTTTTennis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A tribute...
to John Isner
and Nicolas Mahut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C'est un beau matin!

It's a beautiful morning!
Can you feel
it?
:)
:)

Christmas in June...

A June offering;
an orderly field
of Christmas trees.
North Carolina
is known
for its tree
farms.
I thought
the lines
of trees
and lines
in between
looked so nice
and appealing.
I never seem to
never tire
of looking
at these
beautiful
fields in the
valleys...
:)

Garden Delights: ferocious color!

We are loving
the little
splashes
of color
our garden is
offering...
Everyone
(even my
teenage son)
is in 'love'
with the fiercely
wee purple flower
(especially!)
:) This is a
bulb
I ordered
from
Holland.
What a delight!
I call
the bottom
rose "Apricot
Dreamsicle
Delight."
Enjoy.
:) :)

My First Rose...

Hot Pink!
(I've never
grown
a rose
before...)
It looks
absolutely
luscious and
I am...
so
excited!